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Estée Lauder vs NIVEA

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

Estée Lauder and NIVEA are distinguished skin care houses that offer reliable moisturizers, serums, and targeted solutions. The American label is beloved for its comprehensive range featuring hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which suit acne-prone and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the German brand is deeply loved for its reliable sunscreens and nourishing formulas with glycerin, which suit oily and sensitive skin best. Ultimately, both brands differ through their unique ingredient blends and specific formulation focuses, providing distinct choices for individual skin needs.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

beiersdorf.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs NIVEA products

People Say

Estée LauderNIVEA
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “Smoothed out dry flaky scales on my cheeks overnight — NIVEA Creme”
  • Skin Texture and Smoothness Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Makes my face feel smooth and soft. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “skin feels squeaky clean and soft — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
  • Product Value and Longevity Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Works better than expensive luxury creams — NIVEA Creme”
    • “Best affordable vegan moisturizer. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “absolute steal for the price — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “A little goes a long way — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Pleasant Scent Sometimes 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”
    • “pleasant cucumber fragrance — Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer”
  • Gentle Cleansing and Makeup Removal Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Lathers well — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “removes all my makeup effortlessly — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “unclogs pores — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
  • Versatile Multi-Purpose Use Not notedOften 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”
  • High Price Point and Cost Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Fragrance and Scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Scent is too overpowering for sensitive noses — NIVEA Creme”
    • “Has a heavy, baby powder smell. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “smells like men's hairspray — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Sticky or Heavy Residue Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “tacky film — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Leaves a greasy film behind — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves a shiny grease layer that doesn't go away — NIVEA Creme”

Estée Lauder vs NIVEA routines for dry skin

Buy NIVEA routine · $119.46 · 82% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · $271.00 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Estée Lauder vs NIVEA routines for oily skin

Buy NIVEA routine · $297.86 · 88% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · $399.42 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Estée Lauder vs NIVEA routines for combination skin

Buy NIVEA routine · $289.45 · 87% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · $503.90 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or NIVEA: which is better?

Both Estée Lauder and NIVEA are great choices, as they both offer high routine fit levels for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Estée Lauder delivers deeper hydration and gentle cleansing, while NIVEA provides better product value and versatile multi-purpose use.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and NIVEA?

Estee Lauder tends to offer deep hydration and gentle cleansers with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while NIVEA provides versatile moisturizers and blemish-clearing serums with glycerin. Reviewers note that Estee Lauder can come at a high price point and leave a heavy residue, whereas NIVEA may sometimes cause greasy residue and breakouts.

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

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for dry skin?

For dry skin, NIVEA achieves a High routine fit on this page, while Estée Lauder reaches an Average fit. Both brands feature Glycerin across the products on this page, and Estée Lauder additionally includes Hyaluronic acid.

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

Estée Lauder or NIVEA: which moisturizer is better?

When choosing a moisturizer, NIVEA offers better product value, while Estée Lauder excels in deep hydration and moisture based on the products on this page.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or NIVEA?

NIVEA is more affordable than Estée Lauder, as Estée Lauder's high price point is a mostly mentioned negative review theme. NIVEA offers better product value and longevity according to the page reviews.

Between Estée Lauder and NIVEA, which brand has better routine fit for skin with dark spots?

NIVEA has a better routine fit for skin with dark spots, scoring High compared to Estée Lauder which scores Average.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Estée Lauder or NIVEA?

Estée Lauder has more fragrance-free products, with 12 of its 14 products on this page listing no fragrance compared to 3 of 9 for NIVEA.

Which brand performs better for deep hydration and moisture according to review themes?

Estée Lauder performs better for deep hydration and moisture according to review themes. Reviewers mostly mentioned deep hydration as a positive for this brand.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Estée Lauder and NIVEA achieve a High routine fit level on this page. Estée Lauder's products on this page feature key ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, while NIVEA's products on this page also use glycerin.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreens on this page, Estée Lauder features the DayWear Moisturizer, which achieves a Superior fit for dry sensitive skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, and mature skin, and a High fit for combination, acne-prone, dark spots, oily, and oily acne-prone skin. NIVEA offers options like the UV Deep Protect & Care Gel and Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+, which also provide a High fit across several skin types.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for sensitive skin?

Both Estée Lauder and NIVEA are good options for sensitive skin, as the products on this page for both brands achieve a High routine fit for this skin type. NIVEA features versatile multi-use moisturizers and blemish-clearing serums, while Estée Lauder offers deep hydration and gentle cleansers.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for acne-prone skin?

Both Estée Lauder and NIVEA are well suited for acne-prone skin, with the products on this page achieving a High fit level for this skin type. Estée Lauder features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, while NIVEA offers blemish-clearing serums.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

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