Premium Beauty News – Beiersdorf was founded over 140 years ago, your flagship brand Nivea is over 100 years old, and Eucerin, Labello, and La Prairie are also largely recognized for their quality and safety, each in their respective categories. What is the secret to maintaining this leadership position over such a long period of time?
Vincent Warnery - Beiersdorf builds on a legacy of pioneering skin research. Our people combine our dermatological expertise with the strength of our brands to turn research into benefits that people can see and feel in their everyday lives.
Our company is also built on the deep trust consumers have placed in our brands across generations. Nivea, as the world’s No.1 skin care brand, has earned that trust for more than a century through consistent quality, accessibility and a close connection to people’s everyday lives.
At Beiersdorf, innovation remains one of our strongest competitive advantages. Take Thiamidol, for example. It has reshaped global standards in hyperpigmentation. Or consider Epicelline: the Nivea Cellular Epigenetics Rejuvenating Serum was the biggest Nivea face care launch in our history. It’s backed by 15 years of research, 16 scientific publications, and over 50,000 ingredient tests. It is setting a new benchmark in longevity science.
Premium Beauty News – Today, the global cosmetics landscape is evolving: how does a European group position itself in this context?
Vincent Warnery – Geopolitics is increasingly reshaping the beauty industry, from supply chains to regulation. For Beiersdorf, this primarily means one thing: we need to build resilience across our business. We do this by producing globally. Our diversified global production network allows us to stay close to consumers while reducing our exposure to geopolitical volatility. At the same time, we continue to invest in Europe, as we believe that scientific excellence and high standards remain a strategic advantage for our industry.
Geopolitical pressure also makes it very clear how important smart, science-based regulation is. Europe is a global leader in the beauty and personal care industry, but maintaining that leadership requires clarity, predictability, and competitiveness.
This is why we are a founding member of the Value of Beauty alliance, an industry coalition representing the entire value chain of the personal care industry. Europe must remain a place where innovation thrives. Resilience, strong scientific leadership and supportive, globally aligned regulations are essential to navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
Premium Beauty News – In your view, what are the key competitiveness challenges for the European industry today?
Vincent Warnery – The European beauty and personal care industry is a EUR 180 billion sector supporting over 3 million jobs across the continent. At the same time, our competitiveness is under pressure from the US and increasingly from Asia, especially Korea and China, when it comes to skin care innovation.
As the Draghi report on European competitiveness highlights, one of the key challenges is closing the innovation gap. This means that science-based, well-designed regulation is critical to maintaining leadership. Europe has the strictest framework in the world, and it is a strength: consumer safety is non-negotiable, and we support robust, science-based regulation. At the same time, these rules need to remain risk-based, predictable, and practical. Today, overly complex rules risk slowing down R&D cycles and discouraging investment.
At Beiersdorf, for example, we invested around EUR 276 million in R&D in 2025 and employ over 1,100 research experts worldwide. Maintaining this level of commitment requires a regulatory environment that is stable and globally competitive. One example of Europe’s strength as a beauty market is France, with EUR 21.3 billion in exports and nearly 40% of EU beauty R&D. The potential is there. Ultimately, it is about getting the balance right: maintaining the highest safety standards, while ensuring that regulation supports innovation and competitiveness, rather than holding it back.
Premium Beauty News – What are your objectives for the years to come?
Vincent Warnery – Our ‘Win with Care’ business strategy provides a clear framework in a market where global growth is becoming more moderate. Growth is increasingly driven by areas where we see strong momentum, particularly in our Derma business and in key markets such as the US, China and India.
In parallel, we are evolving how we manage our core brands. A good example is Nivea, where we are adjusting priorities across its core categories by broadening the focus beyond face care, reinforcing accessible price points and increasing local relevance. This is a deliberate and targeted evolution.
Sustainability is fully embedded in this approach. It is an integral part of how we operate and create value. We are committed to our Net Zero 2045 target and have already reduced absolute GHG emissions across all three scopes by 33% since 2018. This translates into concrete actions across our entire value chain, including reducing fossil-based packaging, scaling circular solutions and working more closely with partners to advance sustainable innovation.
Our path forward is clear: disciplined execution, strong brands, and a consistent focus on long-term value in a more demanding market environment.
