ABOUT US
Born in 1954
Skin care for face, body and sun, for men and women, imagined and developed by a family driven by a passion for botanicals, -to know more
Pioneers in aromatherapy - Essential oils therapy- , in phytotherapy – plants therapy-, phytembryotherapy – the therapy using vegetal buds-, all applied to skin care.
The discoverers and creators of a unique beauty secret with unparalleled powers: an exclusive and treasured formula combining 5 essential oils with extraordinary synergetic properties. "Yon-Ka Quintessence", is the DNA of our brand.
YON-KA WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Yon-Ka… These two syllables form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
YON
Life-giving river with its cleansing waters, and phonetic link ION, or energy particle.
KA
The part of eternity found in every being in ancient Egypt.
YON-KA
Together form a symbol of infinite rejuvenation.
"If you believe in something, do it."
This is a great place to add a tagline.
That's the motto of Catherine and Francoise Mühlethaler sister-owners of the heritage brand Yon-Ka Paris. Long before #cleanbeauty was a buzzword…
Fiercely passionate for the plant kingdom and visionary entrepreneurs, the two sisters – Catherine (an aesthetician) and Françoise (a biochemist) joined forces – and career paths – in an empowering mission to bring what nature can best offer to beauty! Since Yon-Ka laboratories first launched in 1954, the company has pioneered the production of cutting-edge aromatherapy and phytotherapy formulas that merge botany, scientific innovation, wellness, and beauty.
Today, Yon-Ka is present in 56 countries through a network of spas, salons, and medical facilities.
NATURE
Since its creation, Yon-Ka has chosen to always use natural actives, plant extracts, essential oils and ingredients issued from biotechnology.
PHYTOTHERAPY
Plant cell actives; revered for many actions that are key to exceptional products and are primarily grown using organic methods. In the early years of the brand, Plant extracts provided important yet humble actions for the skin:
Remineralize, hydrate, nourish, repair/strengthen, and much more.
In recent years, Research & Development advancements have amplified the longevity actions of phytotherapy, i.e. the ability to preserve and repair the skin’s infrastructures. Longevity actions include:
Fight inflamm’aging and glycation, telomere protection, ATP synthesis.
AROMATHERAPY
The therapeutic usage of essential oils to restore skin’s natural energies. The sourcing and blending of the essential oils makes the difference between a good product and an exceptional one.
Essential oils are light, dry oils that do not need encapsulation to enhance their delivery into the skin. Benefits to the skin are complemented by the scent/sensory actions of essential oils, therefore, effects are felt by both the body and the mind. They bring the sun’s energy to the skin, promoting numerous benefits:
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Anti-bacterial
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Healthy circulation
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Detoxifies
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Drains/lymphatics
QUINTESSENCE
Yon-Ka Treasure
This vision of holistic beauty, returning to the basics of well-being, is embodied by Quintessence, our star ingredient and exclusive complex containing 5 essential oils (lavender, geranium, rosemary, cypress and thyme) which is at the heart of our treatments and products for both face and body.
This active and synergistic ingredient combines dermatological effectiveness with olfactive and multi-sensory benefits to contribute to the greater well-being and overall balance of every person.
Geranium essential oil (pelargonium gravaeolens): anti-aging and balancing properties
Lavender essential oil (lavandula angustifolia): regenerating and soothing properties
Rosemary essential oil (rosmarinus officinalis): detoxifying and firming properties
Cypress essential oil (cupressus sempervirens): refining and balancing properties
Thyme essential oil (thymus officinalis): purifying and invigorating properties
SCIENCE AND RESULTS DRIVEN
At Yon-Ka, our priority is to provide visible and lasting results, by giving back the skin its natural ability to regain and maintain its balance, its health and its beauty, and acting in an effective manner on its dermatological issues and aging process.
Yon-Ka’s Research & Development is totally geared towards achieving fast and visible results. It relies on an in-house scientific experts committee (including PhD pharmacists, dermatologists, biologists, chemical engineers, bacteriologists…) and rigorous standards for the clinical evaluation of the efficacy of the products marketed.
We carefully formulate, manufacture, control and distribute all the products we sell, which allows us to ensure a total traceability from the raw material to the end-product at its retail destination. The Yon-Ka products are manufactured in France; they are not tested on animals and respect a precise formulation charter. They do not contain parabens, aluminum salts, SLS, MIT, or Triclosan.
-Produced in a “white zone” (cleanroom) with filter air; pharmaceutical standards
-Yon-Ka follows GMP and ISO 22716 standards
Yon-Ka relies on the power of the essential oils and plant extracts combined with “gold standard” actives such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, polyphenols, peptides and AHAs in order to target skin aging and address all the potential issues of the skin.
Yon-Ka controls the efficacy of each product (firming effect, depth of the wrinkles, hydration, anti-glycation action, anti-oxidant effect, anti-brown spots …), thanks to clinical surveys conducted by independent laboratories:
To foster its efficacy, Yon-Ka also relies on state-of-the-art professional treatment protocols, bringing together manual and instrumental techniques.
WELLNESS AND PROFESSIONAL ESTHETICS
A Yon-Ka treatment is a unique and expert alchemy bringing together the hand of the therapist which feels, the tool that reinforces its action and the essential oils that enhance it. A know-how the brand shares with its authorized partners through regular and on-going training sessions and seminars, in order to ensure we all provide you with visible results.
Therefore, every professional treatment can and will be customized according with the skin type, the skin concern or the mood of the day.
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More than classic face and body treatments – and experiential journey to sustained well-being
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A professional’s choice brand – made by estheticians for estheticians
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5,000 spa locations world-wide
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Includes Yon-Ka “lifers”, spas and therapists who have used the brand for many years
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
Yon-Ka respects nature, it’s the basis of our products. When it comes to its packaging, Yon-Ka uses card-board from trees that are managed and handled in a sustainable manner by a Swedish company which belongs in the top 100 most sustainably oriented companies in the world, according to the rating of the United Nations Worldwide pact.
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Primary packaging is plastic alternative/bio-resin and is recyclable
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Secondary packaging is recycled cardboard
In addition, Yon-Ka helps sponsor beehives with the Association “Un Toit pour les Abeilles” (A Shelter for Bees”), in order to help support bee populations and combat the alarming loss of pollinating insects.
Yon-Ka is committed to not using endangered plants or that are essential food resources of local populations and/or necessary to their wellbeing.
OUR HISTORY
A Family affair... from one generation to the next...
1954 to 1967 : turning passion into creation
Pioneers in aromatherapy, Cécile, Ernst and Charles Muhlethaler are passionate about aromatherapy and in 1954 they found the Laboratories Multaler. At the time, the wealth of ancestral and empirical knowledge they were able to draw upon was shared only by a small number of scientists, chemists and doctors.
The Essential Oils At first they focus on the subtle aromas of the botanical world, the essential oils charged with solar energy. They experiment on themselves, family and friends, the therapeutic properties of the plants: purifying, healing, psychotropic… Their research leads them to a breakthrough discovery: “Quintessence” a unique combination of 5 essential oils from the Mediterranean which becomes the cornerstone of their future skin care line.
Plant and fruit extracts
But why limit oneself to the essential oils,when so many other wonders known for hundreds of years can be drawn from plants?
They broaden their research, blend essential oils together with plant and marine extracts, in lotions, creams and massage oils, unveiling new synergies. Medical doctors, physiotherapists and aestheticians are involved in the evaluation and testing. Success is immediate and the professionals are appealed both by the originality, the pleasant feel of the products and the power of their balancing aromas only surpassed by their efficiency, their immediate and visible results and the positive feed-back from the users. Clients rave about this new sensations in simple words: “thanks to the treatment it is as if my skin is breathing again, I feel good and it shows”
From this moment on the products are available with the brand name YON-KA,a symbolicand mysterious name.
Françoise Muhlethaler, a biochemist, and Catherine Muhlethaler, an aesthetician, daughters and nieces of the founders take the lead of this French family owned company in 1968. Driven by the same passion and values like their founding predecessors and parents, they bring the company to the next level both for the industrial processes and the commercial development. With pride and ambition for the brand, they open 3 subsidiaries: starting with the USA in 1987 soon followed by the United Kingdom and Switzerland in the early 2000.
Day after day they build relentlessly and bring the company to the next industrial level: the factory is set and organized according to the highest standards in the industry: products are manufactured according to GMP standards (good manufacturing practices) in a filtered air environment. They support and organize in house Research & Development, Quality and Applications with a skilled team of pharmacists, chemist engineers, biologists, bacteriologists, aestheticians, in order to master the development and production of the products and allow objective efficacy testing.
Based in the Paris metropolitan area, the company is now set on premises of over 86,000 square feet. It develops its own exclusive formulas, manufactures, inspects, controls and distributes Yon-Ka worldwide.
The Yon-Ka phyto-aromatic products have acquired an international recognition as experts in Phyto-Aromatherapy. They can be found in more than 50 countries present in more than 5000 of the most exclusive spas and resorts, collaborating with dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Yon-Ka today is the only brand that can offer a unique sense of well-being while delivering immediate long lasting results to the most demanding skins.
