Cien Q10 Hand Cream

Brand origin and product

Cien is the private-label cosmetics and personal-care brand created for Lidl supermarkets. The product in the photo is Cien Q10 Hand Cream — an anti-ageing hand cream marketed for mature skin that lists Q10, vitamin E and UV-filters on the pack.

Manufacturing and sourcing

Cien is a retailer-owned brand (Lidl) and its formulations and finished products are typically manufactured by third-party contract manufacturers across Europe rather than in a single proprietary factory. While many Cien lines are produced in Germany (and Lidl frequently sources cosmetics from established German contract manufacturers), production runs for specific items or regional markets can be carried out in other EU countries — so manufacturing is best described as primarily Germany, but also produced in other EU locations.

Ownership and distribution

The Cien brand is owned and controlled by Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG, the retail company behind the Lidl supermarket chain. Lidl itself is part of the Schwarz Group (Schwarz Unternehmensgruppe), a German retail conglomerate headquartered in Neckarsulm. Schwarz Group is the ultimate owner of the Lidl business and therefore the Cien private-label brand; Lidl (Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG) acts as the brand owner and distributor in its store networks.