Nivea Nourishing Day Cream SPF 15
79/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Nivea Nourishing Day Cream SPF 15 is a hybrid moisturizer with light sun protection, combining avobenzone and octisalate with the modern filter bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine. It has a balanced, lightweight finish with low white cast and does not sting. SPF 15 is generally low, so it is best thought of as a nourishing day cream with some UV defense rather than dedicated sun protection. The rating is solid for what it is, but pair it with stronger SPF for real sun exposure.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Good
74
- +8 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #3, UV filter
- +28.5 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #7, UV filter (UVA1 +15.2)
- +8.4 Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid at #13, UV filter
- +28.8 Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine at #18, UV filter (UVA1 +9.6)
☢️
Health safety
High
90
- +100 Starting score
- −10 Avobenzone at #7 (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Low
70
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −12 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
🔥
Eye sting
Low
66
- +100 Starting score
- −16 Avobenzone at #7, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −9 Octisalate at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −1 Ensulizole at #13, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −8 Fragrance
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
90
- +100 Starting score
- −5 Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit at #12, butter/occlusive fat
- −5 Cetearyl Alcohol at #6, rich gel-network thickener
🍄
Fungal acne
Medium
49
- +100 Starting score
- −23 2 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
- −28 2 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate)
👕
Fabric stains
Medium
55
- +100 Starting score
- −45 Avobenzone at #7, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
💧
Moisture
Nourishing
LightNourishing
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate)
- → 16 Glycerin at #2, the anchor humectant
- → 1 Humectant polyols
- → 3 2 emollient lipids (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
- → 1 Light emollient/solvent (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride)
- → 1 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetearyl Alcohol)
✨
Finish
Balanced
MatteDewy
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate)
- → 10 3 emollient lipids (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate)
💄
Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- → 3 1 soft-focus powders in moderation
- → 2 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- ← 2 Occlusives/waxes float the foundation
- ← 3.5 Humectant syrup tackiness (partly offset by the base)
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
Nothing flagged in the ingredient list.
How we rate water resistance →Full ingredient list (22)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, ↑ / ↓ give the direction, and ← / → shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
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1 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
-
2 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 16 → nourishing the anchor humectant
-
Legacy UV filter (Octisalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 8 UV protection
- ↑ 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- 6 → dewy emollient lipid
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing humectant polyol
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- ↑ 5 rich gel-network thickener
- 1 → nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone)
- ↑ 28.5 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↑ 16 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 45 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- 1 → nourishing light emollient
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Botanical extract
- ↑ 5 butter/occlusive fat
- 2 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 3 → dewy emollient lipid
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Legacy UV filter (Ensulizole), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 8.4 UV protection
- ↑ 1 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Plant oil, an emollient
- 1 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 1 → dewy emollient lipid
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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17 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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Modern UV filter, broad-spectrum and photostable (Tinosorb S), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 28.8 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
pH adjuster
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
22 Fragrance
Fragrance
What SPF is the Nivea Nourishing Day Cream SPF 15?
It is SPF 15, which is generally low. Treat it as a nourishing day cream with some UV defense rather than dedicated sun protection.
Does the Nivea Nourishing Day Cream SPF 15 leave a white cast?
No. It has a balanced, lightweight finish with low white cast and does not sting.
Is it mineral or chemical?
It is a hybrid, combining chemical filters like avobenzone and octisalate with the modern filter bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine.