Packaging in cosmetics is of first-rate importance. In launching a perfume or a cream, the bottle or the box neede to be attractive.

The cosmetics industry started in Croatia only after World War I, due to general poverty and a prohibition on the imports of luxury goods in the post-war period. With the growth of domestic capital in the 1930s, trade with foreign countries was established, and specialised perfume shops began to open in Zagreb, selling products from world famous manufacturers. One of these shops was Omnia in Gundulićeva Street 8, which in 1934 issued a Catalogue of Perfumes, Cosmetics, Hygiene and Household Products with advertisements for almost every perfume manufacturer including Coty, Bourjois, and Worth. 

In addition to the more expensive assortment of products, other stores sold cheaper products, such as Nivea and Elida, intended for widespread use. In the 1950s production of Elida was taken over by Saponia in Osijek, whereas Nivea became part of Neva’s assortment by way of a licence bought from Beiersdorf. Using modest packaging, Neva launched its creams and colognes for the impoverished Croatian population in the 1950s, and by the late 1970s, it had joined Pliva’s production program.

Pliva began producing its own cosmetic products in the late 1960s.