In 2002, Arno Sipponen, MD, a specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology, began working as a general practitioner in Finnish Lapland. There he and his colleagues kept encountering the same striking pattern: local people were remarkably effective at treating wounds with home-made spruce resin salve. The results were hard to ignore, and their curiosity grew.

At the same time, Arno’s father was Head of the Clinical Pathology Department at Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH). Together, they decided to look deeper. They formed a multidisciplinary research group to explore whether this long-trusted natural remedy could be understood and validated through modern science.

Their early studies confirmed what tradition had suggested. Resin salve made with modern, heat-free methods was safe to use, a finding that still guides the foundation of every Abilar product. The Norway spruce resin we rely on is always collected with respect for the forest and without harming the trees.

The Finnish Key Flag-accredited products are particularly targeted at the treatment of wounds and skin, both in domestic and professional settings. The company’s quality management system is ISO 13485-certified.

The company’s first two products are based on raw resin. Abilar 10% Resin Salve meant for the treatment of wounds was launched in 2008 and Abicin 30% Resin Lacquer intended for the treatment of fungal nail infections and paronychia just one year later in 2009.

With the help of Resol Technology developed by Abilar in 2013, the company began to manufacture a non-sticky resin solution from resin. These antimicrobial resin solutions enable the even more diverse development of products intended for the treatment of people and animals. Of Abilar's products, those based on Resol Technology are Abicare Shampoo for the treatment of dandruff, AbiCare ACNE for the treatment of acne, irritated skin and rashes, and the Ani- series of products for the treatment of animals: AniVox Ear Wash, AniWipe Wet Wipes, AniLavo Rinsing Liquid, AniDes Wound Spray and AniWash Treatment Shampoo.

Abilar is constantly carrying out further research to promote the well-being of people and animals, and among the permanent staff of the company are, for example, people with educational backgrounds in medicine, chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Repolar also actively cooperates with different research organisations in order to increase objective knowledge about the properties of resin.