Nivea-maker Beiersdorf launches brand for tattooed skin

BERLIN (Reuters) - German consumer goods firm Beiersdorf is launching its first new brand for more than 30 years - a line of body creams specially for tattooed skin - as it seeks to tap into the growing popularity of skin art and appeal to a younger audience.

Beiersdorf said the "Skin Stories" line would go on sale at the end of September, including a repair balm for new tattoos, sun protection in a stick and a daily body lotion.

The launch comes as mass-market labels like Nivea are losing ground to small, disruptive brands, especially among younger consumers, who favour more natural ingredients and new labels.

Beiersdorf said almost one in five Germans now have a tattoo, with the proportion close to half among women aged between 25 and 34, and rising further.

A moisturiser is recommended to take care of tattooed skin to keep the design from cracking and flaking.

The brand is the brainchild of an innovation unit that Beiersdorf set up in July to develop "indie" brands and strengthen existing lines such as Labello, 8X4, and Hidrofugal.

"Tattoos are becoming more and more popular ... They are now a personal accessory. But few people know how to look after tattoos properly," Hauke Voss, director of the Indie Brands unit, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson, editing by Louise Heavens)