NIVEA
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 10 sources
Skin, body and sun care brand owned by Germany's Beiersdorf.
There's no proof NIVEA pays more than the legal minimum, which in Mexico is below a living wage.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent NIVEA? Send a right of reply.
Compare NIVEA with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Met: Uses only synthetic mica or none, or traces natural mica to independently checked mines, and traces or certifies other high-risk ingredients (palm oil) where they're a major part of its rangeAlso traces or certifies: palm oil
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Beiersdorf's figures name Germany, Spain, Poland and Mexico. Product labels show Australia. The rest is shown as where beauty and personal care products are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Germany | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Poland | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United StatesUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| FranceUsual for the industry | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ItalyUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| JapanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| United KingdomUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for beauty and personal care products: no natural mica is recorded in its products, and traces or certifies its palm oil.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- Modern slavery statement
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its palm oil. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Beiersdorf makes most NIVEA products in its own plants (88% of the finished goods its UK arm sold in 2025, mainly from Germany, Spain and Poland), but neither the brand nor Beiersdorf Australia says where the NIVEA products sold here are made, and its sunscreens sold in Australia are labelled Made in Australia by an unnamed maker. Beiersdorf is a member of the Responsible Mica Initiative and buys all its palm-based ingredients (about 40,000 tonnes a year, two-thirds from Indonesia) through RSPO Mass Balance and publishes a palm mill list, but gives no share traced to the mill. It had 160 suppliers audited under SMETA in 2025 and reports no forced or child labour cases, but publishes no supplier list or living wage commitment for suppliers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Beiersdorf Australia Ltd lodges modern slavery statements; its 2024 statement reports SMETA audits of six medium-risk suppliers and no cases, but doesn't say where the products it sells are made. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | BDF UK Ltd (NIVEA UK) lodges modern slavery statements; its 2025 statement says 88% of its finished goods came from Beiersdorf's own factories. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 list includes palm fruit and the oleochemicals made from it from Indonesia and Malaysia (child and forced labour), where Beiersdorf buys about 96% of its palm-based raw materials, and mica from India and Madagascar (child labour). View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Neither Beiersdorf nor any named supplier is on the UFLPA Entity List (October 2026 edition). View |
Sources and actions
Sources 10
Show all 10 sources
- Beiersdorf AG RSPO Annual Communication of Progress 2024 · search the archive · 40,277 tonnes of palm oil, palm kernel oil and derivatives, all certified through RSPO Mass Balance; no credits; no traceability percentage reported
- Responsible Mica Initiative: current members · search the archive · Beiersdorf listed as a downstream member of the Responsible Mica Initiative
- Beiersdorf Australia Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2024 (Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Reporting entity Beiersdorf Australia Ltd, year to 31 December 2024; six medium-risk suppliers given SMETA audits, one supplier flagged for a low EcoVadis score; palm oil named as an upstream risk; no cases or remediation reported; no manufacturing countries given
- WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2024: Beiersdorf AG · search the archive · 38,664 tonnes in 2024, 100% RSPO certified; reports traceability to mill and plantation (no percentage shown); score 20.17 of 24
- Nivea SPF 50+ Sun Protect & Moisture Sunscreen Lotion 100mL (Woolworths) · search the archive · NIVEA sunscreen sold in Australia labelled Made in Australia
- NIVEA Protect & Moisture Moisture Lock SPF50+ Sunscreen 400mL (IGA Shop) · search the archive · NIVEA sunscreen sold in Australia labelled Made in Australia
Published by NIVEA or its owner
- Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement (NIVEA UK) · search the archive · Year to 31 December 2025: 88% of finished goods from Beiersdorf-owned factories, 12% from third-party makers; finished goods from Germany 52%, Spain 22%, Poland 17%, Italy 3%, Netherlands 3%, rest of world 3%; about 21,000 direct suppliers risk-assessed
- Beiersdorf: a global business with a local feel (Beiersdorf) · search the archive · Beiersdorf manufacturing companies in Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig (Germany), Poznań (Poland), Tres Cantos and Argentona (Spain) and Silao (Mexico)
- Beiersdorf Annual Report 2023: supply chain · search the archive · Leipzig plant (opened 2023, up to 450 million products a year) supplies the European market and export; Poznań plant being expanded; Malang, Indonesia plant produces for the Indonesian market
- Sustainable Palm (Kernel) Oil (Beiersdorf) · search the archive · 100% of palm (kernel) oil and derivatives RSPO Mass Balance since end-2020; about 41,000 tonnes; origin Indonesia 66%, Malaysia 30%, Colombia and Thailand 4%; origin known for 99.6% of purchases; publishes a palm mills list; member of Action for Sustainable Derivatives
Company details
- Owned by
- Beiersdorf
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is NIVEA ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/nivea, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other skincare and sunscreen brands
Nothing we've rated in skincare and sunscreen is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent NIVEA.