Rihanna a "No Go" for Nivea, Says New Chief

Nivea.co.ukRihanna is no longer finding love with skin care brand Nivea.  The new company boss tells German newspaper Die Welt that the sexy singer does not fit with Nivea's "family image."

To celebrate 100 years of business, Nivea partnered with Rih last year, sponsoring her U.S. and European tour and featuring her and her song "California King Bed" in a series of television spots. 

Soon after bringing Rihanna on board last year, the company announced on its website that, "Her voice will help us bring NIVEA’s 100th anniversary celebration to fans all around the world."  But things have changed it seems, with new Nivea head Stefan Heidenreich telling Die Welt that his predecessors' decision to install Rihanna as the face of the company doesn't make sense to him.  "The advert starring Rihanna was a no go.  I do not understand how Nivea can be brought into association with Rihanna," he says.

Apparently, even for a company that's all about skin, Rihanna shows too much of it, sharing photos of herself in bikinis and other barely there outfits.  Coupled with her partying ways, it could be that Rih's image is at odds with that of a company that "stands for trust, family and reliability," according to Nivea.

There's no word on what's next for the former collaborators, but Rihanna's sponsorship deal certainly fattened her pockets.  According to a July story in Forbes, Rihanna's contract with Nivea was a factor in raising her earnings to $53 million over 12 months' time.

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