Nivea (pronounced[niˈveːaː]) is a German personal care brand, that specializes in skin- and body-care. It is owned by the Hamburg based company Beiersdorf Global AG. The company was founded on March 28, 1882, by pharmacist Paul Carl Beiersdorf. In 1900, the new owner Oscar Troplowitz developed a water-in-oil emulsion as a skin cream with Eucerit, the first stable emulsion of its kind. This was the basis for Eucerin and later, Nivea. Nivea comes from the Latin word niveus/nivea/niveum, meaning 'snow-white'.