Fragrance house

Yon-Ka

Created in France in 1954 by Cécile, Ernest, and Charles Mühlethaler, Yon-Ka began at Laboratoires Multaler with products developed for physiotherapists. In the late 1950s, the family expanded into skincare for aestheticians and difficult skin concerns. In 1960, combining essential oils with active substances from the whole plant produced the concept of phyto-aromatherapy, which became central to Yon-Ka’s identity. Leadership passed in 1968 to the founders’ daughter and niece, Françoise and Catherine Mühlethaler, whose backgrounds in biochemistry and aesthetics shifted the brand toward spa-treatment expertise and international development. Laboratoires Multaler opened an American subsidiary in 1987. Yon-Ka is a French, family-owned, sister-owned business operated by the third generation of the Mühlethaler family. In 2021, it refreshed its visual identity and website. Its fragrance legacy rests on Quintessence, a five-essential-oil complex developed in 1954, and Lotion Yon-Ka, whose aroma comes from that signature blend.