In 1882, pharmacist Paul C. Beiersdorf established his company with a patent for medical plasters.
#- Beiersdorf sold his company to Oscar Troplowitz in 1890. #- By 1911, Oscar Troplowitz had developed the world’s first stable skin cream based on a water-in-oil emulsion .
Nivea, derived from the Latin words nix, nivis, meaning “snow” or “of snow.” With this brand name, the core benefit of Nivea was being highlighted:
Nivea protected the skin so that it stayed white as snow—the ideal of female beauty in Europe at the beginning of the last century.
By 1914, the company had already generated 42 percent of their sales outside of Germany and was doing business in 34 countries.
In 1963, it introduced innovative products like the world’s first “liquid cream,” Nivea Milk. With Nivea Men After Shave Balsam, Beiersdorf introduced in 1980 the first aftershave product that soothed the skin.
Nivea was the world’s leading skin care brand with a standardized global brand policy. It had expanded its product line into new areas, like makeup, men’s facial crème, and deodorants.
In only 10 years after standardizing its global brand policy, sales had quadrupled and Nivea became Beiersdorf’s largest brand.
Today, Nivea is one of the strongest face care brands. Around 30 percent of all women around the world use Nivea products. The global brand awareness for Nivea is 93 percent .
Nivea is the market leader in the skin care segment in 46 countries, and has repeatedly been voted the Most Trusted Skin Care Brand by consumers in 12 European countries.
The market size in which Nivea operates is pegged at about ₹13,000 crore — growing at about 10-12 per cent annually, in which Nivea holds second position after Hindustan Unilever's Fair & Lovely.