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?
https://i.redd.it/3oklv4a06w8g1.png
Posted by Unlucky-Ant-9741
24 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
Norway still has access to whale blubber?
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.
It doesn’t say “The Norwegian formula” it just says that the formula is Norwegian in general. Big difference..
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.
Ive heard rumor of of semen
Unscented…so just the natural aroma of fish oil then?
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
Formula:
1 Fresh Water
2 The Best