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Neutrogena vs NIVEA

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Neutrogena and NIVEA are established skincare brands offering reliable cleansers, sunscreens, and moisturizers formulated with ingredients like glycerin. The American brand utilizes hyaluronic acid and dimethicone to suit mature and combination skin, while the German brand emphasizes glycerin to provide lasting comfort for dry and sensitive skin. Both lines feature targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin, differing primarily in their specific ingredient compositions and targeted skin type alignments.

Neutrogena is an American skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026.

investor.kimberly-clark.comen.wikipedia.orginvestors.kenvue.com

NIVEA is a German skincare brand founded in 1911 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2004.

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This page compares some of the most popular Neutrogena and NIVEA products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Neutrogena vs NIVEA products

People Say

NeutrogenaNIVEA
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky residue — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “absorbs instantly — Neutrogena COLLAGEN BANK Moisturizer”
    • “It's lightweight on the skin and leaves a bit of subtle sheen. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “Makes my face feel smooth and soft. — NIVEA Soft”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looked plumper and radiant — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “It also hydrates my skin. This cream has been so easy to add to my routine. — Neutrogena Retinol Regenerating Cream”
    • “Quenches dry skin instantly — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “Smoothed out dry flaky scales on my cheeks overnight — NIVEA Creme”
  • Value and Versatility Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Use it on face, body, hands, and feet — NIVEA Creme”
    • “Applying is easy, you can use on your face, hands, and body. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “Works better than expensive luxury creams — NIVEA Creme”
    • “great price point — Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover”
  • Cleansing and Gentle Care Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin soft and balanced — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “love that it has no scent — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “calms my acne prone skin — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “unclogs pores — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
  • Classic Scent and Nostalgia Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like holiday — NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+”
    • “Smell brings me back to childhood — NIVEA Creme”
    • “smells really nice — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “cleared my complexion in 7 days — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “doesn't leave skin dry or stretched — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “reduces blackheads — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
    • “hasn't caused a single breakout — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
  • Product Consistency and Residue Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves greasy film — Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover”
    • “Kept sliding off my face — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “Eye holes are too small — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “not super gritty — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
  • Skin Irritation and Breakouts Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “burns my eyes terribly — Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen”
    • “balls up under foundation — Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen”
    • “Clogged my pores and caused bad acne — NIVEA Creme”
    • “I noticed some acne breakouts on my chin after using this crème for a while. — NIVEA Soft”
  • Scents and Fragrance Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smell is too overpowering and lingering — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Scent is so off-putting — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
    • “has a weird plastic smell — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “Leaves a shiny grease layer that doesn't go away — NIVEA Creme”

Neutrogena vs NIVEA routines for dry skin

Buy NIVEA routine · CA$163.12 · 89% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · CA$95.37 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Neutrogena vs NIVEA routines for oily skin

Buy NIVEA routine · CA$298.37 · 88% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · CA$269.33 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Neutrogena vs NIVEA routines for combination skin

Buy NIVEA routine · CA$265.46 · 88% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · CA$222.43 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Neutrogena or NIVEA: which is better?

Both brands offer equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, acne-prone, mature, dark spot, and oily acne-prone skin, while NIVEA provides a High Lovi fit for sensitive and dry sensitive skin compared to Neutrogena's Average level.

What is the difference between Neutrogena and NIVEA?

Neutrogena is an American brand founded in 1930 that offers a wide range of fragrance-free options and is best for mature skin, combination skin, and skin with dark spots. NIVEA is a German brand founded in 1911 that provides versatile moisturizers and is best for dry skin, sensitive skin, and mature skin. Both brands achieve equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, acne-prone, mature, skin with dark spots, and oily acne-prone skin.

Neutrogena or NIVEA for dry skin?

Both Neutrogena and NIVEA achieve a High routine fit level for dry skin on this page. Neutrogena features deeply hydrating moisturizers that help deliver hyaluronic acid, whereas NIVEA provides intense deep hydration through versatile multi-use moisturizers containing glycerin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Neutrogena or NIVEA: which moisturizer is better?

Neutrogena offers better hydration and moisture among the products on this page, while NIVEA provides better value and versatility. Reviewers mention that Neutrogena moisturizers are deeply hydrating, lightweight, and non-greasy.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or NIVEA?

NIVEA is more affordable, offering strong value and versatility across the products on this page compared to Neutrogena.

Between Neutrogena and NIVEA, which brand offers more fragrance-free options?

Neutrogena offers far more fragrance-free options, with 35 of its 39 products on this page listing no fragrance, compared to only 3 of the 9 NIVEA products.

How do Neutrogena and NIVEA compare when it comes to routine fit for dry sensitive skin?

NIVEA has a High routine fit for dry sensitive skin, whereas Neutrogena has an Average routine fit. NIVEA offers better suitability for this skin type through its targeted product formulations.

Which brand performs better in the review theme of acne and blemish control?

NIVEA performs better than Neutrogena in the review theme of acne and blemish control.

Neutrogena or NIVEA for oily skin?

Both Neutrogena and NIVEA offer a High Lovi routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that Neutrogena delivers deep hydration with lightweight and non-greasy moisturizers, while NIVEA provides effective blemish-clearing serums.

Neutrogena or NIVEA: which sunscreen is better?

Both brands offer sunscreens on this page, but NIVEA achieves a High fit level for dry skin while Neutrogena ranges from Average to Low for dry skin. For oily skin, NIVEA reaches a High fit level with its UV Deep Protect & Care Gel and Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+, while Neutrogena options vary.

Neutrogena or NIVEA for sensitive skin?

NIVEA is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Neutrogena which has an Average fit. Reviewers often mention NIVEA for its versatile multi-use moisturizers and gentle care, while Neutrogena's products on this page sometimes note strong fragrance and skin irritation issues.

Neutrogena or NIVEA for acne-prone skin?

Both Neutrogena and NIVEA achieve a High routine fit level for acne-prone skin. Neutrogena offers a wider variety of specialized treatments on this page, whereas NIVEA is noted for blemish-clearing serums.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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