Nivea Firming Sun Lotion

...worth the money. I chose Nivea as it has a good reputation and I knew to some extent it should work or else Nivea wouldn't bother marketing it!


Price:

I looked around for the cheapest place to buy this. Most smaller chemists don't seem to stock this so you have to try the larger department stores or chemists (Debehams, Boots, Superdrug). At the time I bought this (April), both Boots and Superdrug were doing a ...
...lotion comes in the familiar Nivea rectangular bottle (dark blue in colour with the familiar Nivea stripey orange/yellow, royal blue and gold logo). The rectangular shaped bottle and top make opening quite easy if your hands are wet. The front of the bottle says the word "Firming" twice (once in white and once in Gold lettering), is this so you don't forget that this is no ordinary sun tan lotion?
On the back of the bottle there ... more

I needed some suntan lotion for going on holiday and got a bit fed up of carting around so many bottles. I had seen the advert for firming sun tan lotions but didn't know whether they were worth the money. I chose Nivea as it has a good reputation and I knew to some extent it should work or else Nivea wouldn't bother marketing it!

Price:

I looked around for the cheapest place to buy this. Most smaller chemists don't seem to stock this so you have to try the larger department stores or chemists (Debehams, Boots, Superdrug). At the time I bought this (April), both Boots and Superdrug were doing a Buy one get one Free on all Nivea sun care products (including the tinted aftersun). I eventually bought mine in Superdrug (Buy one get one free) for £11.49 for a 200ml bottle.

Packaging:

What do you get for your money? The suntan lotion comes in the familiar Nivea rectangular bottle (dark blue in colour with the familiar Nivea stripey orange/yellow, royal blue and gold logo). The rectangular shaped bottle and top make opening quite easy if your hands are wet. The front of the bottle says the word "Firming" twice (once in white and once in Gold lettering), is this so you don't forget that this is no ordinary sun tan lotion?
On the back of the bottle there is a lot of text in a rather small font, but not so small as to be difficult to read. At the top of the label on the back is a chart of the sun protection factors as categorised by the BMA (British Medical Association), this range runs through:

Basic Protection SPF 2-5
Medium Protection SPF 6-10
High Protection SPF 11-15
Intensive Protection SPF 16-20
Sun Block Protection SPF 21-30+

I bought factor 15 (I have seen this product in Factor 6, 8, 12, 15 and 25), so the High Protection Factor box was highlighted.

The suggested usage instructions (These words are in bold text on the label) are as follows:

- Always apply 20-30 minutes before sun exposure, and repeat after 20-30 minutes in the sun.
- Reapply regularly, also after swimming or towelling.
- Do not expose young children to direct sunlight.
- Avoid intensive midday sun.
- For increased protection always use a higher SPF.

How I used this product is mentioned further down in this review.

Also noted on the back of the bottle were details about the UVA and UVB filters in the sun cream (Looking at other sun creams when I bought this one some don't contain both UVA and UVB filters). Both of these (according to the blurb on the bottle) reinforce your skin's natural UV defences. It also mentions that it is Water resistant protection against sunburn and premature skin ageing and minimises the risk of UVA allergies (e.g. 'prickly heat' rash). The cream contains Vitamin E which helps to protect against skin damage caused by free radicals. The label also has the following statement:
"Improves the firmness of your skin. Regularly applied during the day it increases the skin's elasticity, smoothes and improves the skin structure."

Lastly is listed the ingredients list, a star rating for its UVA filters (3 stars, which is apparently quite high) and address information about the manufacturers.

Product:

The cream is non runny (I tested this by applying some to the palm of my hand and turning it upside down and it didn't slide off) and winter white in colour. It has the noticeable Nivea smell which to me smells like vanilla pods but is not overpowering and is quite pleasant.

Usage:

I must admit I did not strictly follow the usage guidelines about this product. I was on holiday somewhere quite hot and only applied the cream in the morning before going sunbathing or sight seeing and again twice during the day (this time only when sunbathing) or after I went for a swim. Even during swimming this cream stayed on my skin and didn't form an oil slick round me in the pool like other creams have in the past. I have extremely fair skin and did not burn at all using this for my entire holiday, but please choose an SPF that you think is appropriate for your skin type.
As I mentioned above the cream is not runny but is very easily smoothed onto the skin and doesn't drag dry skin. I found five blobs about the size of a 50 pence coin covered my entire body evenly.
This is the only sun cream I have found that doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky. After applying my skin felt extremely soft and smooth and quite refreshed. I had had a couple of dry patches on my ankles and knees before the holiday which were gone by the time I came home.

Did it live up to its promise? :

I noticed a definite firmer tone to my skin after two days and more improvement in the appearance of my legs, hips and waist by the end of the holiday (5 days). I loved this so much I have been using it since I came home as a body moisturiser (the smell reminds me of the holiday) and my firmer skin tone has been maintained with usage.

Value? :

With the usage levels mentioned above I had just over half a bottle left at the end of a 5 day holiday.

Important Information :

Printed on the back of the bottle are the words "Dermatologically approved", this can mean different things on different products but after doing some research about Nivea this seems to mean (please note this is my interpretation, please check the Nivea website for yourself if you are unsure) that tests are carried out on people with sensitive skin and these are supervised by dermatologists and then passed or failed.

The shelf life of a normal bottle of sun cream is 18 - 30 months if stored properly. There is a section on the Nivea website about this under the FAQ section. If a product has a shelf life less than this it must carry a 'use-by' date. If during this period you noticed a change in your Nivea product (separation, change in smell or colouration) it can be sent to them postage paid for testing.

 

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