Henkel presents the next edition of the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for outstanding female scientists

Henkel, a leading manufacturer of well-known consumer and industrial brands such as Schwarzkopf®, Joico®, SexyHair®, and Kenra® hair care, Dial® soap, all® free clear laundry detergent, and Loctite® adhesives, is proud to present the fourth edition of the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for Women in Science.

Alongside the main award, which honors outstanding, long-term contributions to hair science, an “Emerging Talent” award is issued to recognize and encourage young female scientists. The application phase begins on March 8^th, 2025 in celebration of “International Women's Day” and ends on June 1st, 2025. With this initiative, Henkel reaffirms its commitment to recognizing and advancing the contributions of female researchers in hair science and related fields worldwide.

Female researchers from the fields of natural, material and cosmetic sciences; biotechnology; mechanical engineering; computer science and medicine are invited to apply with their research achievements in hair or fiber research or related fields. These include research activities such as physical investigations into the mechanical behavior of fibers; computer simulation of structural and active substance effects; models for researching fibers, including scientific methods for surface analysis and fiber structure; as well as biotechnologically inspired protein and fiber research.

The main prize consists of 10,000 euros, while the award-winner for emerging talent will receive 5,000 euros. The global winners will also receive a trip to the awards ceremony and accompanying scientific conference in early 2026, where they will be honored guests and have the opportunity to connect with leading Henkel scientists with the goal of promoting mentorship and collaboration.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

The Martha Schwarzkopf Award is open to female researchers who possess expertise in natural and material sciences; biotechnology; mechanical engineering; computer science, or medicine. Key areas include hair research; textile and wool fiber research; analytics; simulation of biological surfaces and interactions of materials with hair, fibers and scalp. The Emerging Talent award is open to female researchers with a completed master’s degree from the same research fields who are currently pursuing their PhD or are in their early Post Doctoral phase ‏(less than 10 years in the field).

A distinguished jury of female scientists from Henkel Consumer Brands’ research and development department will evaluate the applications. The key evaluation criteria considered by the expert jury include the relevance of the work in the field of hair research, as well as its impact on consumers and the environment. Additional factors are exemplification of a pioneering spirit, originality, innovation potential, feasibility of the research projects, and significance for the hair cosmetics sector.

How to apply 

Applicants should submit the following materials (in English) to RnD.Award@henkel.com by 11:59pm EST on June 1, 2025:

• Letter of motivation, providing a statement of personal statement detailing why the candidate is applying for and is deserving of this award
• Short curriculum vitae with a focus on the scientific field of work and interest
• List of most important publications
• Summary of the candidate’s own publicly available research in the field of hair and scalp research; fiber technologies; computer-based models for fiber study, including scientific methods for surface analysis, fiber structure, dye synthesis, or analysis of biological processes in the hair root (all research approaches are possible)
  • Applicants, please do not submit any research that is sensitive, confidential, or not currently publicly available 
• Current Henkel employees are not eligible to apply

“Scientific progress benefits from diversity - yet women are still underrepresented in many areas of scientific research. At Henkel, we are actively committed to equality across all disciplines and diversity dimensions,” said Frank Meyer, Senior Vice President Global R&D at Henkel Consumer Brands. “The award pays tribute to Martha Schwarzkopf, one of the first women in Germany to lead a company and a founder of the Institute for Hair Research. Today, Schwarzkopf is the largest brand in the hair category of Henkel Consumer Brands globally. All technical innovations under the brand draw upon the rich legacy of the Schwarzkopf Hair Research Institute, consisting today of research and development laboratories, hair test salons, and hair academies worldwide. The award honors Martha’s entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, as well as the empathy with which she steered both the Schwarzkopf company and the Institute for Hair Research.”