Two AUC Students Represent Egypt in the Henkel Innovation Challenge

BY NOHA SAHMOUD

Two AUC students ranked first nationally in the Seventh International Henkel Innovative Challenge with their new cleansing chemical designed to save water.

Finance senior Ibrahim Nassif and mechanical engineering junior Jan Mehany will fly to Germany early April to present their product alongside other finalists from Turkey, the United States and South Korea.

Nassif and Mehany’s product is a chemical designed to clean the body, kill bacteria, and protect skin from the sun without water wastage. The chemical is similar to shampoo but does not need the use of water.

Nassif and Mehany added that the chemical is to be put in pumping systems and sprayed on the body like tanning machines.

“We thought this product could change a lot in the future, so we gave it a shot; it would be very easy to use, you go inside and the chemical is sprayed on you and you are good to go,” said Mehany.

Nassif added that studies show that for every person from our global population of 7.2 billion people to shower daily and maintain the basic need of cleanliness 446.4 billion liters of water would be consumed = daily.

Nassif said that the products will substitute water in the cleansing and showering process.

“It will be a revolution to the showering and health care industry for good, no more unpractical human race use of water to stay clean,” he added.

Mehany added that their product is scheduled to be launched by Henkel in 2050. He added that the chemical works perfectly with or without the use of water.

Nassif and Mehany, along with all the other Egyptian national teams, presented their ideas to a jury of Henkel business managers in Egypt, whom later on decided which teams are to follow through into the international finals.

Kasper Rorsted, Henkel’s Chief Executive Officer, said that this competition focuses on student’s innovations as they are the new generation and the upcoming talents in the world.

“Without innovation there is no future, no progress, for us, innovation is the key driver of our success,” Rorsted added.

Eight participants of the 45 whom applied nationally this year were chosen for the semi-finals which took place in Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel.

This is the first year the Henkel Innovation Challenge is held in Egypt.

Henkel funds the competition’s international winning product and enhances it in their research and development institution.