Biomimicry, also known as biomimetics, is the concept of studying nature as a model or mentor for how products and solutions should be created. By studying how things occur in nature, the idea is that imitating or “mimicking” nature will lead to better, more efficient, and more sustainable products. Real-world examples of biomimicry include products like Velcro, which was inspired by burrs that stick to animal fur, and the design of bullet trains which were modeled after the beak of the kingfisher bird to reduce noise and improve aerodynamics.
This concept of biomimicry is starting to emerge in the hair care space. However, it has been difficult to figure out how to talk about and demonstrate biomimicry to consumers in an easily understood manner. Two areas of opportunity for biomimetics in hair care include:
- Products that contain lipids to mimic hair’s natural protective layer that can be removed by daily styling routines.
- Nourishing ingredients that penetrate the hair, going deep into the fibre’s structure to mimic the natural strength from the inside, which is weakened by damaging routines (such as bleaching and colouring)
Please focus on ONE of these hair care opportunities. Submit ideas for how to effectively communicate and demonstrate your chosen biomimetic hair care opportunity to make it easier for consumers to understand.
NOTE – Check out this video to see how we’ve used creative demos in the past to help consumers better understand hair care technologies.
1) Before accessing this challenge, what was your understanding of biomimicry?
- How familiar were you with the concept? Had you heard the word used before?
- Were you aware of any examples of biomimicry being used in products?
2) From the two options presented in the brief, how would you explain/communicate the way a biomimetic hair care product works which either uses lipids to mimic hair’s natural protective layer, or has nourishing ingredients that strengthen hair fibers?
- What specific language would you use to achieve this? (taglines, phrases, comparisons, etc.)
3) If you had to create a way to demonstrate the type biomimetic hair care product you chose (lipids OR nourishing ingredients), how would you do it?
- Your idea could be a visual demonstration (i.e. video), example from nature, or an analogy/comparison. Whatever would make this concept more accessible and understandable for consumers.
Awards:- $1,600
Deadline:- 08-01-2025