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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 established skincare brands from America and Germany, respectively. Estée Lauder is known for its moisturizers, serums, eye products, and cleansers formulated with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, suiting acne-prone and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the German brand is celebrated for its sunscreens, serums, and moisturizers featuring glycerin, which suit combination and sensitive skin. While both incorporate hydrating ingredients to support barrier function, they differ in their primary regional origins, founding years, and ideal skin types.

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

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Estée Lauder vs NIVEA routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Estée Lauder vs NIVEA routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or NIVEA: which is better?

Both brands offer strong options depending on your skin goals, with Estée Lauder performing better for deep hydration and NIVEA offering better product value and versatility. For dry skin, the routine fit for NIVEA is High while Estée Lauder is Average. Topical hyaluronic acid, found in the products on this page, helps improve skin quality and signs of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and NIVEA?

Estée Lauder delivers deep hydration and gentle cleansers, while NIVEA offers better product value and versatile, multi-purpose moisturizers. For dry skin and skin with dark spots, NIVEA has a High routine fit while Estée Lauder has an Average fit.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for dry skin?

For dry skin, NIVEA has a High routine fit on this page, while Estée Lauder has an Average routine fit. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin moisture and hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or NIVEA: which moisturizer is better?

NIVEA does better than Estée Lauder for product value and longevity, whereas Estée Lauder performs better for deep hydration and moisture among the products on this page.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or NIVEA?

NIVEA is more affordable, whereas Estée Lauder has a high price point as a mostly mentioned downside on the products on this page.

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

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

How do Estée Lauder and NIVEA compare regarding deep hydration and moisture?

Estée Lauder does better than NIVEA regarding deep hydration and moisture based on reviewer feedback for the products on this page. Hyaluronic acid helps provide moisture, and topical hyaluronic acid benefits skin quality.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which brand was founded earlier, Estée Lauder or NIVEA?

NIVEA was founded earlier, in 1911 in Germany, whereas Estée Lauder was founded later, in 1946 in the United States.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for oily skin?

NIVEA is a better fit for oily skin, as the routine fit on this page is High compared to Estée Lauder's Average level. NIVEA features products like UV Deep Protect & Care Gel that achieve a High Lovi fit for oily skin.

Estée Lauder or NIVEA: which sunscreen is better?

NIVEA does better than Estée Lauder for product value, though the products on this page for both brands feature sunscreen options with varying Lovi fit levels depending on skin types. Topical hyaluronic acid, found across the products on this page, helps improve skin hydration and signs of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for sensitive skin?

Both Estée Lauder and NIVEA offer high routine fit for sensitive skin among the products on this page. Estée Lauder features key ingredients like Hyaluronic acid and Glycerin, whereas NIVEA also relies on Glycerin.

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

Estée Lauder or NIVEA for acne-prone skin?

Both Estée Lauder and NIVEA offer products on this page that are a High fit for acne-prone skin. Estée Lauder features cleansers like Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée that are well-rated for this skin type, while NIVEA offers blemish-clearing serums and scrubs like DERMA SKIN CLEAR.

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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