My current obsession: Nivea Creme

As a rule I don't tend to buy my beauty products from the supermarket. Mostly because when I am buying my beauty products I like to browse for ages, sniffing and touching and fully testing the product before I take the plunge. When I am in the supermarket I just want to replenish The Crazy Kid's milk supply, my chocolate supply and my husbands Shapes supplies and get out of there with as few impulse buys as possible. So, it is most likely that reason I went so long without trying Nivea Creme. Either that or maybe it was because I always imagined it to be boring - like Nivea's version of Sorbalene cream - a simple, scentless, nondescript cream. I cannot believe how far off the mark I was.

Image courtesy of BeautyHeaven

Nivea had at stand at the Maxted Thomas PR Gala dinner at ABBW and they analysed our skin types then provided us with a complete collection of suitable products (I will go into more detail about this in another post). Once I had received my collection of goodies, the Nivea rep asked if there was anything else I'd like to try. 'I'm a bit addicted to the Creme, would it be OK if I grabbed a tub of that?' I asked. She laughed and said of course, apparently Creme addiction is a common affliction!

The first thing you notice, when you open a tub of Nivea Creme, is just how thick it is. It is the consistency of a balm or a body butter. You can literally turn the tub upside down and the Creme doesn't budge. I have a secret beauty fantasy that one day I would LOVE to bathe in a bath full of Nivea Creme. Or maybe go swimming in the vat of Nivea Creme at the Nivea factory (though that is a tad gross for anyone who subsequently buys one of those pots!). However, I suspect that this fantasy would fail miserably and that I'd either remain on the surface of the Creme, it's thickness supporting my weight; or I'd slowly sink, like in quicksand, to my untimely yet fragrant death.



The second thing you will notice is the incredible fragrance of the Nivea Creme. It is a very fresh floral fragrance that I utterly adore. In fact, if I could purchase this fragrance as I perfume I would and it would most likely become my signature scent. It is actually the fragrance of Nivea Creme that made it such a big seller in the early days of it's release - way back in 1911. There is an amazing review on the blog, 1000 Fragrances, on the history of Nivea Creme - in particular, it's fragrance. Basically, the formula for the fragrance was more complex than the actual recipe for the Creme - it was a true perfume composition with top notes, base notes and a dry down. Nivea Creme was never marketed as luxury product - it was an inexpensive mass produced product. It was released in an era when the women it was marketed to could rarely afford a luxury perfume, yet here was a beautifully fragranced moisturiser which contained 0.5% perfume, that lasted a long time on the skin. At a time where products were subtly fragranced at best, women started buying this Creme in droves and the immense success of Nivea Creme had begun.

The formulation of Nivea Creme is quite simple and is incredibly gentle making it suitable for use on the most sensitive skin, including on nappy rash. It is a mixture of water and fats, making it highly moisturising. In fact, Nivea were the first company to introduce a stable water in oil emulsifier. The secret to this was Eucerit, or lanolin - the fat from sheep's wool that is both greasy yet also absorbs water. Water, glycerine and Eucerit provide moisture to the skin whilst the fats in the Creme (Mineral oil, microcrystaline wax, paraffin and again Eucerit) lock the moisture into the skin. This leaves dry skin rehydrated and incredible soft.

Ingredients: Water, Mineral oil, Microcrystalline wax, Glycerine, Eucerit (lanolin alcohol), Paraffin, Panthenol, Magnesium sulfate, Decyl oleate, Octyldodecanol, Aluminium stearates, Citric acid, Magnesium stearate, Fragrance 

The Creme is incredibly rich, yet I find that it absorbs quite easily into the skin on my body. Every now and then I find myself craving a simple moisturiser for my face, especially when it has had a little too much exposure to the sun or wind. At these times I ditch my complex anti-ageing routine and use the Nivea Creme as I know that it will leave it hydrated and smooth. On my face, is very heavy and greasy - it does not absorb as well as it does on my body, so it is a night time only moisturiser for me. But when I wake in the mornings my skin is always amazingly soft and hydrated looking. It looks refreshed. Even with the heaviness of the Creme I have never had any issues with breakouts. This really is a gorgeous moisturiser that can be used on any part of your body - it is perhaps the most versitle product I own.

It seems that I am not the only person obsessed with Nivea Creme. I found the following two interesting stats online:

• 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 has ever been alive or is alive now

Such a simple cream really has made an impact on many, many people worldwide!

In Australia, you can buy Nivea Creme from supermarkets, pharmacies and Priceline stores. A 100ml tub will set you back $6.49 whilst a massive 200ml tub is only a tiny $9.16. At such a reasonable price, it really is one product that everyone should have a tub of, in their bathroom cabinet, for times when you skin needs a gentle yet serious moisture hit.

At this point in time I am unable to provide a quote for a bath tub full of Nivea Creme, hopefully Nivea rep will get back to us ASAP about the feasibility of this!

Have you tried Nivea Creme?

Do you share a similar beauty fantasy such as swimming in a vat of Nivea Creme?

What are your thoughts on the perfume - are you head over heals in love like me or is it not your cup of tea, or, heaven forbid, have you never tried the famous white Creme?