Founder Emilia (Mila) Opitz-Altherr began creating
skincare formulas after finding nothing suitable for her
own skin concerns on the market.

In close collaboration with dermatologists, she developed
an anti-aging hormone cream, marking the beginning of a new
era of high-precision skincare that offered a sense of freedom
and self-confidence.

After several years of working on formulas
and building trust with clients, Mila formally
founded her company under the name Milopa.
The business was entered into the Swiss
commercial register and production moved
from small, improvised setups into an organised
structure. It was the moment her personal project
became a long-term family company.

The results of Milopa’s products had attracted
attention beyond Switzerland. The company
began exporting for the first time and took its
first steps into international markets. It was a
careful but confident expansion that set the
tone for Mila d’Opiz as a Swiss brand with a
global outlook.

A fire severely damaged the office floors and
impacted the work of the research laboratory.
For several months the team worked with
temporary setups and limited resources to keep
production running. The incident didn’t define
the company, but it showed how committed the
people behind it were to continuing Mila’s work.

Due to name confusion with another company,
Milopa was renamed Mila d’Opiz and the
manufacturer became M. Opitz & Co. AG. This
change gave the brand a clearer identity and a
name that could be carried into the future.
It also marked the moment when the
founder’s first name,
Mila, became the heart of the brand.

The company moved into new premises at
Haggenstrasse 40 in St. Gallen. Modern laboratories
and updated infrastructure made it possible to work
with greater precision in microbiology and analytical
testing. This upgrade laid the technical groundwork
for many of the innovations that would follow
in later decades.

We became the first Swiss cosmetics company to
achieve ISO 9001 certification. For a privately
owned family business, this was an important
step that formalised what had already been part
of the company culture: consistent quality,
traceable processes and clear standards.
It reinforced the brand’s reputation as a reliable
Swiss manufacturer.

Third generation Opitz family member
Caroline Studer joins the company in marketing
and sales, eventually moving on to become the
current CEO and owner of the company.

For the 75th anniversary of Mila d’Opiz, the
research and development team created The
Skin Whisperer™, a formula that quickly became
one of the brand’s most recognised products. It
symbolised how far the company had come: from
the first cream in 1938 to advanced anti-aging skincare.
The anniversary was less about looking back and more
about showing what the brand was capable of.

From 2014 onward, several Mila d’Opiz products
received international awards, which were
honoured at the BSB European Innovation Awards
and other industry events. These recognitions confirmed
the company’s position as a Swiss brand that combines
in-house research with visible results. 

In 2024, Mila d’Opiz introduced Royal Retin®,
the company’s first patented active ingredient.
Developed in-house through a fusion of Gelée
Royale and NovoRetin™, it marks an important
scientific step for the brand and strengthens its
position as a Swiss manufacturer with its own
cosmetic innovations.

In September 2025, Mila d’Opiz introduced Hyaluronic⁷,
the world’s first seven-fold hyaluronic formulation. Built
on seven structures of different molecular sizes, it represents
a new generation of hydration science and continues the brand’s
long tradition of advancing Swiss skincare through in-house research.