Oliva

Oliva is a Swedish skincare brand with roots in the Dalarna region, built around organically grown olive oil and olive leaf extract [5]. Its products are positioned as natural, plant-based and affordably priced, sold mainly through Swedish pharmacy chains. The brand has passed through several owners and is currently held by Evolan Pharma AB, a Swedish pharmaceutical company based in Danderyd [6].

Earlier in its history the range was sold under the names Oliva by CCS and Oliva Earth by CCS, the letters standing for Clean Chemical Sweden [8]. A specific founding year is not documented in available sources.

Oliva's identity is anchored in a single idea: olive oil as, in the company's words, the oldest beauty product in history. According to the brand, its formulas reduce more than two thousand years of tradition down to a simple modern approach — using natural ingredients, producing locally, and not overcomplicating things. That principle is summarised in the tagline "Naturligt, rent & ekologiskt. Inte svårare än så." (Natural, clean and organic. No harder than that.)

The brand describes every product in the series as fully vegan, stating that all ingredients come from the plant kingdom with no animal-derived components [1]. Olive oil and olive leaf extract form the base of nearly all products, supported by ingredients such as betaine, glycerin, rapeseed oil and squalane. The company frames its formulations around Nordic conditions, pointing to seasonal stresses from cold, wind and indoor dryness in winter and stronger sun in warmer months.

The current range covers facial and body skincare. Signature items include a Shower Oil, a Sugar Scrub, an Eye Cream and a Body Lotion, alongside a broader lineup of a Cleansing Mousse, day and night creams, hand and foot creams, a hand soap, a shower gel and a cream deodorant. Products are distributed through major Swedish pharmacy retailers, among them Lyko, Kronans Apotek, Apoteket, Apohem, Meds, Apotea, Apotek Hjärtat and Lloyds Apotek.

An earlier version of the brand, the Oliva Earth by CCS line documented in 2011, was broader still, extending into haircare with shampoo and other products, and was marketed as Fairtrade-certified and free from parabens, silicones and mineral oil [8]. The present Evolan-era lineup is narrower, focused on skincare and body care.

Oliva's products are developed and produced at a factory in Dalarna, Sweden, operated by CCS and described as one of Northern Europe's largest manufacturers of skincare and hygiene products [3]. The company presents this local Nordic production, together with organically grown and certified olive oil and olive leaf extract, as central to its approach.

Oliva has changed hands several times. In November 2018, CCS Healthcare Nordic AB agreed to sell the brand — alongside CCS Swedish Formula, Indy Beauty and Bamse — to the Stockholm-based consumer-healthcare company Trimb Healthcare AB, in a deal covering Sweden, Norway and the UK and expected to close in January 2019 [7]. The brand later moved into Karo Pharma's portfolio.

On 1 July 2021, Karo Pharma divested Oliva to Evolan Pharma AB as part of a portfolio of twelve brands, which together reported combined 2020 turnover of about SEK 62 million; Karo framed the sale as a move to streamline its commercial portfolio [6]. Evolan Pharma, which now oversees the brand, describes itself as a Swedish pharmaceutical company supplying prescription and over-the-counter medicines, supplements, medical devices and cosmetic products [2]. Within Evolan's portfolio, Oliva sits alongside sister brand PediCare.

Oliva remains an active, owned brand under Evolan Pharma. Its website carries a current product range and a 2023 copyright notice, and its products are distributed across the major Swedish pharmacy chains [1]. Available sources point to Sweden as its principal market. Its predecessor names, Oliva by CCS and Oliva Earth by CCS, still appear on some retailer pages despite the change of ownership.