Fragrance house

Nivea

NIVEA began in Hamburg in 1911, when Beiersdorf developed a stable oil-and-water cream with chemist Dr. Isaac Lifschütz and dermatologist Prof. Paul Gerson Unna, using the emulsifier Eucerit. Its name refers to the cream’s white appearance and derives from Latin words meaning snow. In 1925, the original tin was replaced by a blue design with white lettering, led by Juan Gregorio Clausen, Beiersdorf’s head of advertising. During the 1930s, NIVEA expanded beyond its original cream into shaving cream, shampoo, and skin oil, with later additions including face care, shower, men’s, and hair care products. After World War II, it lost trademark rights in many countries; Beiersdorf completed the global recovery process in 1997 through a majority-share acquisition in Pollena-Lechia, now NIVEA Polska. In the 1990s, standardized names, products, and packaging developed NIVEA as a global umbrella brand. NIVEA is part of Beiersdorf AG. NIVEA Creme marked the brand’s centenary in 2011, while 2025 marked 100 years of the blue tin.