Target: Beiersdorf AG, including relevant subsidiaries, the tesa subgroup, Alpa-BDF Ltd., controlling entities, and controlling principals.
Evidence review date: 22 October 2026.
Scope: Israeli defence contracting, military supply chains, dual-use products, logistics, weapons systems, export controls, military-adjacent activities in occupied territories, and relevant conduct of controlling principals.
Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement
Corporate structure and relevant commercial presence
Beiersdorf AG’s 2025 financial statements describe the Group’s principal activities as the manufacture and distribution of consumer skin-care products and technical adhesive tapes. The consolidated group includes the independently managed tesa business segment.1
Beiersdorf’s official international locations directory identifies Alpa-BDF Ltd. at Medinat Hayehudim 89, Herzliya, Israel. This establishes a declared commercial presence in Israel in the current corporate directory.2
Alpa Cosmetics states that it established Alpa BDF jointly with Beiersdorf in 2019 to develop the Israeli presence of Beiersdorf brands including NIVEA and Labello. This establishes a named Israeli joint venture and consumer-products distribution relationship.3
Beiersdorf’s 2025 annual report identifies its Consumer business as including NIVEA, Eucerin, Hansaplast, La Prairie, and Chantecaille, alongside tesa’s industrial adhesive systems. The disclosed business activities do not themselves establish military procurement.4
Ministry of Defence and security-force contracts
No public evidence identified of a contract, framework agreement, tender award, or memorandum of understanding between Beiersdorf, Alpa-BDF, or tesa and the Israeli Ministry of Defence, Israel Defence Forces, Israel Prison Service, or Israeli Border Police.
Defence trade directories
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf, Alpa-BDF, or tesa listing connected to an Israeli state defence contract in SIBAT, Israeli defence procurement registers, or defence exhibition catalogues.
Defence partnership announcements
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group announcement establishing a defence joint venture, weapons-related cooperation programme, or military procurement agreement with an Israeli defence entity.
Named intermediaries
tesa’s distribution documentation establishes that the company uses authorised industrial distributors and converters supplying adhesive products in multiple forms. These general distribution arrangements do not identify an Israeli military purchaser.5
Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants
Industrial product capabilities
tesa publicly markets adhesive products for aviation applications, including mounting, surface protection, masking, and cable management. Its aviation product range is relevant to aerospace manufacturing and maintenance, but the referenced material does not identify an Israeli military aircraft, defence programme, or military customer.6
tesa also markets automotive adhesive solutions used for bonding, mounting, masking, sealing, thermal management, electrical shielding, and vehicle assembly. These are documented industrial applications with potential applicability across different vehicle categories.7
The Beiersdorf Group’s 2025 accounting disclosures identify technical adhesive tapes as a core business activity. This establishes industrial manufacturing capability, without identifying a defence-specific product line.8
Militarised product lines
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf or tesa product explicitly developed, modified, or contracted for Israeli tactical, military, or weapons-system applications.
Civilian-to-military distinction
tesa’s industrial distribution programme covers adhesive tapes for industrial customers and specialised applications. Public availability through distributors does not identify the final user of any specific product or establish supply to an Israeli defence organisation.9
Beiersdorf’s consumer-product portfolio includes skin-care, personal-care, and wound-care brands. These product categories do not establish a dedicated Israeli military medical-supply programme or defence procurement relationship.10
Military end-user certification
No public evidence identified of Israeli military end-user certificates, military-specific export approvals, or contract-modified adhesive products attributable to Beiersdorf, Alpa-BDF, or tesa.
Israeli military platforms
No public evidence identified linking a named Beiersdorf or tesa product to Israeli military aircraft, armoured vehicles, tactical communications, targeting systems, or weapons integration.
Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure
Heavy-equipment manufacturing
Beiersdorf’s 2025 corporate reporting identifies consumer skin-care products and industrial adhesive tapes as its primary manufacturing activities. It does not identify heavy construction machinery as a Beiersdorf business segment.11
Equipment used in occupied territories
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf-owned construction equipment or vehicles used in settlement construction, military infrastructure development, demolition operations, or separation-barrier construction.
Direct and indirect supply
tesa’s documented industrial distribution network allows products to be supplied through specialised distributors and converters. The disclosed network does not establish a specific downstream Israeli settlement-infrastructure customer.12
Construction and engineering contracts
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf, tesa, or Alpa-BDF contracts involving checkpoints, detention facilities, military installations, settlement infrastructure, demolition projects, or the separation barrier.
Occupied-territory presence
Beiersdorf’s current international locations directory places its identified Israeli entity, Alpa-BDF Ltd., in Herzliya. That corporate listing does not identify an office or operating facility in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, or Golan Heights.2
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group construction, engineering, or military-adjacent project in internationally recognised occupied territory.
Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes
Relevant group structure
Beiersdorf’s 2025 related-party disclosures identify maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA as the indirect controlling parent, BBG Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH as the direct controlling parent, and tesa as part of the consolidated operating group.13
The same disclosures identify Wolfgang Herz as Beiersdorf’s ultimate controlling related party and Michael Herz as an individual exercising significant influence over maxingvest.13
Components and manufacturing inputs
tesa’s public automotive catalogue identifies adhesive technologies used in bonding, surface protection, shielding, and other industrial assembly applications. The catalogue does not identify Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, or an Israeli military programme as the purchaser or recipient of a specific product.7
tesa’s aviation catalogue establishes product applications relevant to aircraft manufacturing and maintenance. It does not establish a procurement relationship with an Israeli defence prime contractor.6
Elbit Systems
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group component-supply, subcontracting, licensed-manufacturing, or joint-development agreement with Elbit Systems.
Israel Aerospace Industries
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group component-supply or manufacturing-services agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group component-supply, co-production, or technology-transfer agreement with Rafael.
Israel Military Industries / Elbit Land
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf-group materials, components, specialist services, or licensing agreements supplied specifically to Israel Military Industries or Elbit Land.
Joint development and co-production
No public evidence identified of a weapons-related joint-development programme, defence-sector technology-transfer arrangement, or Israeli military co-production agreement.
Controlling principals
Beiersdorf’s 2025 shareholding disclosures record voting-rights notifications involving the Max und Ingeburg Herz Stiftung, IH Zweite GmbH, Wolfgang Herz, Michael Herz, and other Herz-family members. The notifications identify shareholder influence and ownership attribution, without documenting Israeli defence-sector transactions.14
The 2025 supervisory-board disclosures identify Wolfgang Herz’s roles involving Participia Holding, Blume2000, TOPP Holding, maxingvest, and Tchibo. Those disclosed mandates do not establish a directorship in an Israeli defence prime contractor.15
No public evidence identified of a qualifying Israeli military-channel investment, defence-industry board appointment, military fundraising contribution, or defence procurement arrangement involving the named controlling principals or their identified personal vehicles.
Logistical Sustainment & Base Services
Military base services
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf, tesa, or Alpa-BDF providing contracted catering, facilities maintenance, transportation, telecommunications, fuel, waste management, or other logistical services to Israeli military installations.
Consumer supply compared with military procurement
Alpa Cosmetics describes Alpa-BDF as a joint venture associated with the Israeli commercial development of NIVEA and Labello. Its corporate history does not identify military installations or security agencies as customers.3
Military medical and personal-care supplies
Beiersdorf’s disclosed portfolio includes Hansaplast and other wound-care products alongside its skin-care brands. Product availability does not establish an Israeli military medical-supply contract.4
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group framework agreement supplying wound-care products, personal-care goods, or medical consumables to the IDF or Israeli security agencies.
Geographic specificity
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group logistics contract servicing Israeli military installations in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights, or Negev.
Shipping, freight, and port operations
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group shipping, freight-forwarding, port-handling, or cargo contract specifically servicing Israeli defence logistics or military shipments.
Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms
Lethal weapons manufacturing
Beiersdorf’s 2025 annual report describes the Group’s commercial focus as consumer skin care and industrial adhesive technologies. The disclosed business segments do not identify arms, ammunition, or weapons-platform manufacturing as principal activities.1
Munitions and precursor materials
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf, tesa, or Alpa-BDF supplying ammunition, explosive ordnance, propellants, warhead materials, or munitions precursors specifically to Israeli defence customers.
Strategic platforms
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf-group manufacturing, integration, or maintenance services for Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, Israeli fighter aircraft, armoured vehicles, naval weapons, or ballistic-missile systems.
Military-critical subsystems
tesa markets industrial adhesive products for automotive and aerospace applications, but the examined product documentation does not establish supply of mission-critical components to a named Israeli weapons platform.6, 7
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf-group guidance electronics, targeting systems, fire-control components, radar assemblies, propulsion systems, or weapons-integration software designed specifically for Israeli kinetic military applications.
Autonomous targeting and military AI
No public evidence identified of Beiersdorf-group development or supply of autonomous targeting software, fire-control AI, target-generation systems, precision-guidance software, or other systems specifically designed to produce targeting decisions or weapons effects.
Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History
Applicable export-control context
On 2 September 2024, the UK government announced the suspension of approximately 30 licences for exports to Israel assessed as potentially usable in military operations in Gaza. The government identified categories including aircraft components, UAV parts, naval systems, and targeting equipment. The statement does not identify Beiersdorf or tesa as an affected exporter.16
Entity-specific licensing
No public evidence identified of a licence granted, denied, suspended, or revoked for a Beiersdorf-group export specifically destined for Israeli military or security end users.
Arms embargo and sanctions compliance
No public evidence identified of an enforcement action, regulatory citation, or sanctions investigation involving Beiersdorf-group defence exports to Israel.
Legal challenges
No public evidence identified of a court proceeding, judicial review, or government procurement challenge specifically concerning Beiersdorf-group military supplies to Israel.
Corporate compliance framework
Beiersdorf’s published human-rights policies require business partners to comply with ethical, legal, labour, and environmental expectations, and describe supplier risk assessments and audits. These are general supply-chain governance provisions rather than evidence of a military export-control approval or an Israeli defence-specific end-use investigation.17
Beiersdorf’s 2025 sustainability disclosures separately describe compliance systems for the Consumer and tesa segments, including supplier codes of conduct and human-rights due-diligence measures.18
Developments after July and November 2024
Alpa Cosmetics continues to identify its 2019 Beiersdorf joint venture in its publicly available corporate history, while Beiersdorf’s current international directory lists Alpa-BDF in Israel. These disclosures establish continuing public identification of the commercial relationship but do not establish a post-July 2024 military transaction.3, 2
No public evidence identified of a defence-specific Beiersdorf-group contract renewed or maintained after the International Court of Justice advisory opinion of 19 July 2024 or the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued in November 2024.
Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations
Human-rights and supply-chain reporting
Beiersdorf’s 2025 non-financial reporting describes policies and procedures covering supplier human rights, responsible sourcing, grievance mechanisms, and assessments of business partners in both the Consumer and tesa segments.18
The 2025 affected-communities disclosures address supply-chain risks including sourcing-related land rights and environmental impacts. The relevant published discussion concerns sourcing risks rather than a documented Israeli military procurement arrangement.19
Beiersdorf’s public sustainability download centre provides access to human-rights policies, reporting documents, supplier codes, and responsible-sourcing materials.20
NGO findings concerning military supply
No public evidence identified of a target-specific military procurement or weapons-supply finding in the authoritative NGO and UN material located during this review.
Boycott and divestment campaigns
Ethical Consumer’s public Beiersdorf company profile identifies NIVEA and Eucerin as associated brands and states that it has no active boycott recorded for the company. This statement describes that database’s published classification and is not a comprehensive assessment of all boycott activity worldwide.21
No public evidence identified of a documented institutional divestment decision specifically citing Beiersdorf’s supply of military equipment, weapons components, or logistical services to Israeli security forces.
Corporate response
Beiersdorf publicly describes supplier responsibility, human-rights expectations, and grievance procedures in its general corporate policies.17
No public evidence identified of a Beiersdorf-group contract termination, military end-use commitment, defence-sector disengagement announcement, or military-specific policy change made in response to pressure regarding Israeli defence supply.
Related-company governance
Beiersdorf’s 2025 annual report identifies the maxingvest group as holding 53.17% of its shares at 31 December 2025. Beiersdorf AG held 9.92% of its own issued shares.22
The 2025 related-party disclosures identify Wolfgang Herz as the ultimate controlling related party and Michael Herz as an individual with significant influence over the controlling group.13
No public evidence identified of the identified controlling principals directing Beiersdorf, tesa, or Alpa-BDF to enter an Israeli defence relationship, or of independently documented qualifying military-channel acts attributable to those principals.
Footnotes
-
Beiersdorf, “Material Accounting Policies,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-consolidated-financial-statements/material-accounting-policies.html ↩ ↩2
-
Beiersdorf UK, “Global Business,” international corporate locations directory, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.beiersdorf.co.uk/about-us/beiersdorf-global ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Alpa Cosmetics, “About,” corporate history identifying the Alpa-BDF joint venture established in 2019, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.alpa-cosmetics.co.il/en/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Beiersdorf, “We are Beiersdorf,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/to-our-shareholders/we-are-beiersdorf.html ↩ ↩2
-
tesa, “Distribution Network,” updated 6 May 2026. https://www.tesa.com/en-gb/industry/markets/distribution-partners/distribution-network ↩
-
tesa, “Aerospace adhesives for mounting and protection,” official aviation product information, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.tesa.com/en-gb/industry/markets/transport-industry/aviation-industry ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
tesa, “Advanced automotive adhesives: revolutionizing car design and assembly,” official industrial product information, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.tesa.com/en/industry/markets/automotive ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Beiersdorf, “Material Accounting Policies,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-consolidated-financial-statements/material-accounting-policies.html ↩
-
tesa, “Industrial Distribution,” updated 16 December 2024. https://www.tesa.com/en-gb/industry/industrial-distribution ↩
-
Beiersdorf UK, “Our Brands,” corporate brand portfolio, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.beiersdorf.co.uk/Brands/ ↩
-
Beiersdorf, “Share Capital,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-balance-sheet/share-capital.html ↩
-
tesa, “Distribution Network,” updated 6 May 2026. https://www.tesa.com/en-gb/industry/markets/distribution-partners/distribution-network ↩
-
Beiersdorf, “Related Party Disclosures,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-consolidated-financial-statements/other-disclosures/related-party-disclosures.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Beiersdorf, “Shareholdings in Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-consolidated-financial-statements/other-disclosures/shareholdings-in-beiersdorf-aktiengesellschaft.html ↩
-
Beiersdorf, “Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft Boards,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/consolidated-financial-statements/notes-to-the-consolidated-financial-statements/beiersdorf-aktiengesellschaft-boards.html ↩
-
UK Parliament, written ministerial statement concerning the suspension of certain export licences to Israel, 2 September 2024. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/1726453 ↩
-
Beiersdorf, “Human Rights Policies,” corporate sustainability disclosure, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.beiersdorf.com/responsibility-and-commitments/reporting/human-rights-policies ↩ ↩2
-
Beiersdorf, “S2 – Workers in the Value Chain,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/combined-management-report/non-financial-statement/social-information/s2-workers-in-the-value-chain.html ↩ ↩2
-
Beiersdorf, “S3 – Affected Communities,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/combined-management-report/non-financial-statement/social-information/s3-affected-communities.html ↩
-
Beiersdorf, “Download Center,” official sustainability publications and policies, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.beiersdorf.com/responsibility-and-commitments/reporting/downloads ↩
-
Ethical Consumer Research Association, “How ethical is Beiersdorf AG?”, public company profile, accessed 22 October 2026. https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/beiersdorf-ag ↩
-
Beiersdorf, “Beiersdorf’s Shares and Investor Relations,” Annual Report 2025, published 3 March 2026. https://www.reports.beiersdorf.com/annual-report/2025/to-our-shareholders/beiersdorfs-shares-and-investor-relations.html ↩