While it's a staple of pretty much every Irish household and the classic navy Nivea Creme tin is a beauty product I can remember back into my earliest childhood, I professed myself quite surprised to be told that Nivea is 100 years old. I got over that shock pretty sharpish though when I was asked if I'd like to help the brand celebrate its centenary in Hamburg.
On a cruise liner.
With a private concert featuring Rihanna thrown in for good measure.
As Lynnie'd say, is the bear a Catholic?
"Get me to the airport on time, taxi man," I screeched, as we took off for T2 last Sunday, burning rubber all the way.
The Nivea ship pulls out of Hamburg harbour. Pic: Fabian Bimmer
One night in Hamburg was spent before boarding the Nivea boat - Mein Schiff - the next day. Balmy weather only added to the notion that I was bound for hot climes on a major sea excursion, and even though we were only aboard for a night, the whole thing was deeply exciting - organised with impressive Germanic über-efficiency, naturally.
12 decks, more bars and restaurants than you could shake a stick at, a pool deck, spa, gym, nightclub, media lounge and comfy cabins with en suites and balconies made this capacious cruiser about as far from the wallowing tub to Hollyhead as it's possible to get. Once we'd all checked in and had a bit of a relax, it was time for Rihanna.
So why was she chosen as face of the brand? Well - why not? Smart move on Nivea's part if you ask me: she's gorgeous, she's at the height of her fame, girls and guys love her and hell, who wouldn't want to look like her? Flown in specially for the gig in the on-ship auditorium, we were treated to five songs and here's where my recounting of events falls down.
I can tell you what she was wearing - gold cage Christian Louboutins, a floaty nude full-length dress and an Una Burke leather collar (g'wan the Irish!) - but I don't actually, er, really know any of her tunes barring Umbrella (no avoiding that one) and Only Girl in The World. Lack of RiRi song knowledge aside, she's got a fine set of lungs on her, as the Beaut.ie dad might say, looks amazing and gave good performance. Statuesque too, I was pleased to see; she's no wispy waif in real life and we were within about 30 feet of her, so got a good eye-full.
Specially-produced Nivea Creme tin, I don't think these'll be for sale unfortunately
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So, what else did we get up to on the Nivea boat? It wasn't all fun, games, lobster and champers, you'll be pleased to hear. I was put to work too, and rose with the lark the next morning to roll up my sleeves and get down and dirty (or er, clean), to find out about all things Nivea. So, lets take a look!
THE PAST
Get this: there was a Yo Sushi-style conveyor belt on one deck showcasing products of yore from the brand. I LOVE this kind of thing - parcel me up a pile of beauty history and whizz it past me as I snap pix and ooh and ahh over packaging that was? Yep, I'm down with that idea. So clever.
Spot anything you recognise?
RIGHT NOW
In recent years the brand has collaborated with designers like Chantal Thomass and Manish Arora and that's just been supplemented by a new iteration of Nivea Soft pots skinned by bonkers Barcelona fashion designer Josep Font. They're pretty, they're witty and available now for €5.35 for 200ml each. Check 'em out above. Then of course, there's the new Rihanna collaboration, which is set to run all year.
Prices for products have been slashed in Ireland and the most recent skincare suite the brand has launched taps into the trend for products that are more eco-friendly. Pure and Natural is one we've given a thorough test to on Beaut.ie and found it to be really impressive.
THE FUTURE!
Pic credit: Dirk Eisermann
Nivea's clearly not resting on its laurels. One of the people I interviewed while on the boat was Prof. Dr. Klaus-Peter Wittern, the manager of research and development at the brand. Primarily, he says, they develop products as a response to customer demand and for them Pure and Natural was a big point of focus, with two years of development going into it. Products are 95% of natural origin and are paraben-, silicone-, colourant- and mineral oil-free.
Clearly, this is something lots of people want to to see in products now, and it's great to see a mass market brand like Nivea listening and responding with an affordable line that performs. So, is this going to be a focus across the brand? Dr Wittern nods. "Yes, sustainability is an issue. It's become important for us to live in harmony with nature. We're looking at all aspects and doing what we can, like using sustainable ingredients." With Pure and Natural, Nivea is supporting farming co-ops and trying to achieve a balance. Nice one.
Elsewhere for anti-ageing, research continues into skin and they're looking at three areas of focus. New findings in dermatology, technology and methods to investigate the skin are always going to be the main areas of focus for R&D at Nivea, says Dr Wittern. Q10 was the last big anti-ageing success from the brand's labs and it seems to be that they're cooking up something new and fab. "Yes," he smiles, "we are working on something very exciting ... in fact we're working on two very promising concepts - but it's too early to talk any more about them right now."
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Dang! So near - and yet so far. More news on that when I have it!
