Since the emergence of mass market skincare products in the early 1900s, when products were available almost exclusively from chemists, this segment has continued to expand around the globe.  In Australia this growth has been driven by the introduction and expansion of brands such as NIVEA into supermarkets. In 1998, the Australian grocery sector alone was valued at $110.8 million, having experienced growth of 14.9% over the previous year.  Today in Australia, eight in ten women use a moisturiser at least daily, and more than a third of women apply moisturiser more than once a day.
	Outstanding quality, products to meet consumer needs at the right time and constant updating of  the advertising approach are the essential factors in NIVEA’s success.  These factors keep the brand young, attractive, sympathetic and familiar while reinforcing the primary brand values of gentleness, caring, reliability and trustworthiness.  NIVEA is truly an extraordinary brand.  It has maintained strong core values for over 80 years whilst remaining relevant to its consumers and expanding into new markets through the introduction of sub-brands such as NIVEA body, NIVEA Visage, NIVEA Soft, NIVEA Soap, NIVEA hand and NIVEA deodorants. In a highly competitive market, with hundreds of brands vying for attention, each launching at least one or two products a year, NIVEA has emerged and remains the biggest skincare and toiletries brand in the world. The achievements of the NIVEA brand are remarkable making it one of the most fascinating brands on the globe.  Over the years it has not only shaped and defined the skincare market but broken new ground in the field of marketing. In the early 1900s, NIVEA Creme took skin care out of the boudoir and onto the boulevards - democratising a piece of luxury. Prior to the introduction of NIVEA Creme, skin creams were primarily sold to upper-class women.  NIVEA was the first mass market skincare product. NIVEA also made marketing history in 1924 with the revamp of its brand image from the ground up - the world’s first brand relaunch. The most radical change was the NIVEA tin design.  It was in 1924 that the little blue tin - which has become an icon around the world - was first introduced. Prior to this the tin featured delicate cursive script and a fanciful border on a yellow background.  In the mid-1990s NIVEA again changed the complexion of the skin care market with its introduction of the NIVEA Vital face care line in Europe.  NIVEA Vital is the first mass market face care range developed for mature skin.  The advertising of this range also breaks new ground by featuring more mature women - a virtual taboo in cosmetic promotion.
	In December 1911 the world’s first long-lasting, stable moisturising creme - NIVEA - was born.  Even then, a congenial interplay of pioneering research, creativity and business expertise were behind the NIVEA brand.  In fact, NIVEA Creme required the work of three extremely resourceful men - Dr. Oscar Tropowitz, Prof. Paul Gerson Unna and Dr. Isaac Lifschutz - for its development.  In 1890 Dr. Oscar Tropowitz acquired Beiersdorf in Hamburg from its founder Paul C. Beiersdorf.  Under Tropowitz’s guidance the company successfully developed and manufactured medical products.  His scientific adviser, the dermatologist Prof. Paul Gerson Unna, with a sure eye for development and progress drew the attention of Dr. Tropowitz to a new kind of emulsifier called “Eucerit”.  Eucerit had been developed by Dr. Isaac Lifschutz following decades of research.  Eucerit was a revolution in the medical field as it meant that a substance was now available which could combine oil and water to form a stable base for ointments. Dr. Tropowitz used Eucerit for the base of a completely new kind of cosmetic creme - NIVEA, the first stable oil-in-water cream in the world.  Prior to NIVEA’s introduction cosmetics were based on animal and vegetable fats and decomposed rapidly as the fats became rancid. In the early 1900s industrialisation had led to the emergence of mass markets and branded articles.  Society - women in particular - began to appreciate to a greater degree physical appearance and to look for products to both care for and beautify the skin.  NIVEA Creme was the first cream to offer both skin care and protection at a reasonable price.
	Beiersdorf’s research centre employs over 150 dermatological and cosmetic researchers, pharmacists and chemists.  Products are continually tested and improved and the secrets of skin revealed.  Globally, the NIVEA brand now encompasses men’s and women’s facial care, hair care, shaving, bathing/shower, deodorant, cosmetic, body care, baby care and sun care products.  Sold in some 160 countries, NIVEA products are trusted around the world.  In fact in many countries consumers are convinced that NIVEA is a local brand.  Throughout the tribulations of almost a century one thing has remained the same: NIVEA means gentle care.
	Today the NIVEA name is on far more than just that familiar blue tub.  The researchers who develop NIVEA products are on a constant quest for new insights into the skin and how to care for it.  This is perhaps most evident with the NIVEA Visage face care range which is at the leading edge of face care.  The range consists of a variety of advanced cleansing, toning, moisturising and special care products developed to meet the specific needs of individual consumers.  Natural ingredients, patented technologies, and innovation play a fundamental role in the development of NIVEA Visage products.  As with all NIVEA branded products, products in the NIVEA Visage range are dermatologically tested and not tested on animals.
	With its special quality and skincare expertise, NIVEA was bound to become a successful worldwide brand name.  Beiersdorf supported the progress of this great brand through the power of innovation and by successfully building up and expanding the brand’s personality.  Advertising documents the history of NIVEA, a brand which has always been closely linked to people, which always adapted to current consumer needs and whose success was based on forward-looking product development. For over 60 years NIVEA advertising promoted the basic themes of skin care and protection.  Ads were always simple, plain and informative.  Early advertisements established the image of the NIVEA women as clean, fresh and natural.  However in the mid-1920’s NIVEA introduced the ‘bright and shining’ boys - three happy, healthy lads whose loveable looks captured the hearts of mothers and subsequently extended the freshness and natural image to the entire family.  Over time NIVEA advertisements have continued to evolve, reflecting the changes in self-image and lifestyles. An important element of NIVEA’s visual identity is the NIVEA colour scheme.  In every visual communication the NIVEA brand appears in its world-famous blue and white colour combination.  The NIVEA blue surrounding the brand logo is not just any old blue, but a special colour mixed exclusively for NIVEA in a complex development process. More accurately called “Ivocart NIVEA Blue B 65711”, NIVEA blue has depth on the one hand, but on the other looks fresh and gleaming, not drab thus perfectly suiting the NIVEA image.  Along with the synergistic effect of recognition, the blue and white code also transmits for NIVEA the positive meaning traditionally associated with both colours. Blue is the colour of sympathy, harmony, friendship and loyalty.  Meanwhile, white is associated with external cleanliness as well as inner purity. In terms of colour psychology, blue and white is the perfect colour combination for an honest and appealing brand with infinitely large potential for the future such as NIVEA.
	Over the years, NIVEA - primarily through NIVEA Creme - has acquired a unique, universal brand identity as a caretaker of skin.  NIVEA is synonymous with protection and caring for the skin.  “Mildness,” “reliability,” “gentleness,” “protection,” “high quality,” and “value for money” are all strongly associated with the NIVEA name.

NIVEA
		The name NIVEA is derived from the Latin word “nivis” meaning snow - reflecting the snow white color of NIVEA Creme.
		NIVEA Creme is sold in some 160 countries around the world.
		Every second, a pot of NIVEA Creme is sold somewhere in the world.
		Enough tubs of NIVEA Creme have been sold to supply one pot to every person who’s ever been alive or is alive now.
		Over 98% of the ingredients within NIVEA Creme are natural.
		Prior to the introduction of NIVEA Creme in 1912, fat-only skin creams were all that was available, sold primarily to upper-class women.