Fun Facts about NIVEA

From the original colour of the NIVEA tin (it wasn’t blue!), to the Latin origins of the brand’s name and the year in which NIVEA travelled to space,  find out some fun & fascinating facts about the world’s largest skin care brand.

Did you know…

… that the first NIVEA Crème tin was not blue? The original NIVEA tin was yellow, decorated with fancy green art nouveau tendrils. The now famous blue & white NIVEA tin was designed by a former naval commander Juan Gregorio Clausen and adopted in 1925. Since then it has established itself as one of the most successful packagings in the history of consumer goods.

Did you know…

…that NIVEA’s name is derived from the Latin word ‘nix’ or ‘nivis’ which means snow? Eucerit, the emulsifier developed in 1911 is the active ingredient that for the first time ever made it possible to bind oil and water in a snow-white cream base – the name says it all!

Did you know…

…that in 1914, only three years after entering the skin care market, NIVEA Crème was already available in 34 countries? Today, NIVEA is marketed in over 200 countries across the world and has become a part of the everyday life of millions.

Did you know…

….that people can recognise the NIVEA logo even when 70% of it is covered up? Tests have shown that NIVEA is amongst only a few brands in the world that have this kind of brand recognition or distinctive ‘signature’. Two other examples are Google and Coca Cola.

Did you know…

…that one NIVEA Q10 product is sold around the world every two seconds? The Q10 range includes Co-Enzyme Q10 which is responsible for producing cellular energy and protecting our cells from free radicals.  With advancing age, the production of this naturally occurring co-enzyme declines and we need to add external Q10. The NIVEA Q10 range offers an extra boost of Q10 and became an instant best-seller when it was first launched in 1998.

Did you know…

….that in Hamburg alone, more than 500,000 blue tins are manufactured every day? This adds up to considerably more than 100 million tins every year, filled with a total of 10,000 tons of NIVEA Crème.

Did you know…

….that in 1983, NIVEA flew into space? As part of a space mission, shuttle crew members were allowed to take only a few items with them into their quarters. One of the astronauts took along his NIVEA Crème tin.

Did you know…

…that if all the blue NIVEA Crème tins ever produced were to be piled up, by 2020 the stack would reach the moon!

Did you know…

….that in 2010, NIVEA scientists discovered a way to add aquaporins – molecules that form the skin’s cellular moisture network – into the NIVEA VISAGE, Body, Shower and Hand product ranges? This discovery has revolutionized the future of the brand’s skin moisturizing capabilities.

Did you know…

…that thousands of NIVEA consumers engage with the brand every day? At its Hamburg headquarters alone, NIVEA receives more than 1,200 questions, suggestions and thank-you letters each week. Social media platforms have also emerged as a medium for dialogue between NIVEA and its fans. The NIVEA Middle East facebook page alone has more than 84,000  followers.

Did you know…

…that NIVEA is a green brand? The NIVEA Crème tin is 100% recyclable, the brand uses environmentally friendly processes to source its raw ingredients and even its packaging is designed to save resources. For instance NIVEA modified the shape of its NIVEA baby shower gel bottles, which meant that more could be loaded onto transportation trucks – for every 125,000 bottles, one less truckload was required. Lowering their pallets by a few centimeters additionally cut the companies shipments by one-fifth.

Did you know…

…the Beiersdorf Research Centre – the place where all NIVEA’s products are developed – is shaped like a human skin cell, magnified billions of times?

Did you know…

…that the first advertising films for NIVEA were produced in blue and white, as opposed to the standard black and white of the 1930’s era?

Did you know…

…who NIVEA’s biggest fan is? His name is Stefan Nortmeyer, and he has collected around 900 NIVEA-related or branded objects from an impressive 40 different countries, over 11 years.

Did you know…

…that although NIVEA Crème has continuously evolved to keep pace with the latest scientific findings relating to skin care, the basic formula has remained unchanged for 100 years, complete with the same unmistakable fragrance?

Did you know…

…that NIVEA first entered the Middle East in the 1950s? Jordan, Syria, Bahrain and Kuwait were the first countries to find NIVEA products on the shelf.