Nivea sunscreen does include ‘almond oil’ as an ingredient on the label

Facebook posts have been shared by thousands of people warning that a Nivea sunscreen product for children has changed its formula and does not include the ingredient ‘almond oil’ labelled on its package. 

Almond oil has always been listed on the label but originally appeared under its scientific name only. The label now mentions both its scientific name in the ingredients list as well as a clearer warning about “Almond Oil”. 

The posts say: “Hi everyone, just to let you know if any parents have brought this Nivea suncream they have changed the formula and it contains almond oil which has not been labelled on the package. In case any children have reaction or allergic to almonds. Thank you to parent for informing us about this. [sic]”

The posts both share an image showing two photos side by side. One of the photos shows the front of two Nivea roll-on sunscreen bottles and the other shows the back of one of the bottles with the label being peeled back to show more text written on the bottle.

A closer look at the second photo shows that “Almond Oil” is in fact written on the inside of the peeled back label, which has been pointed out in this Twitter post. Another post on Facebook also shared the image on 6 June and says that you can see the full ingredients list “more clearly” when you “peel off the sticky label”.

Given that the text of the post says almond oil has not been “labelled on its package”, but the accompanying image includes almond oil on the label it’s not entirely clear what the exact claim is.

The Nivea website says that almond oil was added to the formula for ‘Nivea Sun Kids Protect & Care’ in 2022 to make skin soft and protect from the loss of moisture. 

A spokesperson told Full Fact that “it has always been on the ingredients list when included in the formula” but “as the scientific name 'Prunus Amygdalis Duclis Oil’.”

The website says: “Following consumer feedback last summer, we made this more prominent with the addition of ‘Contains organic Almond Oil’ or ‘With Organic Almond Oil’ at the top of the back of every bottle.”

The spokesperson also told Full Fact the “industry standards” for smaller products like the roll-on products (which appear in the image on Facebook) is to have a peel-off label on the packaging. This allows companies to “include all the information a customer would expect, including the full ingredients list.”

They said: “The sticker is clearly marked to customers with a standardised icon and the words “peel here” to indicate more information overleaf.”

While Facebook posts like this may have good intentions, they can cause people to feel confused or anxious about purchasing a product, especially people worried about allergies, and potentially create distrust about the reliability and accuracy of product labels. 

Allergies

According to the website, the specific almond oil used in the cream has been “refined and purified leaving it free of any allergenic proteins”.  

It says: “This status has been confirmed by an external testing institute. Beiersdorf also uses the highest and most rigorous toxicological testing for all products and all ingredients are evaluated in line with EU legislation for the safety of cosmetics.”

However, it also recommends anyone with concerns about allergies seek the advice of their GP.

Image courtesy of Kirt Edblom