This is the best-selling skincare product in Australia (a moisturiser/hand cream for repairing dry cracked skin caused by frequent hand washing). It proudly proclaims that is uses the "Norwegian formula." What is the Norwegian formula? Is it made from whales? How did Norway make the best cosmetics and skincare products in the world?
by Unlucky-Ant-9741
41 comments
Norway making the best skincare/cosmetics is new to me. I too am interested to know if this is true, if so what separates it.
Brunost and milkchocolate.
Think its just a result of people needs + cold and dry winter
It’s not Norwegian. The formula might have come from Norway originally, but it’s just marketing. The products are not even sold here.
[I bet it is oil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_jelly)
Never heard about it. I think this just marketing, they’ve found out putting “Norwegian Formula” on the product sells more. Googling it the product is from the US and has been made for 50+ years.
I think there was a popular series of skincare products made by a Norwegian that got some traction worldwide some years back, but before I think it was almost unheard of? Or maybe I just noticed more Nordic/norwegian skincare products after that.
Here in Norway it’s mostly very lab-oriented, or whatever is in. Right now it’s South Korean skincare. I’d bet that Norway’s most sold skin care product is Nivea face cream that you buy at the grocery store though.
(As observed by someone who knows nothing about skincare and have no skin in the game)
AFAIK Neutrogena is an American company but they took some inspiration from Norway for their hand cream
Usually when something has a norwegian flag or “formula” or something like that written, its not norwegian
Hydration related products from Scandinavia as a whole are really good as it’s cold and dry here. Im currently obsessed ole henriksen lip balms which are from Denmark I think.
I’ve seen this in European countries too, but almost never in Norway. It is not a well known product here, but it is sold in stores like [Sparkjøp](https://www.sparkjop.no/norwegian-formula-hand-cream-scented_925021).
“Norwegian formula” is first and foremost a marketing claim, though there is a purported connection to Norwegian fishermen using a home-made product that inspired its development:
>The NORWEGIAN FORMULA^(®) came into existence in the form of hand lotion, a product that has nonetheless become a symbol of the brand …
>During the Second World War, a pediatrician was walking on the quays of the port of Bergen, and shook hands with fishermen from the Arctic.
>He was surprised that the dryness of their faces, buffeted by the wind and the cold, clashed with the softness of their hands. He discovered a little later that they handled fish oil throughout the day, which made their palms so soft.
Source: [https://www.neutrogena.co.za/find-out-more-about-us/short-history-norwegian-formula](https://www.neutrogena.co.za/find-out-more-about-us/short-history-norwegian-formula)
>**1969** : Lloyd Cotsen, President of Neutrogena in 1969, was given a sample of a traditional recipe for hand healing as used by Arctic fishermen. After using some chemicals to clean soap vats, Cotsen found his hands were left dry and cracked. Deciding to give the sample product a try, Cotsen found immediate relief with just a small dab of the highly concentrated formula – the inspiration for another Neutrogena classic
Source: [https://www.neutrogena.co.uk/skin-and-hair-care-advice/skin/norwegian-formula](https://www.neutrogena.co.uk/skin-and-hair-care-advice/skin/norwegian-formula)
Supposedly a Norwegina salesman brought the home-made remedy used by fishermen in Bergen with him to the US, an pitched it to Cotsen, who later tried it, found it effective, and elected to use it as a base for developing the product sold today.
Norwegian Formula is about as Norwegian as Fosters beer is Australian.
We have a slightly different challenge here in that you find a great skincare product, then after 2-3 months it disappears off the shelves never to be seen again.
That being said there are some really good derma tested creams, but you pay accordingly.
Can the formulae have originated as pattekrem (udder cream) for cows?
We do?
A high glycerine content I see from a Norwegian web page. And some people say here they’ve never seen it, but it’s definitely been around here for a long time. I remember my mom bought it for me when I was a kid with chapped hands over 20 years ago. But it’s probably not as popular as in Australia, we have a lot of different options for dry hands here.
I mean, it’s obvious isn’t it? The “Norwegian formula” is clearly based on troll fat.
I’m in America and I love this stuff. Idk if it’s actually Norwegian but it’s the only hand cream that stays on my hands even through washing + doesn’t make them feel slimy.
It means they put 21.000.000.000.000 NOK of R&D into this handcream, so it’s probably quite good.
It’s not a Norwegian brand or formula at all, it’s American. But they’ve made a [marketing narrative about Norwegian fishermen with soft hands](https://www.neutrogena.co.za/find-out-more-about-us/short-history-norwegian-formula). Very odd story, but I guess the Norwegian flag gives associations to cold, harsh environments, robustness and that classic Nordic efficiency, and thereby an effective solution in this skin care product..? Or that was what they were going for.
Using or making up a narrative is a very common approach in marketing. It’s more lightly that people remember the product if it’s connected to a story (ref Jerome Bruner). But I agree with you, it is good, and I use it all the time myself, especially when my hands dry out during wintertime.
It’s Norwegian formula because you wouldn’t buy the American formula
The secret is brunost
As Norwegian as Napapijri, an Italian brand with a Finnish name and a Norwegian flag made in China.
When I lived in Norway my friend was genuinely confused by me using Neutrogena lip balm. He said he never saw these in Norway 😅
It was about 7 years ago
It really is the end all, be all hand lotion. I keep buying other products when they are wildly reduced in price, and because I’m a scent fanatic and just like trying them out, but it’s stupid, because for the last ~30 years, nothing has come even close to this product. (This is the most marketing sounding post I’ve ever made, lol)
Ah, yes – the norwegian formula.
1 dl of fermented salmon
2 tablespoons of I don’t give a fuck
1/2 cup of always a bit too cold
1 pallet of oil money
2 packets kvikklunsj
We do have a skin cream called Spenol, which is both cheap and awesome. It used to be marketed towards farmers for treating sore animals after milking. It’s now sold as a regular skin cream. No perfume, no nonsense.
This marketing unfortunately works on me because
1. Cool flag
2. I have a deep and inherent trust of Norwegians even if they had nothing to do with the product
The Norwegian formula is crippling depression, alcoholism and despair.
I live in Sweden and I’ve never seen this brand.
Funnily enough, I had that one. Its not that good. If you want a good one, try the ones from SebaMed, I think its german.
Purely marketing. Never heard of “Norwegian formula” and as far as I know, a lot of things that’s marketed as “Norwegian” aren’t Norwegian.
Norway does not make the best, in general.
The best skin care you get is Tallow based (mainly tallow or with some supporting oils like jojoba oil).
This is proper nutritous creams with everything the skin needs – not chemical sludge made for profit only.
Get your grass fed tallow and make it yourself or buy from a seller on Etsy or something 🙂
i remember that there was a tv ads about Neutrogena in Turkey when i was a kid. it was saying that “all Norwegian fishermen uses Neutrogena hand creams”. i asked to Norwegian fishermen in Norway and they laughed at this so bad. All people in my age range remember this tv ads.
They use Voss water in it
This product is not sold in Norway. Norway does not make a lot of skin care. We import most of the skin care products used here.
Its mean {the form of Norway }🇳🇴✌🏻and they do that become the are proud of their product, Norwegian product is always have a very good quality and natural quality because they are rich enough to get the best from all over the world and they called it Norwegian like the chocolate. There is no plant of chocolate in Norway and they made the chocolate of Norway, but they use the milk from Norway chocolate and when they write something in this chocolate they say a piece of Norway it’s like it’s amazing.
I can answer why: survival. You know what the humidity is when it’s -10 °C outside? Not high.
The story on Neutrogena’s website:
> 1969 : Lloyd Cotsen, President of Neutrogena in 1969, was given a sample of a traditional recipe for hand healing as used by Arctic fishermen. After using some chemicals to clean soap vats, Cotsen found his hands were left dry and cracked. Deciding to give the sample product a try, Cotsen found immediate relief with just a small dab of the highly concentrated formula – the inspiration for another Neutrogena classic.
The story I’ve heard is it that the “sample product” he was given was the Norwegian brand Spenol.
Spenol was invented 1958 by Sigurd Funder. He was a pharmacist given the challenge of developing an ointment to moisturize udders (“spen” in Norwegian). Udders can get very dry, and start cracking. Very painful for cows.
The milkmaids quickly discovered it was also very good moisturizer for their hands, and the cream quickly became very popular among humans as well. Still today you will find the ointment in most Norwegian homes. So it is not unlikely that the fishermen in 1969 used Spenol.
https://www.neutrogena.co.uk/skin-and-hair-care-advice/skin/norwegian-formula
In theory it makes sense to design hand cream specifically for norwegian conditions because it can get very cold and dry here in winter. But in this case it’s just marketing nonsense that’s only vaguely related to norway.
I had no idea. Probably some seaweed.
Decubal is another product made for Nordic skin. The lip and dry skin balm is the best thing that’s happened to my chapped lips. Especially in wintertime.
Meanwhile, every person I know that works a lot with their hands swears by Working Hands. No clue where that’s from though, but I highly doubt it’s Norway.
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