Internationalization

NIVEA on
NIVEA on course for growth
course for growth

An icon loved like no other for decades. A brand that continues to grow. More and more people are putting their faith in NIVEA. This is also increasingly the case for consumers in Africa and Asia. A look at some exciting regions of the skin care market.

¹ Source: Euromonitor International Limited; NIVEA by umbrella brand name in the categories Body Care, Face Care and Hand Care; in Retail Value Terms, 2022.

South Africa and Nigeria Rising purchasing power

“Sales in the sub-Saharan region were unusually high last year. They climbed by more than 60 percent in Nigeria and over 20 percent in South Africa,” says Godwin Harrison, the Managing Director of Beiersdorf South Africa. “We think this strong growth will continue in 2024 as well. The growth will be fueled by rising purchasing power and an expanding middle class that loves such brands as NIVEA because these products enable them to look great and feel good.”

The most successful product by far: NIVEA Body Lotion. No other country in the world sells as much NIVEA Body Lotion as South Africa. The NIVEA Radiant & Beauty Lotion, a product that was specially developed for the African market and melanin-rich skin, is particularly popular.

“In South Africa and Nigeria, 70 percent of the population is younger than 35. This is why we are focusing in particular on this target group and are increasingly communicating with members of this group via digital media. E-commerce is not yet very well developed, but that will change in the next few years. Major online platforms have announced that they will be investing more in Africa. And, of course, we will be there with NIVEA right from the start.”

Godwin Harrison

Managing Director of
Beiersdorf South Africa

No other country in the world sells as much NIVEA Body Lotion as South Africa.

India Targeting GenZ

“We have been active in India for around 20 years and have grown very dynamically in the process,” says Sunil Gadgil, the Marketing Director of Beiersdorf in India. “And the next 20 years will also be very dynamic. The Indian market offers all sorts of growth potential to us. In urban India, NIVEA is now one of the most trusted brands in skin care, particularly among young people.

“This is why we think that we have a good opportunity to accelerate the market penetration of our iconic skin care products like NIVEA Soft and NIVEA Body Milk. NIVEA Soft even has the potential to become ‘the first skin care product’ among India’s adolescents. We intend to increase our market share in the body care category, expand our global product range and enter the face care market, an area that is many times larger than the skin care market. We also view the introduction of value-added body care products as a way of offering something extra to our existing customers. In the process, we will focus on having a strong presence in retail stores and in urban markets.

“We are optimally positioned to seize these growth opportunities. After all, NIVEA has tremendous brand value. And our products are designed in the best possible way to satisfy the needs of the Indian market and its huge share of young consumers.”

Sunil Gadgil

Marketing Director India

Mattanee Nitchote

Head of the NIVEA Asia Innovation Team

North & South East Asia Fascinated by beauty

“Beauty plays a prominent role in the eastern countries of Asia,” says Mattanee Nitchote, Head of NIVEA Asia Innovation Team. “Young people in particular invest an enormous amount of time and effort to look as perfect and young as possible. More than in any other region in the world, they are intensively engaged with the products and are impressively well informed about active ingredients and other ingredients used.”

Not least because of this, China, Korea, and Japan are among the five largest skin care markets in the world. However, the markets in Thailand and Indonesia are also developing extremely dynamically. This is because many consumers in these countries see a close relationship between good looks and a successful life.

“Market conditions vary greatly from country to country. But all countries have one thing in common: They place a high priority on innovation and highly effective ingredients. This is why we pick up on trends at an early stage and explain our products intensively on social media. We benefit greatly from our brand in this regard: NIVEA stands for the most sustainable kind of beauty skin care in many Asian countries.”

Community Engagement:
“Women in Circularity”

Beiersdorf launched an initiative to promote women and improve the recycling infrastructure in Argentina, Ghana, India, and Kenya in 2023. “Women in Circularity” strengthens the circular economy in emerging economies and collects and recycles around 15,000 metric tons of plastic annually. More than 1,600 women benefit from the initiative by gaining income and development opportunities that strengthen themselves, their families, and their communities.