Rihanna is too naughty for Nivea

Rihanna. Photo / NZ Herald

With her raunchy outfits, risque music and sexually suggestive image, Rihanna has frequently caused controversy.

Now the pop star has come under fire from an unlikely source one of her own sponsors. Nivea, which last year appointed her as one of its global 'faces', has admitted she is too sexy for its family image.

The 24-year-old singer appeared in a series of adverts for the beauty brand, which was a sponsor of her world tour last year. At the time Nivea proclaimed it was happy to be teaming up with an 'icon' and 'music sensation'.

The multi-million-pound deal saw her pose naked as part of Nivea's 100-year anniversary, and her song California King Bed, about a couple touching intimately, was used in its advertising campaign.

But in a dramatic admission, Stefan Heidenrich, the new chief executive of Nivea's parent company Beiersdorf, confessed he felt she was the wrong choice.

"Rihanna is a no-go," he told German newspaper Die Welt, saying that he did not understand how she fitted in with the core brand.

"Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability," he added.

In 2010, when she appeared on The X Factor, there were 4,500 complaints about her risque performance on a family show.

- Daily Mail