Research and Development

Consumer

Consumer

Excellence in Skin Care Research

Beiersdorf has always excelled in skin research. It drives our strength in innovation and boosts our competitiveness. By deciphering the complex processes of the skin, developing effective active ingredients, and making use of the latest technologies, we are always developing new innovations and products that clearly align with consumers’ wishes. We want to create skin care products that touch people’s lives all around the world.

Our intensive, application-oriented research not only helps us continuously expand our deep understanding of the human skin – it opens up many opportunities in the highly dynamic field of skin biology and, consequently, is an important focus of our work. In the reporting year, we focused on the following areas of research among others:

• A significant part of our research work for almost 40 years has been developing modern, non-animal-based methods to assess safety. We use these to provide evidence of the safety of our ingredients and products. As in the past years, in fiscal year 2022, we continued our intensive collaboration with the worldwide community of safety scientists – especially the Long Range Science Strategy (LRSS) Consortium of Cosmetics Europe, whose program came to an end halfway through the reporting year. As a founding member of the new body International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS), we work with other companies, associations, and NGOs with the goal of promoting global regulatory recognition, expertise, and the comprehensive use of animal-free safety science for cosmetic and skin care products and their ingredients. Through research, education, targeted training, and regulatory engagement, ICCS wants to improve global awareness and trust in alternative scientific methods to animal testing and thereby to further develop innovation work in the modern era of animal-free research. In our view, the Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) is exposure-led and hypothesis-driven and is based on combining data from in silico, in chemico, and in vitro methods (the new approach methodologies – NAM). Toxicokinetics, with the application of the ADME methods (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination), plays an important role for us in enabling a reliable risk assessment. The ADME methods examine how active ingredients enter the body and in what quantities they are found in different body areas. A large number of ADME tools are being developed and used alongside PBPK (physiologically based pharmacokinetic) modeling, forming an important component of next-generation risk assessment. In a presentation at the ESTIV Congress 2022 (Congress of the European Society of Toxicology In Vitro), we highlighted the essential role of modern ADME methods as the next generation of safety assessment, for example for UV filters and preservative agents. We also discussed the use of ADME methods, especially metabolism and PBPK modeling, for assessing the body’s potential internal threshold of toxicological concern (iTTC).
• Protection against sun-related skin damage is a major research focus for Beiersdorf. Our skin scientists research the sun’s impact on the skin and use the findings to develop pioneering solutions and products for sun-related skin indications. We continued this work in the reporting year. One example of our research activities in this area was a unique cosmetic sun care product that a research team developed specially for a girl with the rare photosensitivity disease EPP (erythropoietic protoporphyria). In this condition, caused by a rare gene defect, the blue light in sunlight causes the formation of free radicals in the skin – a chemical process associated with severe pain. Previous research findings on high-energy visible light showed that the girl needed cosmetic sun protection containing special light-diffusing pigments. These prevent light from penetrating the skin. The protection specially developed by the Beiersdorf researchers enable the girl to come into contact with sunlight for short periods. It cannot cure the disease but helps to improve her quality of life. The cosmetic sunscreen was especially developed for the girl and her individual skin needs, and thus is not part of the Beiersdorf product portfolio or available for sale. We have also achieved progress in our collaboration with the ALT-SPF consortium, which aims to establish sun protection tests that are less invasive, more reliable, and more precise. Various partners, including Beiersdorf, have provided their own samples, which have been blinded by an independent institute and are currently being tested by various laboratories, including our own in Hamburg and New Jersey. The complete test results will be available in the course of 2023.
• In the field of skin research, we continued our work on our patented active ingredient against hyperpigmentation, Thiamidol, during the reporting year. We released the results in another scientific publication. Working with the Department of Dermatology at the Côte d’Azur University in Nice, France, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical study on participants with a darker complexion. This tested the efficacy and tolerability of a skin care regimen with Thiamidol over 24 weeks compared with a vehicle control. We performed this long-term study in Mauritius due to the hot, tropical weather conditions there. A continous improvement in hyperpigmentation spots on the face was observed throughout the entire duration of the study. The results show that the treatment is highly effective and well tolerated even under demanding climatic conditions for cosmetics.
• Our scientists also continued our research on the coenzyme Q10. Their efforts helped us achieve important new findings on this coenzyme, which occurs naturally in the body, and its role in the skin aging process. In cooperation with scientists from the Hamburg-based research center DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron), the University of Hamburg, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), we succeeded in the reporting year in visualizing for the first time the cellular uptake of the coenzyme Q10 and its pathway within the skin cells. We were thus able to provide visual evidence that Q10 is absorbed by every single cell. The key element of this research breakthrough was the use of the XRF method (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy). This is based on the principle of X-ray fluorescence analysis – an imaging method from materials analysis that is generally used to examine solid samples and reveal what is hidden within them. The findings offer considerable potential for further scientific applications in global Q10 research, for example in cancer therapy, and beyond Q10 skin research. Given its importance, the research was evaluated by independent scientists and published in a renowned journal in order to make it accessible to other research groups. In May 2022, Beiersdorf also welcomed renowned international Q10 researchers to the skin research center in Hamburg as part of the 10th Conference of the International Coenzyme Q10 Association (ICQA). Here, they discussed new findings on topics such as Q10 biosynthesis, aging and metabolism, skin care, and dietary supplements, and underscored the continued importance of Q10 research.
• In 2022, we again stepped up our work in microbiome research, which examines the complex communities of microorganisms (e.g. bacteria) in ecosystems such as the skin. We continue to play an important role in this field. In cooperation with the universities in Hamburg and with Aarhus University in Denmark, we succeeded in exploring the complex ecosystem even more closely in order to develop new cosmetic approaches and formulas that work in harmony with the skin’s natural processes. In the course of this work, we have developed a new methodology that we patented in the reporting year and are using successfully. This allows scientists to more precisely examine selected bacterial strains – always keeping in mind that the composition and balance of all the microbes living on the skin is pivotal to our skin health. In particular, the researchers gained new insights into the relationship between staphylococci and cutibacteria. These two types of bacteria interact with each other and coexist peacefully in a healthy skin microbiome. If the microbiome becomes unbalanced, this can trigger skin disorders such as acne or eczemas. The results will help us develop new microbiome-based care products, particularly for acne sufferers. We published the main findings of our research work in the reporting year in three academic publications. In addition, at the end of the fiscal year, we announced the acquisition of the Belgian life sciences company S-Biomedic. The company, in which we already invested in 2018 as part of our corporate venture activities, is considered a pioneer in the field of skin microbiome research. S-Biomedic will continue to be managed as a standalone entity under Beiersdorf’s existing microbiome program. It will complement the Group’s own research activities in this field and therefore strengthen our innovative capacity.

We use global patents to protect our intellectual property and the results of our intensive research activities. At the end of the reporting year, our global patent portfolio included some 1,500 active patents (previous year: approximately 1,800). Worldwide, we filed around 50 new patent applications during the reporting year (previous year: 64). As of December 31, 2022, approximately 600 patents were in the ongoing grant procedure (previous year: 900).

Transformation of the F&E organization

We restructured the F&E organization effective June 1 of the reporting year. With the new structure, we want to make the organization fit for the future and respond even better to changing circumstances and consumer expectations as part of the company-wide transformation process. The aim is to focus on fewer innovations but achieve more impact with them (FEWER, BIGGER, BETTER) and bring them to market faster. The move is also designed to enable people to work together in a more integrated way, to learn from each other, and make greater use of synergy effects – between the headquarters, innovation centers, and development laboratories as well as other functions within the organization. The model is built on four pillars: Breakthrough Innovations, Grow the Core, One Global R&D, and Sustainability. The new organizational model follows the three-part strategy Explore, Enable, Exploit. Explore teams work on the early stages of developing innovations – they bring together consumers’ wishes with our expertise in skin. Enabling teams are task with easing the transition from idea to product by developing new methods and testing the efficacy of our products. Exploit teams concentrate on product relaunches or additions to the product portfolio for our core innovations such as Q10. Their role is also to take breakthrough innovations such as Thiamidol or W630 and ready them for the market. This involves efficiently guiding them through the Integrated Innovation Management (IIM) process.

Collaboration promotes innovative strength

For Beiersdorf, collaboration with external partners is an important part of research and development work. We are convinced that by combining our complementary expertise and our strengths, we can increase our joint innovative strength and speed up development of skin care for the future. A large number of research institutes, universities, start-ups, independent scientists, and suppliers belonged to our global collaboration network in the reporting year.

In addition to our specific cooperation agreements, we advocate the principle of open innovation and involve external partners in many of our development projects and in raw material scouting. Since 2016, we have gathered these open innovation activities under the name “Pearlfinders – We Open Innovation.” We offer interested parties all around the world access to our confidential scientific research topics via the associated “Trusted Network” online platform. The network, which is based on mutual trust, fairness, and partnership, also invites them to contribute their own ideas and problem-solving approaches.

In addition to this network, Beiersdorf has also had a seat on the Foundation Council of the DESY research center in Hamburg since mid-2022. This not only gives us valuable insights into the latest interdisciplinary, wide-ranging research projects of the DESY research center and partner research institutes – it also allows us to continue to help shape the creation of start-up innovation centers in Hamburg.

In June 2022, staff from the F&E start-up scouting team initiated the Joint Corporate Start-up Pitch Day on Sustainability together with our long-standing partner and specialty chemicals company Evonik. The aim was to step up dialogue with interested start-ups and to find partners with innovative and sustainable raw material and packaging solutions. Fifteen start-ups from various countries were chosen from more than 100 applicants to present their technologies and business models in detail at the event and to jointly evaluate opportunities for partnership. The companies chosen work primarily in sustainable biotechnology, green chemistry, sustainable packaging, and digital solutions.

We also agreed a special partnership in 2022 with the South Korean supplier COSMECCA KOREA. The South Korean cosmetics industry is considered highly innovative. “K Beauty” is the source of numerous product trends that later find their way into the skin care routines of many Europeans. COSMECCA’s aim is to set trends by reflecting consumers’ needs and collaborating with global partners. The joint launch of a Eucerin product in the East Asian market is an early example of this strong teamwork.

Strong research network

Beiersdorf’s research and development has a global presence. Our global research network strengthens our business and makes a substantial contribution to our success. The largest site in our global research and development network is our skin research center in Hamburg, Germany, where we employed 738 (previous year: 741) researchers and developers as of December 31, 2022. Here, we essentially carry out important application-oriented research. This research is helping us to better understand the skin’s own (metabolic) processes and, based on this knowledge, to develop new products that meet people’s needs – for example with new active ingredients or with the aid of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence. The new “Early Innovation” department we created in 2021 is also helping us to boost our innovative strength and increase public recognition of Beiersdorf as a leading innovator in skin care. The 19-member department (previous year: 16 employees) aims to drive a cross-brand, cross-category long-term innovation roadmap with strong innovation stories. The team acts as a catalyst between all the specialist disciplines that are involved in the innovation process. One specific measure in the reporting year was the holding of the first Innovation Fair, an internal event focused on current innovation projects that promotes inspiration, dialogue, and strategic discussion.

Since product quality, safety, and compatibility have top priority for Beiersdorf, newly developed products are tested thoroughly by external experts and in Beiersdorf’s own test center within the skin research center before being launched on the market. In the reporting period, in Hamburg alone, we carried out 350 studies with 8,000 participants (previous year: 330 studies with 8,500 participants). Externally, in 2022, we conducted another 1,320 studies with 32,000 participants (previous year: 1,300 studies with 33,500 participants).

In addition to the large skin research center in Hamburg, our global research and development network includes two large innovation centers in China (Shanghai) and the United States (New Jersey) as well as development laboratories in Brazil, India, and Japan. They enable us to address cultural, aesthetic, and climatic conditions and develop products that correspond to individual local needs and preferences. Through this network we participate in global innovation and have access to local experts and talent, providing valuable ideas and insights for our global research and development work.

Our innovation center in Shanghai, China, which opened in July 2020 and is the second largest site in our research network at 7,500 m², set three strategic priorities for 2022: digitalization, a faster pace in development, and sustainability. In digitalization, the aim was to integrate artificial intelligence and automation into our work processes, for example with the introduction of the new NIVEA MEN Oil Control range of products. Use of AI and a computer simulation tool minimized risks in the design phase and enabled faster, smoother development and introduction of the packaging. Procuring the world’s first desktop injection molding machine for a packaging prototyping lab enabled us to speed up the creation of prototypes using 3D printing within the lab. Using artificial intelligence allows us to better predict long-term stability and considerably reduce the number of test batches required. Our innovation center in Shanghai also recorded another success in 2022 with the introduction of the first 100% food safe PCR HDPE bottles in the NIVEA MEN Oil Control range and of 100% food safe PCR PET bottles for the launch of the NIVEA MEN Sensitive Pro shaving foam. Sustainability is growing in importance for consumers in northeast Asia, too. By implementing the global Beiersdorf sustainability agenda and reducing the use of PCR materials by more than 1,100% compared with 2021, Beiersdorf is meeting the needs of many consumers in Asia.

Further new product launches developed specially for the Asian market in the reporting year can be found in the “Product highlights” section.

Our ultra-modern innovation center in Florham Park, New Jersey, USA, continued its intensive clinical research in 2022 along with the development of local product innovations for the NIVEA, Eucerin, Aquaphor, and Coppertone brands for the North American market. Among other features, the site has a special sensor technology laboratory for increased interaction with consumers and works closely together with the development laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, in the area of sunscreen innovations. Eucerin Sun expanded into the United States in the reporting year with a total of seven sun care products. This is the largest sun care market in the world. With its range of sun care products that cater to individual skin indications and are also good to the skin, Beiersdorf has filled a “white spot” in the North American market. Sun protection products are subject to special regulations in the USA, which meant it was not possible to simply replicate the existing global Eucerin Sun products. Our researchers at the innovation center in New Jersey developed new formulas based on five antioxidants and other ingredients. With these, we not only comply with the legal requirements but also want to meet the needs of the consumers. Further information on product innovations at the Coppertone and Aquaphor brands can be found in the section “Product highlights.”

Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence

Topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization are becoming increasingly important in the field of skin research. Beiersdorf was among those driving research activities and progress in these areas in recent months, as indicated by the examples above. In 2022, we continued our AI-based global skin study SKINLY. Launched at the end of 2019, this project is still one of the world’s largest skin care studies involving consumers. The special feature of this study is that consumers are actively involved by means of digital tools – a special measurement device (including a moisture sensor and three different light sources) and a complementary app – and send details about their individual skin properties, in other words, skin age, wrinkle depth, skin tone, complexion, and impurities, as well as information about sleep, nutrition, special skin features, menstrual cycle, and climatic conditions, up to twice per day. The results help us to better understand our consumers and their skin as well as the impact of external factors. With machine learning based on artificial intelligence, the unique ecosystem created for the study learns something new with every measurement.

More than 16,000 consumers aged between 18 and 80+ from various countries have already taken part since the end of 2019. Over 600 million data points and more than 80 million high-quality skin images have been measured and generated. The more high-quality data is available, the better our data scientists will be able to translate this into relevant, actionable new knowledge for our research, development, and marketing.

During the reporting year, we also used artificial intelligence to develop and optimize formulas. The AI technology and platform provided by our partner Uncountable enabled us to process complex data volumes faster and, as a consequence, to identify new, more sustainable formulas more efficiently. In addition to this, we began using a formulation robot to develop formulas in the reporting year. This allows us to efficiently study process parameters on a small scale to give our formulas a more sustainable upscaling process. Automation and artificial intelligence are equally important when it comes to researching and developing future efficacy tests on test subjects. This has been shown by our collaboration with the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau, which began during the reporting year. Together, we developed a robotics system for automated in vivo measurements to obtain a greater quality and quantity of data. The first feasibility studies have already taken place successfully.

We see enormous potential in artificial intelligence and will therefore continue to utilize its benefits for us in the future and, hence, expand digitalization in research.

R&D sustainability pledge¹

Continuous development of innovative, high quality skin care products over the last 140 years is what has made us one of the world’s leading skin care companies. Our claim has always been to continuously bring new innovations to market that offer our consumers added value and best fulfill their needs. One aspect that has become increasingly important to consumers in recent years is the environmental compatibility of our products. This applies equally to product formulas and packaging, both of which we optimize each year, as a matter of conviction, in line with the four sustainability principles: “avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle.” That means, for example, that we use ingredients with lower emissions, reduce volumes of materials or waste, integrate recycled materials, and use alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. In this context, we formulated our own claim in our R&D sustainability pledge in 2021. Accordingly, we want to achieve maximum product effect with as few ingredients as possible and, wherever feasible, use sustainable, biodegradable and/or renewable raw materials and packaging. Many of our product highlights demonstrate the progress we are achieving here. These include the new, more climate-friendly NIVEA Soft formula we introduced to the market in the reporting year. The relaunch of the new NIVEA shower care range in 2022 was another important step on the way to more climate-friendly products. The products are introduced in more detail in the section “Product highlights.”

In relation to our product packaging, we announced our Plastic Pledge 2025 back in 2019. With this pledge, we plan to increase the share of recycled material in our European plastic packaging to 30% by 2025 and to use recycled materials and a reduction in packaging weight to cut the consumption of new petroleum-based plastic by 50%. Boosting the circular economy is also a top priority for us and is specifically supported. The circular economy involves repeatedly reusing materials without consuming extra new resources. In all our sustainability efforts, we are working with partners throughout the value chain to achieve significant change and drive the transformation forward. We are also involved in various cross-industry bodies, for example to further improve plastics sorting and define a plastic standard for the use of recycled plastic.

A specific example in the packaging context is the “Design4Circularity” initiative in partnership with Clariant, Siegwerk, and Borealis. This aims to bring together different specialist knowledge so as to jointly develop consumer packaging based on 100% post-consumer recyclate (PCR) for cosmetics applications and to create a new industrial standard for genuine recycled packaging. The initiative recently presented its first result: a colorless polyolefin bottle with 100% PCR content, full body-sleeved in a printed deinkable shrink sleeve. All the materials for the NIVEA prototype are technically fully recyclable and can be recovered and used for the same high-value application.

To tap into further new potential for sustainable innovations and the circular economy, Beiersdorf also invested in two venture capital funds for the first time in the reporting year. The partnerships with Emerald Technology Ventures and Revent give us access to many promising founders and innovative start-ups that are creating environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable business models. Emerald Technology Ventures, for example, pre-evaluates start-ups, whom we can then cooperate with and invest in directly. All the start-ups belonging to this fund bring a wealth of global experience that complements our own expertise. We see great potential in both investments to boost our open innovation activities in relation to packaging and the sustainable transformation. This will make an important contribution to achieving our ambitious sustainability goals.

Product highlights¹

The development of skin care innovations is our core competency and an important building block for our long-term business success. Our well-stocked innovation pipeline is based on our strong culture of innovation, which has always been a part of research and development at Beiersdorf. By continuously introducing innovative skin care products, we also aim to respond to the needs and wishes of our consumers as closely as possible and offer them added value. We do not limit our search for innovations to cosmetic formulas – a significant part of our work also involves developing innovative, sustainable product packaging and taking into account the increasing digitalization in the industry.

The following overview shows a selection of our innovations during the reporting year:

• The new NIVEA CELLULAR Expert Lift range is based on a highly effective combination of pure bakuchiol, which in vitro tests show, works like a collagen booster, and two different types of hyaluronic acid. The products define contours, firm the skin, and soften even deep wrinkles – for a toned appearance. The new range comprises NIVEA CELLULAR Expert Lift Anti-Age Day Cream SPF 30, NIVEA CELLULAR Expert Lift Anti-Age Night Cream, and the NIVEA CELLULAR Expert Lift Sculpting Facial Sheet Mask.
• We also strengthened the NIVEA Essentials Face Care range in the reporting year with 19 revised products. The day products – which come with a choice of sun protection factor 15 or 30 – and night products all come with the NIVEA Moisture Care Complex, which is in many countries trademarked. They deliver long-lasting moisture, and the formulas are vegan, meaning they contain no animal-derived ingredients. Special attention was paid to environmental compatibility: In line with our sustainability agenda, the formulas are free from microplastics and use exclusively biodegradable polymers. In addition, the tubes are 89% and the jars and boxes 100% recyclable.
• The new NIVEA Derma Skin Clear face cleansing range cleanses and improves the condition of blemished skin. The vegan-friendly, mild formulas contain no-animal derived ingredients, use a highly effective combination of salicylic acid and niacinamide in the daytime product and salicylic acid, niacinamide, and glycolic acid in the overnight product. This acid complex with exfoliating properties supports the skin’s natural renewal process to significantly reduce and prevent the reappearance of skin blemishes. The effective new range comprises the NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Wash Gel, NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Toner, NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub, and NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Chemical Exfoliator.
• With the new NIVEA SUN LUMINOUS 630® Dark Spot Control Fluid SPF 50, we added another UV Face product variant to our sun care range in 2022. The formula with the ingredient LUMINOUS 630® is particularly effective against sun-induced dark spots and offers immediate protection against short- and long-term skin damage from UVA/UVB rays and from sun-induced premature skin aging. The sun cream’s light, non-greasy texture refreshes the skin and leaves a smooth skin feeling.
• We also improved the sustainability of our bestselling NIVEA Soft in the reporting year. The product is now based on an enhanced, more sustainable formula. Enriched with vitamin E and 100% natural jojoba oil, it provides even better skin hydration. The new product contains 95% natural ingredients. The formula is vegan (contains no-animal derived ingredients) and 98% biodegradable (according to OECD or equivalent methods). The carbon footprint of NIVEA Soft has been reduced by up to 40% in terms of ingredients compared to the previous formula. The moisturizing cream is suitable for all skin types as a face cream, foundation, and all-body product. It gives the skin a healthy, radiant appearance.
• The relaunch of the new NIVEA shower gel range in 2022 was another important step on the way to more climate-friendly products: The new formulas with vitamins and oils protect the skin, are free from microplastics, and 99% biodegradable (according to OECD or equivalent methods). The bottles (excluding cap and label) are made from at least 96% recycled plastic and are up to 26% lighter than before, cutting packaging-related CO₂ emissions by 32%. The products are now 100% climate-neutralized⁸ and makes a positive contribution to our Climate Care mission as part of our CARE BEYOND SKIN sustainability agenda. More information can be found at www.nivea.com/sustainability.
• With the new NIVEA Deo Sticks, we established another sustainable innovation in the market during the reporting year. With the help of a new, patented technology, we have been able to use emulsion technology for a solid anti transpirant stick. This enables us to market silicone-free deodorant sticks with an overall smaller carbon footprint. In addition to the new formula, the new sticks come in a more lightweight, modern packaging that uses 23%/ml less material.
• In June 2022, we launched the NIVEA MEN “Climate Care Moisturizer”, an innovative, climate neutralized² product that makes us the first skin-care manufacturer to obtain and use an ingredient from recycled carbon dioxide: cosmetic ethanol. As a key ingredient, ethanol contributes to a refreshing skin feeling. In addition, the formula is skin-soothing and moisturizes the skin.
• Following the successful launch of the Eucerin DERMOPURE Triple Effect Serum on the market for post-acne marks in 2021, we relaunched further products with our patented anti-pigment ingredient Thiamidol: Our product range Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler + Elasticity and Eucerin Anti-Pigment Skin Perfecting Serum. Our relaunched range Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler + Elasticity softens deep wrinkles and age spots and improves the skin’s elasticity and radiance. The innovative blend of both high and low molecular hyaluronic acid visibly plumps deep wrinkles from within, while the powerful combination of arctiin and creatine (collagen-elastin complex) stimulates collagen production and increases skin elasticity. The inclusion of Thiamidol visibly softens age spots after just two weeks. The Eucerin Anti-Pigment Skin Perfecting Serum moisturizes the skin with a combination of hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The patented ingredient Thiamidol visibly reduces dark spots and helps prevent their recurrence – for an even, radiant complexion.
• We launched a total of three sun care innovations with a tint effect in 2022 to add to the Eucerin Sun range. The Eucerin Oil Control Tinted Face Sun Gel-Creme SPF 50+ protects oily and acne-prone skin from sun-related damage and offers 12-hour oil and shine control plus color pigments for an even skin tone. Enriched with hyaluronic acid, the formula of the new Eucerin Photoaging Control Tinted Face Sun Gel-Creme SPF 50+ helps to reduce the first signs of skin aging caused by HEVIS, while the color pigments promote a unified complexion. With the new Eucerin Pigment Control Tinted Face Sun Gel-Creme SPF50+, we also launched a high-quality facial sunscreen for all skin types during the reporting year. The formula helps to effectively reduce sun-related hyperpigmentation and, with regular use, prevent its recurrence. With this product, too, the color pigments promote an even skin tone. All three products combine UVA/UVB filters for very high UV protection as well as licochalcone A to neutralize the free radicals caused by UV and high-energy visible light.
• With GREEN & PROTECT, we introduced the first climate-neutralized³ plaster to the product range under the brands Hansaplast, Elastoplast and CURITAS. All key aspects of the GREEN & PROTECT plasters in terms of sustainability were optimized, combining it with their well-known product performance and reliable wound protection. The wound pad and backing are made from naturally derived fibers and, just as the release liner, from wood types taken from FSC®-certified forests only. Additionally, the plaster packaging is unbleached, 93% recycled and has the lowest weight possible for the material used.
• Under our luxury brand La Prairie, we launched the new White Caviar Essence Extraordinaire in 2022, a transformative gel-to-water essence. The silky, opalescent lotion glides on to begin its exceptional work. It instantly hydrates for a smoother, more reflective surface and provides a refreshing sensation. Enriched with encapsulated Lumidose™, the extraordinary illuminating molecule, it targets age spots and dullness making the skin feel more hydrated and plumped.
• Another new launch was the La Prairie Pure Gold Radiance Nocturnal Balm with the exclusive Pure Gold Diffusion System™, a rich balm that supports the skin’s nighttime regeneration process and provides the skin with energy to restore its luminosity. The Pure Gold Diffusion System™ delivers a three-peak action sequence to the skin. First comes the immediate deposition of gold on the skin’s surface to offer instant radiance. An intense infusion of replenishing ingredients follows. Finally, a steady release of the replenishing ingredients linked to the gold particles deposited on the skin’s surface completes the sequence. Overnight, the skin is optimally cared for and pampered.
• The third innovation from La Prairie is the launch of the Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait. The packaging of Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait follows the codes of the Bauhaus movement. A cobalt blue glass vial encapsulates the formula deep within. Upon application, micro-fluidic beads delicately melt into a surrounding gel, transforming into a light extrait. Facial contours appear resculpted and skin appears lifted in the long-term with continued use.
• The Sheer Glow Rose Face Tint from Chantecaille® combines skin care with make-up. The combination brings together the best of both worlds: a high-quality formula including plant-based anti-aging ingredients and peptides, which supply the skin with moisture while the rose tint creates a gentle shimmering glow. The product can also be mixed with a moisturizing cream or foundation for a subtle rosy blush.

As a result of our regional development work, we also launched a series of local innovations on the market in the reporting year:

• The new NIVEA Radiant & Beauty product range was specially developed for consumers with melanin-rich skin and has been tested on this skin type. The products are the result of extensive studies with around 9,000 participants in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Brazil. The formulas contain five vitamins and various oils.
• Reflecting the trend for premium products on the Chinese market, May 2022 saw the release of the NIVEA Pro Sensitive Amino Acid face cleansing gel, the first premium face care range. The product is available in either a pump dispenser or tube and comes with an appealing packaging and mild formula.
• Also developed for the Chinese market was the new Doukou body care range, which went on sale in July of the reporting year. Its packaging, product colors, and digital add-ons cater to the young Asian target group. The products reached the number two spot in the Tmall sales charts within four weeks of going on sale.
• Eucerin launched its first Asia-exclusive product in the reporting year with the Eucerin Even Radiance range. The range is tailored to the strong regional demand for skin-brightening products and the resulting care needs. Alongside moisturizing creams, it includes an eye cream, a sheet mask, and ampules.
• The Eucerin Sun products introduced on the US market were another product highlight of the reporting year. A total of seven sun products arrived on the market in the first quarter. They included two dermocosmetic sun protection products for the face – for oily and acne-prone skin or for anti-aging – and five whole-body products – with options for dry or sensitive skin. Five antioxidants, the special 5 AOX Shield complex, and other special ingredients defend against free radicals and make the skin feel healthy.
• With the Aquaphor Healing Balm Sticks, we launched another (OTC) innovation on the US market in the reporting year: The products come in a choice of baby or adult version and provide effective skin protection for healing and immediate relief from irritation in a practical, easy-to-apply stick. We developed the balm formula with our strategic partner Weckerle. The new Weckerle production center in California was audited and put into operation as part of the project and is now available for new ODM projects with a US focus.