Founded | 1994
US Headquarters | Coppell, TX
Top Executives:
Beate Hjeltnes | CEO
Amy Cadora | Chief Brand & Mission Officer
Product Category | Home & Personal Care
For over thirty years, Norwex has helped people live healthier, happier lives by reducing exposure to harmful chemicals in their cleaning and personal care products. Founded in Norway by Bjørn Nicolaisen, Norwex is the union of two words: “Norwegian” and “experience,” which uniquely captures the clean simplicity the company strives to bring into homes around the world. Today, Bjørn’s daughter, Beate Hjeltnes, serves as Chief Executive Officer, continuing her family’s passion for nature, sustainability and deep, lasting relationships in the company’s next chapter.
The Norwegian Way
While Beate Hjeltnes may be new to her role as Chief Executive Officer at Norwex, the company’s story is simultaneously her past, present and future.
“Norwex means everything—I actually don’t know where my family ends and the company begins,” she shared. “It’s a privilege to be running the company my father founded, and I constantly think about the legacy I will leave for our Consultants. But I’m also focused on future generations and the consumers who buy our products—who care about ‘cleaner, safer, better’.”
Beate took the helm of Norwex in May 2025, more than thirty years after her father founded the company when she was still a teenager. Bjørn Nicolaisen was busy building his law business when a client introduced him to a cleaning cloth that would change the trajectory of his life—a cloth that represented a chemical-free future aligned with his deep love of nature. Microfiber was invented in Sweden in the early ’90s, just before Bjørn’s introduction to the cloth that sparked his vision.
Launching his business in 1994 with microfiber as the foundation, Bjørn became a pioneer in microfiber solutions for cleaning. Today, Norwex remains that microfiber pioneer, thoughtfully expanding its product collection over the years to include a range of cleaning cloths, cleaning products for every corner of the home and personal care that meet the company’s high standards for non-toxic ingredients.
In 1999, Norwex began to expand beyond its Norwegian home when Bjørn partnered with Gerd Doroshuk and Debbie Bolton to open Norwex in Canada, opening the door to North America and beyond. Norwex USA officially launched in 2011, following Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Australia and Malta. Today, Norwex operates in more than 20 countries. Around the world, Norwex continues to lead with its values, bringing the Norwegian way of life to homes everywhere.
“Our core values are rooted in the Norwegian culture: integrity, trust, respect and kindness,” shared Beate. “Our business relies wholeheartedly on having strong relationships, and I care deeply about the people who sell our products. Each year, I invite Consultants from North America to stay in my home rather than at a hotel, so they can experience the Norwegian way of life firsthand.”
Amy Cadora, Norwex Chief Brand and Mission Officer, explained that every product is designed with this signature “Norwegian Way” in mind—the philosophy that guided Bjørn in the very beginning and continues to shape product development at Norwex today.
“We’re not focused on creating more products,” she said. “We’re about bringing that Norwegian lifestyle—a much simpler way of life—to our products. We work to develop products that do a lot of different things, because that’s the Norwegian way. Norwegians are more concerned about buying high quality and buying it once. That’s the mentality that we’re bringing into our product innovation and strategies—we’re not going to build something if it can’t be of the highest quality.”
Passion Meets Purpose
Since its inception, Norwex has worked to share not only its Norwegian values, but a clearer understanding of the impact household chemicals have on our bodies and our environment. The company attracts and empowers like-minded entrepreneurs to share its mission: to reduce harmful chemicals in the home. The Norwex Envirocloth, a signature product, works with just water yet removes 99 percent of bacteria, eliminating the need for toxic chemicals.
“What excites me is that gradually, people are starting to understand the importance of what we’re trying to achieve through our mission of helping reduce harmful chemicals in the home,” explained Beate. “When my father was leading Norwex, that conversation used to be much harder. Fewer people were aware of this issue. Our Consultants lead this conversation with pride about living cleaner, safer, better.”
At Norwex, the conversation around chemicals has always taken place in person, as the company embraced the party plan model in the very beginning and has never wavered. Consultants feel connected to the mission; they’re eager to share what they’ve learned at parties and in their everyday relationships. Norwex works to educate Consultants and customers about the impact of chemicals, sustainability and the environment they steward.
“We are a Consultant-led business; we’re a party plan business,” said Amy. “We are not deviating from that. It’s such an important part of who we are. A large part of what I do is around the education and awareness of chemicals in our world and their impact on us. And best way to do that is person-to-person.”
One demographic of both Consultant and customer that particularly resonates with the Norwex mission is the 50-plus community, a group that hasn’t received much attention in a time when most companies are fixated on Millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha. These powerhouse Consultants are educated about chemicals and their impact on us and our world and eager to leverage Norwex to design a meaningful second act.
“We see very few brands talking directly to the 50-plus community, embracing and taking care of them, and asking what THEY need,” shared Beate. “The cost of living is increasing, but at the same time, this generation has more time to give. And it wants to be part of a community where they can continue growing in all areas of life. They’re interested in their health as they move into a different phase of life, and they’re very invested in their children and-grandchildren.”
Partners in Advocacy
Norwex recently announced its partnership with The Environmental Working Group (EWG) to label select Norwex products with its highly regarded EWG Verified mark. EWG is a non-profit organization committed to research that helps consumers make informed choices and live healthier lives. This partnership captures Norwex’s desire to hold itself and its products to the highest standard, as well as the company’s desire to educate consumers about the ingredients they allow into their homes.
“When we saw the EWG Verified program and talked with them, it became clear that we now had a very nice alliance with what both of us were doing,” explained Amy. “For our Consultants, it’s an ‘easy button’—a simple way to talk about how stringent we are in our process and ingredient selection. They talk about EWG Verified and share the link, which tells customers about the transparency and evaluation process these product go through.”
Norwex currently offers twelve products with the EWG Verified mark, including both home cleaning and personal care products. This partnership is just another example of the commitment to healthy families, healthy business practices and the Norwegian Way that Beate and her family have dedicated their lives to sharing with the world.
“I think our products are more relevant than ever, given the environment we are in, one where people are concerned for their health and wellbeing,” said Beate. “Reducing the presence of harmful chemicals in our everyday lives is the solution the world needs right now. What our Consultants do every day is important, relevant and impactful—not just for us, but for future generations as well.”
From the January/February 2026 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
The post Norwex: A Norwegian Legacy’s Next Chapter first appeared on Direct Selling News.
