As skincare experts, NIVEA believes in the power of human touch.

With its new global #CareForHumanTouch initiative, NIVEA supports skin-touch projects to promote the quality of life for people at risk of loneliness like babies born preterm, visually impaired individuals and elderly with dementia. The brand also aims to make 100 million people aware of the proven health benefits of skin-touch by 2025. Our brief was focused on their preterm baby initiative, to make a tangible difference for preemies while also highlighting the power of human touch to consumers.

15 million babies are born preterm every year. After birth, they are immediately separated from their parents and placed in incubators to aid their recovery. Studies have shown that skin-to-skin touch with their parents is vital for newborns as it increases their chances of survival by 36% Skin-to-skin contact is recommended for newborns as it also regulates the heartbeat, reduces stress and boosts brain development. Our LOVING TOUCH kit is designed to bring the tactile benefits of human touch to otherwise isolated preemies in incubators.

Working with premature baby specialists and a product design team in Germany, we created two initial LOVING TOUCH prototypes. Made from re-usable and easily sanitised silicon, The LOVING TOUCH kit’s shell can be adjusted to accommodate babies of different sizes. It is designed to make preterm babies feel embraced as if by human hands and held in a position recommended by our premature baby specialists. The laser embossed fabric of the cushion mimics the texture of human skin. The removable cushion is filled with organic, heat-retaining seeds and can be easily and quickly microwaved by hospital staff to warm it to human body temperature. Our LOVING TOUCH kit allowed us to replicate a parent's vital skin-to-skin contact for preterm babies isolated in hospital incubators.

Following learnings from our trial with the prototype, we intend to take learnings and assess the feasibility of further improvements and production at scale of 500+ units. We aim to target the kit at hospitals globally, pro bono, for use in preterm wards by nurses who need very little instruction in its use.

Our secondary target market is young parents and families, globally, aged 18-45.

To highlight NIVEA's #CareForHumanTouch initiative to life, we created social and digital content telling the story of the parents of one of the preterm babies at Hospital Sao Paolo who trialled the kit until he was well enough to go home.

With a budget of €60 000 we created two initial LOVING TOUCH prototypes, which we trialled with the friendly cooperation of the preterm baby ward at Hospital Sao Paulo, Brazil from 30 Nov to 6 Dec 2021. NIVEA are currently assessing the feasibility of making design improvements and producing the kit at scale of 500+ units to be distributed globally, pro bono and is patenting the kit.

06/08/2021 – 03/09/2021 - Specification of general idea with input from premature baby specialists in Germany regarding feasibility for intended user(premature babies) and target group (parents/nurses) with the aim to create a device that transports the idea of the „human touch“.

Mid Sep – Mid November 2021 Refinement of design + prototypes with design agency in Germany.

End November 2021 – final product development, incl. 2 prototypes

Trialled at Hospital Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 30 Nov - 6 Dec 2021.

The LOVING TOUCH kit was well received by both nurses and parents alike at Hospital Sao Paulo. NIVEA currently looking at results and considering improvements to assess feasibility of producing improved units at scale of 500+ units for distribution to hospitals globally, pro bono. The LOVING TOUCH kit is also being patented.