I still remember that, during my childhood days, my mom gently scooped some white cream with her finger from the blue circle tin and applied it to my face every morning before going to school. Oh my! Its fragrance still lingers in my mind as I am writing about it. This blue circle-shaped tin is none other than the world’s most trusted skin & body care brand – Nivea.
Table of Contents
1. About Nivea – The Mother of All Creams
The soft white texture of the cream and its sweet fragrance come into our minds when we talk about this product. Do you know the brand’s name originated from the Latin word ‘nix,’ ‘Nevis,’ whose literal meaning is snow white? Nivea’s primary goal is to provide effective skincare solutions that everyone of all skin types can use. As of 2024, its products are used in more than 200 countries and have developed 300 skin and body care products. The brand has received several awards, the Best Brand Award, Consumer Choice Award, and Sustainability Award, and is the number-one brand of all time.
2. Nivea’s Humble Journey to Become a Global Brand
Over 100 years, the brand has been recognized as the most trusted skin and body care brand. Carl Paul Beiersdorf built the company in Germany in the year 1882 and as of 2024, it is worth $32 billion.
In this section, you will get a glimpse of the skincare brand’s history.
| Year | Description |
| 1911- 1928 | Dr. Isaac Lifschütz invented a stable water-oil mixture in 1911, which Dr. Oscar Troplowitz recognized and developed into Nivea. By 1914, the company expanded globally, receiving 42% of sales from 34 countries, with a product formulation suitable for all climates. In 1924, Nivea introduced men’s products with the “Nivea-Boys” campaign, and in 1925, the brand adopted its iconic blue tin packaging. During this time, the “Nivea-Girls” poster became popular for promoting women’s body and skincare products. |
| 1930-1949 | During the Nazi period, many Jewish members left, impacting Nivea’s growth. Carl Claussen of Beiersdorf managed the brand during this time. After World War II, Nivea lost many international trademarks, particularly in the US, France, and the UK. Beiersdorf then worked to restore its global presence. |
| 1950 – 1989 | Between 1950 and 1960, Nivea introduced popular products like the Ultra-Oil Spray, Nivea Ball, deodorants, baby products, and liquid milk creme during the women’s revolution. By 1982, Nivea expanded globally with innovations like SPF cream and wound care products, solidifying its status as a top skincare brand. |
| 1990 – Today | In 1991, Nivea launched luxurious skincare products and acquired the Juvena brand, driving significant growth through campaigns like “Blue Harmony” (1992-2005). Between 2001 and 2005, they built a skincare research center and acquired Florena to strengthen operations. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011 with Rihanna at Times Square, Nivea continues to set high standards in the skincare industry. |
3. Marketing Magic Used by the Company to Stay as the Number One Brand to Date
Any brand needs to implement the marketing’s most important concept, which is the 4P concept.
This well-known skin & body care company uses the 4P concept strategically and has become a household name. A brand is known for its core values, and this brand is the best example of the same. For decades, it has followed these core values: Care, Simplicity, Trust, and Courage.
In this section, you will get insights into the marketing strategies used by the brand.
1. Product
The brand continuously keeps on innovating its products to stay in the market. It has divided the product into five categories and keeps launching new products into these categories. It emphasizes quality, affordability, sustainability, eco-friendliness, and subtle packaging to reach maximum people. The innovations or changes made in the product are finalized after taking a review from the consumer. The products are sold in the market only after thorough testing is completed of the product.
i) Body and Skin Care: The body and skin care products are developed for both men and women. The brand has developed several body lotions, serums, day and night creams, moisturizers, anti-aging and hand creams, and sunscreens to protect from UV rays. Products like body lotions, day and night creams, deodorants, and face creams are different for women. For men, they have created shaving creams, after-shave lotions, deodorants, and moisturizers according to each one’s unique skin type. The brand owners are aware that every skin type is different and take care by developing different products for the same.
ii) Bath Care: Face washes, body showers, bath care oils, in-shower body lotions, and shower creams are bath care products with different fragrances provided by the brand. The bath care products are available in small, medium, and large size bottles. These products are made with formulas that provide hydration and nourishment to the body and are suitable for every skin type. They are developed according to the skin requirements of both men and women.
iii) Hair Care: The hair care products are developed by considering various hair types of men and women. It aims to provide the best hair care solutions to consumers so that they enjoy healthy and beautiful hair. Hair shampoo, conditioners, color protection shampoo, and conditioner are some of the hair products launched by the brand.
iv) Cosmetics: The brand is more into skin and body care but started spreading itself in the cosmetics sector in the late 1900s and has established itself in this category. Lip Balm, lip oils, makeup removers, BB creams, and tinted moisturizers are the range of products available in this category.
v) Baby Care: The brand uses special formulations while making baby body lotions, shampoos, diaper care creams, and cleansing wipes. It ensures the products made are gentle on the skin of the baby, and at the same time, it will help to maintain soft and healthy skin.
2. Price
The main focus of this brand is to provide quality products to its consumers to maintain their trust in the brand. When it comes to the pricing of a product, it plays with this factor very strategically so that it doesn’t lose its customers. Products such as soaps and lotions have a low cost, as they are used by most of the lower and middle-class groups.
Shower gels and BB creams are some of the premium products that are sold at a slightly higher cost. The brand keeps adjusting the prices of the product according to the pricing done by other brands. Discounts, offers, and coupons are provided for a short period or during festive seasons to attract the audience and boost the company’s sales.
3. Place
This skincare brand develops personal skin care product that majorly focuses on the Urban areas more than smaller towns or suburbs. It is made available in all medical shops, supermarkets, and malls. The products can also be purchased from e-commerce websites and are widely spread in international markets. It has spread itself to more than 100 countries, and most of its consumers are present in Germany, Russia, India, the United States, Brazil, and France.
4. Promotion
The brand conducts various skin care campaigns that last in the minds of audiences by taking topics on sensitive issues. Some of them are ‘Just like MAA,’ this campaign portrays the relationship between the daughter and her mother, ‘Unlock your sparkle’, where young girls can show off their beauty confidently, ‘You are beautiful’. It is an Ad campaign that makes you feel confident about yourself and your body. It has created many such campaigns to stay connected with the audiences.
The brand collaborates with social media influencers, fashion influencers, and famous actresses to market its products as much as possible. Nivea sponsors a variety of events like music shows, award shows, and beauty shows. Gen Z is a lot into social media, so the brand has started giving them hashtags to make reels on the same. It encourages the young ones to buy the product and helps in the growth of the company.
These are the marketing principles that help the skincare brand compete against its competitors and stay ahead in the competition.
Comparison of Nivea Vs Other Top Skin & Body Care Brands
Though the brand has made its mark in the skin & body care industry, many other brands compete with it. Here is a small representation of the revenue generated by Nivea and other brands.
Note: The revenue is only for the current year 2023/24 for the skin & body care segment. The market share & revenue of these industries keep changing depending on various other factors like region, product innovations, and customer preference.
We can see that Nivea is a significant competitor to other brands. It is not at the top, but due to its brand value, and market strategies, it has maintained a good position in the market. Nivea’s revenue shows it still has a large customer in the industry, but even other brands hold a large revenue market. Who knows, things might change, and Nivea might again beat all of them.
Take Away
Finally, I would like to say that Nivea has cracked the code of marketing, pricing, and product and has made it an unbeatable brand. It holds 9.6% of the market share in the skin & body care industry against its competitors and has become the 2nd best skincare brand for women. Despite its failures during its early stages, the brand didn’t stop learning from them and started evolving according to the demands of the market and the customers. The quality, affordability, and sustainability of its products have made it a successful skin & body care brand.
