Beiersdorf East Africa Ltd, cosmetic manufacture of Nivea range of skincare products, on Thursday announced its accelerated growth strategy that will expand its product range for the African market.
The company, an affiliate of Beiersdorf AG, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, has unveiled a formulated, new generation petroleum jelly for the Kenyan market.
Known as the NIVEA Petroleum Jelly Essence, the new product is the result of a detailed market research program and study over several years, as the firm took time to gain a better understanding of the habits of Kenyan consumers and their unmet needs in their daily skincare routines designed for the unique needs of African skin.
The Marketing Director of Beiersdorf, Mr. Francis Afulani highlighted that; “The African skin is unique in its character, with a stronger tendency to lose moisture, dry out and turn ashy-looking. While petroleum jelly remains a versatile product in most African homes, more than half of the consumers surveyed did not like the sticky, greasy feeling that it leaves. They are also aware of the lack of moisturization, leading them to mix it with Glycerine.”
Afulani says the new product is poised to be a game-changer in the general Petroleum Jelly market and is expected to drive it towards a higher standard of skincare.
“We intend to show Kenya and the rest of the African consumers that it is possible to innovate and design a responsive product that still meets global skincare standards and cuts across the entire economic spectrum,” he posited.
Managing Director of Beiersdorf East, Central and West Africa, Mr. Mathieu Levasseur, says the move to invest in the new African product range was part of the firm’s diversification plan, aimed at addressing a wide range of personal and skincare needs of a unique, yet rapidly growing multi-million-dollar African market.
Kenya is the first country in the whole Beiersdorf global network, to roll out the newly formulated and which will be exported to other markets.
