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

For the fourth time, Henkel is proud to present the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for Women in Science, dedicated to supporting and empowering women in the scientific community. 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 8th in celebration of “International Women's Day”. 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 is remunerated with 10.000 euros, while the award for emerging talents is remunerated with 5.000 euros.

“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 establish the Institute for Hair Research. Today, Schwarzkopf is the largest brand in the hair category of Henkel Consumer Brands. 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 she steered both the Schwarzkopf company and the Institute for Hair Research.

"We are proud to continuously expand our network of hair researchers. The applicants and award winners from previous years have become integral members of this community, and the scientific exchange and collaboration with them greatly enrich our work. By presenting the main award for long-term contributions and the Emerging Talent Award , we offer both established female scientists and promising young researchers the opportunity to join and contribute to our growing network," said Jessica Welzel, Manager R&D Hair Science at Henkel Consumer Brands and coordinator of the Martha Schwarzkopf Award jury.

How to apply

Female scientists with expertise in natural and material sciences; biotechnology; mechanical engineering; computer science, or medicine, as well as young female talents holding a master’s degree in these fields, are invited to apply. Key areas include hair research; textile and wool fiber research; analytics; simulation of biological surfaces and interactions of materials with hair, fibers and scalp.

An expert jury of female scientists from Henkel Consumer Brands’ research and development department will evaluate the applications. In addition to receiving a financial award and the opportunity of a mentorship from Henkel scientists, the winners will be invited to the award ceremony, held in conjunction with a scientific conference of the growing Martha Schwarzkopf network. This event will take place in Germany, most likely at the beginning of 2026.

The application period ends on June 1st, 2025. Female scientists who are interested can submit the following materials in English to RnD.Award@henkel.com:

Letter of motivation, providing a statement of personal reasons for applying for 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)
Application photo ‏(optional)

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 pioneering spirit, originality, innovation potential, feasibility of the research projects, and significance for the hair cosmetics sector.