Every two seconds, a Nivea Q10 product is sold, making it the brand’s No. 1 face care range.

This success stems from coenzyme Q10, the active ingredient that made its debut in the mass market 25 years ago in the Beiersdorf-owned brand.

While Q10 has been around for a quarter-century, it remains one of the most important anti-aging active ingredients in the category, according to Beiersdorf.

Ranked No. 10 in Happi’s 2022 International Top 30 report, the Hamburg, Germany-based company continues to study the importance and mode of action of this vital coenzyme. In fact, new scientific findings and Q10 innovations continue to fuel Beiersdorf’s success internationally. Today, the Q10 series is available in more than 60 countries.

The newest launch is Nivea Q10 Targeted Wrinkle Filler, a serum that combines pure Q10 with Bioxifill peptides. According to Beiersdorf Bioxifill is a “skin-friendly, high-performance combination” that helps improve stubborn wrinkles in delicate facial areas.

Q10: Discovery and Research

Coenzyme Q10 was discovered by the American scientist Frederick L. Crane in 1957. His colleague, Peter Mitchell, conducted further research into the coenzyme and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his achievements (1978). This pioneering work focusing on human skin was taken on by Beiersdorf researchers in the early 1990s.




To date, 50 scientists have been involved in the research conducted into Q10, metabolic processes and formula technologies with Q10. The result: approximately 40 scientific contributions, more than 10 of which were in publications reviewed by external experts.




Beiersdorf says the efficacy of Q10 products has been tested on more than 60,000 study participants. The first patent relating to Q10 was granted in 1994; currently 10 patents are still active.

Q10: Collaboration

Beiersdorf’s research and development department collaborates with leading Q10 scientists at outside research institutes. The latest cooperative efforts include DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron), the University of Hamburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP). For example, guided by Beiersdorf, scientists used an imaging technique to make Q10 introduced into skin cells visible for the first time. The technology enabled the team to track both its cellular uptake and the path taken by the coenzyme. According to Beiersdorf, the method, which is based on the principle of X-ray fluorescence analysis, caught the attention of scientists in other disciplines, including cancer therapy and in global Q10 research in areas other than the skin.