Beiersdorf is driven by innovation, courage, and the will to succeed. To achieve this kind of growth, you first need a solid base, a home – and for more than 130 years, that home has been Hamburg Eimsbüttel. Today, the close connection between Beiersdorf and the Eimsbüttel district is almost a matter of course. However, the story of our company began a few kilometers further southeast, in the immediate vicinity of St. Michael‘s Church (Michel) in Hamburg.
Paul C. Beiersdorf was born in Neuruppin in 1836. In 1880, he purchased a pharmacy on Mühlenstraße, near St. Michael's Church in Hamburg. With his invention of the medicated plaster in 1882, he laid the foundation for a thriving company that still carries his name today. In 1890, he sold the company to Dr. Oscar Troplowitz.
In October 1890, Dr. Oscar Troplowitz took over the company. The pharmacist bought the laboratory in Hamburg Altona from Paul C. Beiersdorf, along with the patent for the manufacture of coated plasters. Troplowitz was a social entrepreneur and expanded Beiersdorf into a global brand-name company. With him, the history of Beiersdorf in Hamburg Eimsbüttel also began.
In 1892, the company moved from Altona to the Eimsbüttel area of Hamburg. A new production facility was built on a plot of land measuring almost 1,200 square meters.
Beiersdorf had become one of the most popular employers in Hamburg. The company premises in Eimsbüttel now covered around 10,000 m². The company employed more than 500 people at the time, some of whom were already working in its first foreign affiliates.
By its 50th anniversary in 1932, Beiersdorf AG already had 1,400 employees. In addition to NIVEA Creme, the company also produced products such as shaving creams and plasters.
The Hamburg district of Eimsbüttel lay in ruins: during World War II, both the Beiersdorf factory and many buildings in the surrounding area were destroyed.
After World War II, reconstruction in Hamburg progressed rapidly. In the vicinity of the factory, apartments were built for thousands of Hamburg residents.
This aerial photograph shows the Hamburg factory premises in 1972. By that year, Beiersdorf was already a global corporation with more than 10,000 employees.
A new administrative building has been constructed opposite the Eimsbüttel park “Am Weiher.” The official postal address of the headquarters remains unchanged: Unnastraße 48, 20253 Hamburg.
The construction of the new Beiersdorf headquarters is taking shape. In 2022, Beiersdorf employed more than 21,000 people around the globe, 3,600 of them at its headquarters in Hamburg.
In 2023, Beiersdorf AG‘s new corporate headquarters opened in Hamburg. With an investment of 250 million euros, the new building offers the highest standards for effective collaboration. In addition to loyalty to the region, the company‘s roots are also underscored by the new street name. Since 2023, the new headquarters has been located on Beiersdorfstraße, the street bearing the company‘s name.
In June 2025, a ceremonial groundbreaking will mark the start of construction of a new Innovation Center at the Hamburg site. The opening is planned for 2028. Beiersdorf is strengthening its global competitiveness with this investment of €139 million. The company‘s connection to the district is also clear: Beiersdorf has been present in the Hamburg district of Eimsbüttel since 1892.
This overview shows the location of Beiersdorf’s three sites in Eimsbüttel. The employees, who used to work at several plants, were brought together at the new Beiersdorf Campus in 2023.
