FAQ

What does i+m stand for? Where can you buy our products? What certifications do our cosmetics hold? And how does every purchase you make contribute to a good cause? We’re here to answer all your questions in detail. So, make yourself comfortable, grab a cup of tea, and let’s dive in.

Payment & Vouchers

How you can pay with us, how we deal with the VAT reduction and where you can enter a discount code, you can find out all that here.

• What does payment in advance mean?

  You prefer to transfer your order yourself and without a direct debit mandate? We have set up the payment in advance option for this purpose. The procedure is as follows: You pay your invoice amount to the Dutch bank account of our payment service provider Mollie and we ship your order as soon as receipt of payment is confirmed. Please use the specified reason for payment so that Mollie can allocate your payment. As soon as we have received your payment, we will ship your order with all your i+m products.

  Most important: Please note that your order will be automatically cancelled after 30 days without receipt of payment. Payments made without a reference number or with an incorrect reference number will be automatically credited back to you by Mollie within one day.

• What payment options do you offer?

  You can pay with PayPal, Instant Bank Transfer or Instant Banking (SEPA Direct Debit), with credit card or via prepayment/bank transfer. All payment methods are handled by our Dutch payment service provider Mollie. You do not need a Mollie account for this service.

• Where can I buy an i+m gift voucher?

  How nice that you like our products so much that you want to give them as a gift! We don't offer gift vouchers at the moment, but we are already working on a technical solution so that our little pots and jars can conquer even more hearts and bathrooms.

   

• Where can I enter my discount code?

  Discount codes are available in our newsletter and for special promotions. You can enter them in the first step of the order process to the right of your address details. By the way, upper and lower case is not important when entering the code.

  If your voucher code does not work, check whether you have accidentally inserted a space and whether the code is still valid and meets the conditions. Sometimes a voucher code is valid exclusively for a certain product or only for one product category, or it can NOT be combined with reduced items, our sample service or other promotions.

• Which countries does i+m ship to and what does shipping cost?

  Good news, for orders within Germany and Austria with a merchandise value of 25€ or more, shipping is free! For orders up to 25€, shipping within Germany and to Austria costs 3,90€.

  Of course, we also ship your favourite i+m products internationally. Shipping is free for orders with a value of goods of €50 or more. The flat shipping rate for orders with a value of goods up to €49.99 varies according to the destination country:

  • Zone 1: 7,90€
  • Zone 2: 8,90€
  • Zone 3: 9,90€

  You can find out which zone your home country belongs to here.

Order

You want to change your order, send it back or want to know how much the shipping costs are? Here you will find the right answers.

• Can I have my order delivered to a (German) “Packstation”?

  Would you prefer to have your parcel delivered to a (German) "Packstation"? There's nothing easier than that. It's as simple as this:

  1. Enter the "Packstation" number in the "Street and house number" field
  2. Enter your personal postal number in the "Additional address (optional)" field
  3. The postcode of the "Packstation" belongs in the "Postcode" field
  4. The town where the "Packstation" is located should be entered in the "Town/city" field

  Et voilà, you can now conveniently pick up your parcel from the nearest "Packstation".

• How do I return my order?

  You have changed your mind? No problem, you can return your order or individual products within 14 days. Simply write to info@iplusm.berlin and we will send you a free return label. Please make sure that the returned products are unopened and in original condition including intact hygienic seals, so that we can refund the full purchase price. An undamaged original packaging and any accessories should also be enclosed with your return so that your return can be processed quickly.

  In the spirit of sustainability and to avoid unnecessary waste, we do not enclose return labels and create individual return labels for you upon request.

• Products are missing from my shipment. What do I do now?

  Something must have gone wrong. We are sorry about that. Please contact our customer service and we will make sure that you receive your complete order.

• Where can I track, change or cancel the status of my order?

  If you have created an account with us, you can view your order history and track the status of your orders under Orders.

  You can only change or cancel your orders until our logistics partner Schloss & Gut Liebenberg has shipped your order. You can track the status of your order in your customer account. If your order has not yet been dispatched, you can still contact our customer service. If your order has already been shipped, you can return your package to us free of charge using the enclosed return label.

  Once your order is on its way to you, you will receive a tracking number from our shipping partner DHL by email, which you can use to track the shipping status and the route of your order.

• Which countries does i+m ship to and what does shipping cost?

  Good news, for orders within Germany and Austria with a merchandise value of 25€ or more, shipping is free! For orders up to 25€, shipping within Germany and to Austria costs 3,90€.

  Of course, we also ship your favourite i+m products internationally. Shipping is free for orders with a value of goods of €50 or more. The flat shipping rate for orders with a value of goods up to €49.99 varies according to the destination country:

  • Zone 1: 7,90€
  • Zone 2: 8,90€
  • Zone 3: 9,90€

  You can find out which zone your home country belongs to here.

All about i+m

What does our name mean, why do you donate with every purchase and what do we stand for? You can find the answers here.

• Use i+m cosmetics and do good at the same time. How does it work?

  Change the world with beauty! This is the motto of i+m NATURKOSMETIK BERLIN, because we want to beautify not only skin and hair, but preferably the whole world. That's why a quarter of our income flows into the development and maintenance of eco-social projects - entirely in the spirit of the common good economy. Last year alone, this amounted to €100,000! Your receipt is therefore a ballot paper, because with every purchase of an i+m product, you support our world improvement measures.

  • You buy, we donate 100% – Several times a year, we donate our entire daily online shop revenue and at the same time create a platform for issues that are close to our hearts. In this way, we collect donations for a good cause and also draw attention to important projects, such as Syrienhilfe e.V. or the integration project EOTO. You can actively help decide which organisation we support via social media.
  • Choose your own donation target – With our limited FAIR Editions, you support specific projects, because we donate one to two euros per product sold to the respective initiative. With the Let's Support Refugees! shower gel, for example, you support a social garden and neighbourhood project run by refugees in a former Berlin cemetery; with the PETA Animal Rights Shower Gel, you support the international animal rights organisation PETA; and with the CBM Donation Soap, you support an aid project of the Christoffel Mission for the Blind in Ethiopia.
  • Support our commitment in Zambia – Our largest and permanent donation project is in Zambia. There, our women's shelter, initiated in 2014, has since been expanded to include an orphanage and a school, all of which are run by local people. Every year at Christmas, we offer our Festive FAIR Edition Sambia, which you can buy to support this project.
  • Support our global commitment – We are proud that our cosmetics are among the cosmetic brands with the highest percentage of Fair Trade raw materials. They are fairly traded, so we work with 12 fair trade projects that strengthen local economies and promote issues such as equal rights for women, fair wages and much more. Find out more here!
  • Help for small projects – In addition to our major fundraising campaigns, we at i+m have the opportunity to support our own personal fundraising goals, NGOs, initiatives and projects through our employee donation fund. From the "Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland" to the "SchutzengelWerk Kinderhilfe" to the "Eichhörnchen-Hilfe Berlin/Brandenburg e.V." and many more.
  • Think global, act local – Our products are manufactured entirely in Germany and to a large extent even regionally in Brandenburg. This is particularly important to us, because it allows us to support the local economy and at the same time guarantee the high quality standards of our products. Shipping takes place via the integration project Schloss & Gut Liebenberg.

• What certifications does i+m have?

  » FAIR i+m is one of the cosmetics brands with the highest proportion of fair trade raw materials, because our raw materials are preferably sourced from fair trade.
  In addition, a quarter of our profits go to social, environmental and animal welfare projects. You can find more information about our fair initiatives here.

  » ORGANIC The i+m full range is certified organic according to the highest natural cosmetics standard COSMOS ORGANIC. Our valuable oils are cold-pressed and gently processed. This makes them particularly natural, high-quality and effective. Find out more about our seals and high quality standards here.

  » VEGAN & CRUELTY FREE The entire i+m range is 100% free from animal ingredients and animal testing, which is why our products carry the Vegan Society seal (also known as the Vegan Flower) and the Leaping Bunny seal. In our experience, purely plant-based cosmetics are especially well tolerated by the skin and also particularly effective.

  » LEAPING BUNNY is a global programme whose animal welfare-free standards exceed legal requirements and is the internationally recognised gold standard for animal welfare-free products. We maintain firm controls and proactively monitor our suppliers to ensure our products continue to meet the Leaping Bunny criteria. Find out more about the Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny Programme here.

  » ECO FRIENDLY The Climate Partner seal distinguishes us as a 100% climate-neutral company. Conserving resources is a declared goal for us at all levels.

  We are also proud winners of the German Sustainability Award 2019 and 2020.

  You can find the corresponding seals on the product packaging and on the respective product detail page here in our online shop. You can find out more about i+m's values here.

• What do the letters i+m stand for?

  i+m stands for the initials of our two founders, Inge Stamm and Monika Berg. The two superwomen founded i+m NATURKOSMETIK in 1978. They didn't think twice and named the company after the first letters of their first names. You can read more exciting details about the inspiring founders and our company history here.

• Who is actually behind i+m?

  Glad you asked, because behind our colourful cosmetic products is a lot of passion and a team of individualists who have joined forces to make the world a little bit better.

  100% corporate-free: growing organically without external financing and in self-organised teamwork, i+m stands for a new corporate culture. Founded in 1978 by two midwives, the two environmental activists Jörg von Kruse and Bernhard von Glasenapp revived the almost insolvent company in 2007, gave it a new, contemporary design and raised the flags towards the common good economy. For more than ten years, Verena Zydek and Gordana Brozio have been at his side, and every year, committed employees join in to help shape the company and enthusiastically introduce new topics.
  Just get to know us and find out who is passionate about what and who is responsible for which area.

• Why should I buy from the i+m online shop?

  • Product variety: You can only enjoy our complete range via our online shop. Here, exclusive products such as our tasting service, refill packs, deodorant creams in travel sizes, special accessories and our brand new product innovations are waiting to be discovered by you.
  • Doing good: As a community-oriented company, we always donate a quarter of our profits to eco-friendly projects. As part of this, 100% of our online shop daily takings go to a good cause every quarter. You can decide in advance where we donate via social media.
  • From person to person: If you order from our online shop, you will receive mail from the castle! We have entrusted our logistics to the Schloss & Gut Liebenberg integration project. There, people with various disabilities have found a new professional perspective in Brandenburg, and we are very happy that they support us in shipping our products.
  • Climate-friendly, plastic-free shipping: We ship throughout Europe (zones 1-3) in a climate-friendly way with DHL Go Green. This means that the greenhouse gases produced by transport are actively offset by climate protection projects. In addition, our standard packages are made of environmentally friendly grass paper and your products are softly bedded on our recycled paper-based Sizzle Pack.

Product questions

Which certifications we have, what the Fairtrade® seal is all about, where you can buy our products and what tricks there are if the airless dispenser gets a bit twitchy - we'll tell you!

• Can I also buy the i+m hotel products in your online shop?

  We are very pleased that you like our products so much that you also want to enjoy them at home. In our exclusive hotel products, we use formulas that we have developed especially for hotel use, which is why you can't buy exactly the same products in bricks-and-mortar stores. You can obtain the Liquid Hand Soap from the Hoteledition exclusively via our online shop. Similar to the Hotel Shampoo is the Shine Shampoo Lemon from our Hair Care series and the equivalent to the Hotel Shower Gel is our Berlin Shower Gel.

• Can I test i+m products first?

  Of course! Since the proof of the pudding is in the eating, we offer our fabulous Sample Service. For a small nominal fee, you receive a colourful selection of i+m samples. The set is a compilation of our latest and most popular products and therefore always a little surprise treat.

   

• My airless dispenser pump is defective, the product does not come out. What can I do?

  Since our products do not contain conventional preservatives, we have chosen a packaging that does not allow air to reach the creams - the airless dispenser. In rare cases, you may have a little difficulty starting the dispenser. First try to get the product out of the dispenser by pumping it vigorously and several times. In most cases, this works wonderfully.

  In very rare cases, however, the dispenser really does have starting difficulties, but you can help it along with a little trick: With a bent paper clip or a toothpick, you can apply a little pressure to the inner lifting base through the small hole in the base. If you now pump several times, the cream should be dispensed from the dispenser.

  Another tip is to squeeze the opening of the cream dispenser shut and pump a few times. If it still doesn't work, please contact the retailer directly or our customer service (depending on the purchase method).

• My product is unopened but has a green tinge. What is the reason for this?

  This is not because of our product, but because of its packaging. Step by step, we have converted the part of our range that is filled in dispenser bottles to more environmentally friendly packaging made of recyclate (rPET). This means that the bottles (with the exception of the cap) are made from 100% recycled waste plastic. This has an incredible number of benefits, about which you can read more in the FAQs.

  Since then, our products not only shine in a smaller, more manageable format with the same amount of content, but also sometimes have a slight greenish shimmer through the packaging due to the natural cloudiness of the material. Whether it's facial cleanser, body lotion or shower gel – you can use the product without any problems. The only crucial factors are the typical pleasant fragrance and the consistency of the products.

   

• My product smells funny. What could be the cause?

  In the shop, our products are occasionally opened by other customers to test the fragrance. As our natural cosmetics do not contain classic preservatives, the minimum shelf life of 4 months begins once the products have been opened. To prevent an already opened product from ending up in your shopping bag, please always check the "freshness seal" - if it is intact, you can be sure that the product is unopened.

  If you have accidentally opened a product, please contact the retailer from whom you purchased the product directly and ask for an exchange. Our customer service will take care of your request in our online shop.

• Where can I buy i+m products?

  Our selected natural cosmetics are available in many organic and natural food shops as well as at dm. You can use our store finder to view all the shops that stock our i+m products and find one near you. Many shops carry a partial range. The complete product range and exclusive treats such as our Sample Service, refill sets and much more are available exclusively in our online shop.

   

• Why are not all i+m products Fair Trade certified?

  Our cosmetic products meet all the conditions for fair trade certification, because i+m is one of the beauty brands with the highest proportion of fair traded raw materials. To achieve this, we work with 12 fair trade projects that promote the local economy, equal rights for women, fair wages and much more.

  Certificates like the well-known Fairtrade® seal of the NGO TransFair would cost 3% of our turnover. Since we want to continue to offer high-quality natural cosmetics at affordable prices, we have therefore refrained from extensive fair trade certifications – with only few exceptions for our lip care. However, we are currently in the process of initiating further steps. As soon as we have news, we will let you know.

Packaging

Find out which i+m products are available for refilling, why we only offer selected products in glass and more here.

• Are i+m products also available for refilling?

  Good news, exclusively in our online shop you can order refill bottles for soaps and shampoos – The full selection can be found here.

  Unfortunately, it is not so easy to produce refill packs of our creams, serums and lotions for reasons of hygiene protection, as they need special protection. Especially cosmetics with cold-pressed, unrefined and therefore particularly sensitive oils must be protected from contamination in order to remain usable. When products are transferred from a refill container into bottles suitable for everyday use, they come into contact with air and can become contaminated, causing the product to quickly tip over. Your safety comes first, which is why we currently only offer surfactant-containing products for refilling. As soon as this changes, you will find out on our blog (in German only) and via social media.

   

• Can I have my order gift wrapped?

  Unfortunately, we do not offer any special gift packaging at the moment. However, there are special Holiday Sets from i+m for Christmas, which are packaged especially beautifully. As soon as we have worked out a gift packaging option with our logistics partner Schloss & Gut Liebenberg, we will let you know.

   

• Can I send you empty deodorant jars to refill?

  To really make a difference, we would have to collect and refill larger quantities. To do that, we would need a system that also involves the stationary trade. That is not possible for us at the moment because we are simply too small for that. But we're staying on the subject, because things are moving here, too. Our glass jars can already be recycled, e.g. for storing spices.

• Why don’t you use only glass bottles and jars?

  Unfortunately, glass is still the packaging material with the highest energy demand in production. On the one hand, this is because the melting temperature of glass is over 1000 °C and production requires a lot of energy for processing. In addition, glass is very heavy with a density of 2.5 to 6.3 g/cm³ - so not only the production but also the transport of glass packaging consumes a lot of energy. The CO2 emissions are correspondingly high.

  Another argument against the exclusive use of glass is safety. Glass bottles in the bathroom and especially in wet areas can quickly fall and cause injuries due to broken glass. Your safety has priority. Even though they are becoming more and more common in our range, we nevertheless continue to see advantages in the alternatives to glass packaging.

  Of course, waste avoidance is very important to us because of the environment. Therefore, we completely dispense with outer packaging and only use glass vials for products with pipettes. The airless packaging in which our creams and fluids are filled is therefore made of pure plastic, polypropylene (PP), which is highly recyclable. Polypropylene has distinct advantages over other plastics because it is much stronger and more heat resistant. In addition, its loss of quality during the recycling cycle is extremely low, which is why it can still be used after several "recycling passes".

  In accordance with the cradle-to-cradle concept, we specifically use only resources that are permanently preserved in the recycling cycle. So, for our cleaning and body care products, we have introduced eco-friendly packaging made from recyclate. This means that the bottles (except for the caps) are made from 100% recycled plastic waste. So instead of using up new resources, existing and used ones are recycled, strengthening a waste circular economy. In this way, existing plastic can circulate in the material cycle instead of ending up in the world's oceans. Recycled plastic, so-called recyclate, can in turn be 100% recycled and completely dispenses with petroleum as a basic material for the production of new granulate as a raw material. And last but not least, the production of bottles from recyclate (rPET) emits less CO2 than new PET.

  At the same time, our shipping boxes are made from recycled grass paper. This uses 30% virgin fibre from sun-dried grass and 70% recycled paper. The paper is particularly environmentally friendly because it does not destroy any forest, can be harvested several times a year and only covers short transport distances. In addition, it has a negligibly low industrial water requirement. At the same time, grass paper saves up to 80 % energy per tonne of fresh fibre. Its manufacturing process does not use any process chemicals at all. This enables us to inform about our work from all sides and to give more space to the finest natural cosmetics in every respect.

  In addition, we have launched our completely plastic-free WE REDUCE! series and outer boxes. Here, the packaging is made from recycled and in some cases even compostable materials. Outer boxes allow us to inform about our work from all sides and to give more space to the finest natural cosmetics in every respect. Our solid cosmetics as well as the lip care and deodorant tubes are made of grass paper cardboard, while our deodorant cream Rose is filled in a compostable lignin jar, so-called liquid wood. Lignin, by the way, is a sustainable and extremely attractive alternative to plastic. The plastic-free material from renewable sources is made from FSC-certified wood, which is extracted from wood chip residues. The lignin is a real soft touch. It has a wonderfully natural texture, all the packaging benefits of plastic, and is also fully biodegradable and compostable in your own garden.

  Because sustainable packaging materials are the future, we continue to expand our waterless cosmetics and are always working on alternatives to our current packaging.

Customer account

Reset password, delete customer account? We can solve that in no time at all! Here's how easy it is.

• How can I delete my customer account?

  We collect and use your data exclusively for processing your orders, including delivery and payment, and sometimes also for providing the services you have requested. Transparency is important to us, which is why you will find all information on this subject in our privacy statement. If you still want to delete your account, please contact our customer service and we will delete your account for you.

• I have forgotten the password of my customer account – Now what?

  Nothing could be easier. Just click here and you can reset your password directly. Please note that this only works if you have a customer account with us.

Newsletter

How you can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the newsletter is explained here.

• I need a break. How can I unsubscribe from the newsletter?

  You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by following the unsubscribe link in the newsletter. You can find more information on this in our privacy statement.

• Where can I subscribe to the newsletter?

  How nice that you are interested in our fabulous newsletter. Sign up here to get your 10% voucher. You'll also get monthly news on exclusive discounts, fresh product news, goodie promotions, beauty tips & DIY's, eco-friendly i+m news and much more.

Contact

Do you need help with your order or would you like some advice? Excellent, here we explain how it works.

• Do you also offer individual skin consultations?

  Our customer service team is highly trained in putting together the optimal care for different skin types with products from our ranges. It's best to think about the challenges your skin faces and what kind of care you want. The more detailed your descriptions, the more likely we are to find the right products for you. Please bear in mind that we can only advise you on the choice of care products that are suitable for you; in the case of skin diseases, please consult an established dermatologist.

• How do I reach your customer service?

  You can reach our friendly customer service team by phone or e-mail from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 - 16:00 and on Fridays from 9:00 - 13:00.