50 Years of Nivea-Kao: A German-Japanese Success Story

Back in 1968, Beiersdorf concluded an agreement under the leadership of Dr. Hellmut Kruse, who later became CEO, with the company Kao Soap Co., Ltd. managed by Dr. Yoshio Maruta to market NIVEA Creme and NIVEA milk in Japan. Founded just five years after Beiersdorf in 1887, Kao was of a similar size.

In the late 1960s, the Japanese company was very keen to introduce NIVEA Creme, which was already highly successful in Europe, to Japan. Market research in this area had already been conducted. The initial sales cooperation between Beiersdorf and Kao was turned into a joint venture in 1971, with both companies having an equal stake in Nivea-Kao Co., Ltd., which marketed atrix and 8X4 products in addition to NIVEA Creme and NIVEA milk. Within the joint venture, Kao took on the production side of things. With fully automated bottling systems in the late 1970s, Nivea-Kao was even the most efficient plant in the Beiersdorf family.