Nivea (stylised as NIVEA) is a German personal care brand that specialises in skin and body care. It is owned by the Hamburg-based company Beiersdorf Global AG. The company was founded on 28 March 1882, by Paul Carl Beiersdorf. In 1890, it was sold to Oscar Troplowitz. Troplowitz working with Beiersdorf’s associate, Dr Paul Gerson Unna, and the German chemist Isaac Lifschütz, developed a new skincare cream. In 1900, Lifschütz developed the first stable water-in-oil emulsion, Eucerit. This was the origin of Eucerin. Nivea comes from the Latin adjective niveus, nivea, niveum, meaning “snow-white”.[3]

During the 1930s, Beiersdorf produced various products such as tanning oils, shaving creams, shampoo, facial cleansers, and toner. In World War II, the trademark “NIVEA” was expropriated in many countries. After the war, Beiersdorf bought the rights back. During the 1980s, the NIVEA brand expanded into a wider global market.