Horst M. Rechelbacher (1941 – February 15, 2014) was an Austrian American businessman who was the founder of the cosmetics company Aveda Corporation and Intelligent Nutrients. His interest in developing products without toxic chemicals launched the market for natural cosmetics in the United States.

Early life and career

Rechelbacher was born in Klagenfurt,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

to an herbalist and shoe maker/designer, and was the youngest of three brothers. His family apartment overlooked a small salon across the street in central Klagenfurt. During his childhood, Rechelbacher had many opportunities to observe the daily activities of the salon which inspired him to choose a vocation or continue with a formal education in salon profession. At age fourteen, he embarked on a three-year apprenticeship in the beauty and salon industry. During his apprenticeship, he was a three-time winner of the Austrian Junior Championships. At seventeen, he moved to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and started work at an exclusive salon in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In 1970, Rechelbacher went to Florida to participate in a number of different competitions. In 1978, he founded Aveda and began to expand the product line into hair, skin and body care, makeup, plant-based perfumes (aromatherapy) and lifestyle products. Following the

Exxon Valdez oil spill The ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill was a major environmental disaster that occurred in Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. The spill occurred when ''Exxon Valdez'', an oil supertanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company, bound for Long Be ...

, Rechelbacher was the first to sign onto the Valdez Principles, now the

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid and first to be discovered * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion ...

principles, joining corporate environmental responsibility with corporate bottom line. In 1992, along with his partner Kiran, he attended the

Earth Summit The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio de Janeiro Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92, Cúpula da Terra), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 ...

, where three key agreements occurred: the Climate Change Convention, a precursor to the Kyoto Protocol, the

Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its ...

and an Intellectual Property Rights accord for indigenous peoples that included preventing actions that could be deemed culturally inappropriate and/or cause environmental destruction. Through this convention, Rechelbacher forged a relationship with the Brazilian Yawanawa tribe and began a project cultivating uruku for its pigment and replanting seedlings in

deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

areas. Nearly two decades after Rechelbacher incorporated, he sold Aveda to the

Estee Lauder Companies Estee is a feminine given name, a diminutive of the name Esther, and a surname. Estee may refer to: People and characters * Estee (given name), and a list of persons and characters with that given name * Morris M. Estee (1833–1903), American ...

but remained a consultant until March 2003. In the years following the sale of Aveda, Horst established Intelligent Nutrients. IN is an organic, food-grade, non-toxic plant-based hair, skin, body, aroma and lifestyle company with the primary emphasis on using organically grown ingredients.

Projects

Rechelbacher was the founder and chairman of the Horst M. Rechelbacher Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to social and environmental preservation projects that operate on a grass-roots level. He also owned HMR Galleries, an art and antiques business, and was involved in producing films including the 1999 film ''Hidden Medicine.

Personal life

Rechelbacher maintained residences in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. As well as a private estate and a company retreat, the Osceola, Wisconsin, property serves as an organic farm cultivating flowers and plants while also operating a distillery for the IN products. The farm and home are solar powered. Rechelbacher was divorced with two children, a son Peter and a daughter Nicole. Nicole is a married mother of three, and former accessories and clothing designer for Aveda. Peter is married with a son, and provided expertise in finance, and was president of Intelligent Nutrients while at Aveda. Horst lived and worked with his long-time companion, wife, and former vice president of marketing and creative for Aveda, Kiran Stordalen. Rechelbacher died from complications of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

on February 15, 2014, at the age of 72 at his home in

Osceola, Wisconsin Osceola ( ) is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,765 at the 2020 census. Located mostly within the Town of Osceola, the village sits on the border with Minnesota, separated by the St. Croix River. It is ...

Books

* ''Rejuvenation: a wellness guide for women and men''. Published 1987, Harper & Row. () * ''Aveda Rituals: a daily guide to natural health and beauty''. Published 1999, Henry Holt. () * ''Minding Your Business: Profits that Restore The Planet''. Published 2008, Earth Aware Editions. ()
''Alivelihood: The Art of Sustainable Success''.
Published 2006, HMR Publishing. ()

References

External links