Tag: personal care

Faulty heart valves can regenerate. Tooth enamel, on the other hand, cannot. Until now. Using the knowledge that hair (from humans or sheep) contains keratin, a London-based research team has tried embedding it in dental creams and gels. The keratin combines with minerals in the saliva to form crystals. These, in turn, are fused into a scaffold, which resembles...

It’s important to safeguard children against improper content online. Students in Indonesia, meanwhile, have focused on how people with Down’s Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome can learn about protecting their sphere of privacy. The team developed a simple system using three different colours of soap. Allowing parents or carers to impart crucial information on intimate areas during bathtime using...

The smell of ladybirds keeps parasites away from plants. Some human bodies produce too much sweat, and bacteria in the armpits cause unpleasant smells. Deodorants with aluminium salts are not advisable as ingredients can cross the blood-brain-barrier, risking diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The clinically-tested device of a Seoul-based startup uses plasma from molecules that contain oxygen, thus easily sterilising...

A soap mix is helping to combat skin cancer. Sunscreen is useful there, too, but mostly not eco-friendly. Enter two Boston-based researchers who have pooled their knowledge of underwater molluscs to launch a new startup. Their experiments showed that colour pigments in squid or octopus could protect against the sun when combined with zinc oxide. After recreating the pigments...

Sustainable rucksacks and bananas stem from the same tree. Now a young female founder in Nigeria is using banana fibre, organic cotton and cassava starch to produce sanitary pads. The aim: to ensure her fellow countrywomen have access to comfortable, reliable hygiene products during their periods. The pad is not only 30% cheaper than conventional products, but also completely...

One app offers disability assistance for those changing trains, while another helps those with Parkinson’s navigate the web. Now a startup from Berlin has created a platform which enables families to find caregivers for their loved ones. Carers are matched to a patient’s specific needs, and are subject to background checks - even when coming from abroad. Once chosen,...

Front yards not only look picture-perfect. In big cities, vegetables grow high in the sky. Now a Brooklyn startup is drawing on unused rooftops to grow botanicals for its skincare products. Spread across 3 rooftops, 50 different plants are sprouting in local compost. Crops are fertilised with tea, and irrigated by rainwater - automatically, thanks to solar energy. Nets...

Unfolding pasta saves on packaging, a sensor can reduce our electricity use for hot water. Now, a CO2 neutral startup from Toronto is making savings with its waterless concentrates for head and body. The female founders' innovation is for all genders and comes in neutral packaging from recycled paper. The three-times concentrated, cruelty-free and plant-based pastes are free from...