Riemann P20

Riemann P20 is a Danish sun-protection brand founded in 1979 by chemist Claus Riemann in Hillerød, north of Copenhagen [1]. Its central product is a long-lasting sunscreen designed to hold up through a full day from a single morning application, and the company presents P20 as the first high-factor SPF sunscreen brought to market [2]. Since 2017 the brand has been owned by the Norwegian consumer-goods group Orkla, which acquired Riemann's parent company and now operates P20 as part of Orkla's personal-care portfolio [3].

The brand sits in the pharmacy and drugstore channel and is sold internationally, with a stated presence in more than 35 countries and the large majority of revenue coming from exports [4]. Retail and editorial coverage of the range remained current through 2025 [5].

According to the company, P20 was created in 1979 when Claus Riemann formulated a sunscreen to help a friend with sensitive skin stay protected during a stay in Africa [2]. Every available source — the brand's UK and international sites, the corporate Riemann site and trade and editorial press — consistently names Claus Riemann as the founder. The corporate account describes him developing the antiperspirant Perspirex in the same year, giving Riemann A/S two long-running product lines from its beginning.

The company is based in Hillerød, Denmark, where it also manufactures, and the corporate site reports a workforce of more than 60 people [6]. Riemann frames its wider purpose as being the "preferred problem solver within functional skin care," a phrasing it attributes to the founder's approach to the business.

In May 2017, Riemann Holding — the Danish company behind the P20 and Perspirex brands — was acquired by Orkla, with the business consolidated into Orkla's financial reporting from June that year [3]. The deal value was not disclosed. At the announcement, Orkla Care's chief executive Stig Ebert Nilssen described Riemann as holding "an attractive position in the pharmacy channel" and said the purchase gave Orkla access to new growth platforms and potential synergies with its existing operations [3].

Under Orkla, P20 is operated through Riemann A/S within the group's health and care division, alongside sister brands including Perspirex. Because the brand functions as part of a larger corporate portfolio rather than as an independent company, its status is best described as acquired rather than independently run.

The brand's stated promise is "protection without compromise," which the company describes as its core commitment from the start [7]. Its mission, as expressed on the international site, is to deliver sun protection that lets people "unfold your life and leave your worries in the shadow" [7]. In practice this translates to a focus on high-performance, water-resistant formulas with broad UVA and UVB coverage, marketed toward outdoor and active users — skiers and families among them — as well as people with sensitive skin.

Editorial coverage has characterised P20 as a dedicated sun-protection specialist offering targeted options for different needs, from anti-pollution to hyperpigmentation.

P20's range is built around sun protection at SPF levels from 20 to 50+, in both spray and facial formats. The line includes the Original Spray, a Sensitive Skin range certified as vegan and formulated without added fragrance, a Kids formula, and more targeted facial products: Urban Shield, positioned against pollutants such as dust, heavy metals and smoke, and Hyperpigmentation Defence, which the company says reduces and helps prevent sun-induced dark spots. The brand attributes the products' extended wear to what it calls Triple Protection Technology, describing water resistance and UVA protection above EU requirements.

A recurring claim across the brand's material is that its sunscreens deliver UVA protection more than twice as high as EU rules require, and that all products carry the highest PA++++ rating [8]. A 2016 Snow Magazine review quoted the brand's promise of "10 hours of very water resistant, quick-drying" protection from a once-a-day spray and rated the product 7 out of 10 overall [9].

On certification, P20 states that its products are recognised by The Vegan Society as free of animal-derived ingredients and untested on animals, and carry AllergyCertified status, which the brand describes as indicating no known allergens or allergy-causing preservatives [8]. The company also points to environmental screening of its UV filters through the EcoSun Pass and says it excludes filters known to harm coral reefs or flagged on the EU's priority list for potential endocrine disruptors, having removed octocrylene from its Original formulations [8].

Riemann P20 is an active, currently marketed brand owned by Orkla since 2017 [3]. It remains available across European and other export markets through pharmacies and retailers, and its product range and editorial coverage were current as of 2025 [5].