Research

Why Measurement Matters

In 2023, the Dove and LinkedIn CROWN Workplace Research Study found that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional in the workplace. In 2025, researchers at the University of Connecticut documented that 54 per cent of Black girls aged twelve report hair-related teasing. Yale’s 2024 study quantified the economic impact of appearance-based bias on career trajectories. The National Institutes of Health linked chemical hair straightening to elevated health risks.

This evidence base — extensive, growing, and consequential — exists almost entirely within the United States.

In Europe, where an estimated 150 million people have textured hair, the picture is starkly different. The OECD’s 2025 report on combatting discrimination in the European Union identified a fundamental problem: comparable official data on appearance-based discrimination does not exist across member states. There are no standardised measurement instruments validated for European populations. There is no multi-ethnic hair dataset that links physical characteristics to psychosocial outcomes. There is no composite index that quantifies discrimination prevalence, severity, and economic cost in a format that policymakers can act upon.

The absence of data is not neutral. It is structural. Without measurement, discrimination remains in the realm of subjective perception — something individuals experience but institutions can deny, because there is no evidence infrastructure to make it visible at scale.

CROWN’s research programme exists to build that infrastructure.

Two Pillars of Research

CROWN’s research rests on two foundational programmes, each designed to address a specific dimension of the measurement gap.

The CROWN Discrimination Index

The CROWN Discrimination Index (CDI) is a proprietary composite metric that quantifies the prevalence, intensity, and economic impact of identity-based discrimination. Developed with guidance from researchers at the University of Geneva’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, the CDI integrates survey-based measurement with hardware-verified diagnostic data — a methodological design that controls for the self-report bias inherent in discrimination research.

The CDI is modelled on established composite indices: the Human Development Index, the Gender Inequality Index, the Gini coefficient. It is designed to serve four constituencies: corporations seeking ESG benchmarking data, policymakers assessing legislative impact, academic researchers conducting cross-national studies, and legal professionals presenting quantitative evidence in discrimination proceedings.

The CDI pilot study, developed in consultation with the University of Geneva, is currently in progress.

Explore the CDI | CDI Methodology | CDI Applications

The CROWN Hair Commons

The CROWN Hair Commons is Europe’s first open, multi-ethnic, sensor-verified hair dataset. Where existing hair data is proprietary (held by cosmetics corporations), biased toward Eurocentric hair types, assessed visually rather than measured by sensors, and not linked to psychosocial data, the CROWN Hair Commons is designed from inception to be comprehensive, objective, and ethically governed.

CROWN’s target is 100,000 multi-dimensional profiles by 2030 — each one a CROWN Hair DNA profile generated by the diagnostic device and linked, with informed consent, to demographic data and CDI survey responses. The result is a dataset that connects what hair is (measured objectively) to what hair means (experienced subjectively) at population scale.

Explore the CROWN Hair Commons

How Research Connects to CROWN’s Mission

CROWN’s research is not conducted for its own sake. Every study, every dataset, every index output serves a specific function within CROWN’s Theory of Change:

• CDI data informs legislation. When France’s Proposition de loi Serva was debated in the National Assembly, legislators relied on American data. CROWN is building the European evidence base that the next generation of anti-discrimination law requires.

• The Data Commons trains the AI. The AI classification engine that powers the diagnostic device requires diverse, sensor-verified training data across all hair types. The Commons provides it.

• Research validates the protocol. Clinical outcomes from CROWN’s 360° Integrative Mind-Body Therapeutic Protocol — standardised psychological assessments administered before, during, and after treatment — feed back into the research programme as evidence on the psychological impact of hair discrimination.

• Evidence attracts partners. Published, peer-reviewed research is the currency of academic collaboration. It is also the foundation of credibility with corporate partners, government bodies, and international organisations.

Current Research Priorities

CROWN’s research programme is in its early stages, with three active priorities:

1. CDI Pilot Study — Survey instrument validation and initial data collection, developed in consultation with the University of Geneva. Learn more

2. Data Commons Architecture — Design of the linked data infrastructure, privacy framework, and access governance for the CROWN Hair Commons. Learn more

3. Diagnostic Device Development — Multi-sensor integration and AI classification system development, in discussion with ETH Zürich. Learn more

Participate

CROWN is conducting Europe’s first study on the prevalence and psychological impact of hair discrimination. If you live in Europe and have experienced or witnessed hair-based discrimination, you can contribute to this research.

Participate in Our Research

Publications & Sources

CROWN maintains a complete publications page listing current research in progress and the foundational studies informing our work, as well as a comprehensive source library with full citations for all data referenced across this site.

CROWN’s research programme is designed to meet the ethical standards expected by institutions such as the University of Geneva and Swiss data protection law. All participant data is anonymised and governed under CROWN’s privacy policy.