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% 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.

With a budget of €60 000 we created two initial LOVING TOUCH prototypes, which we trialed with the friendly cooperation of the preterm baby ward at Hospital Sao Paulo, Brazil from 30 Nov to 6 Dec 2021. The prototypes allowed us to replicate a parent's vital skin-to-skin contact for preterm babies isolated in hospital incubators.

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. 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.