Dove had built its equity on the promise of superior care, but in a category crowded with functional claims, the brand needed to evolve. While inclusivity and diversity had been well-tread themes in beauty, there was an unspoken tension around hair—one that shaped how women saw themselves, their confidence, and their choices.

Through this study, we sought to uncover the silent weight of hair-related expectations. Women often unknowingly carry the pressure to conform to societal ideals—length, texture, health—judging their own hair by impossible standards. While they admired bold choices in others, they hesitated to step outside the norm themselves. This revealed a gap: between external admiration and internal self-acceptance.

By exploring deep-seated personal experiences, we uncovered the narrative of "hair unfairness"—how women have felt marginalized by beauty norms, how this impacted their confidence, and how they emotionally responded to it. The challenge was to shift Dove’s purpose-driven messaging from broad inclusivity to something more personal and urgent.

Our approach was to link emotional storytelling with tangible product performance. Rather than just acknowledging hair unfairness, Dove needed to show how its products could help women reclaim control over their hair journey. The answer lay in framing damage repair not just as a functional benefit, but as a means of empowerment—a way to restore confidence, break free from rigid beauty ideals, and redefine self-worth beyond societal validation.

By bridging purpose with performance, Dove could move beyond abstract advocacy and offer a real, relatable solution. This study provided the brand with the insight and narrative needed to make purpose personal, ensuring that its communication wasn’t just about fairness, but about freedom—freedom to see, wear, and own one’s hair, without doubt or hesitation.