Publications

Current Research

CROWN’s research programme is in its early stages. The following study is currently in progress:

CROWN Discrimination Index: Pilot Validation Study

Status: In progress Institution: University of Geneva, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences Scope: Survey instrument validation, hardware calibration feasibility assessment, preliminary CDI score computation Expected Outputs: Psychometric evaluation of the CDI survey instrument; initial evidence on the feasibility and value of calibrating survey-based discrimination measurement against hardware-verified diagnostic data; preliminary CDI scores for a European pilot population

Further details on the CDI methodology and the CROWN Discrimination Index are available on their respective pages.

Foundational References

The following studies inform CROWN’s research design, provide the evidence base for our founding arguments, and are cited throughout this site. They represent the current state of knowledge on hair discrimination, hair science, and appearance-based bias.

Dove & LinkedIn. (2023). CROWN Workplace Research Study. The CROWN Coalition. Retrieved from https://thecrownact.com/research-studies

Landmark study finding that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional in workplace settings. Data from this study has been cited in legislative proceedings for the CROWN Act across 24 US states.

Essien, I., Stelter, M., Kalbe, F., Koehler, A., Mangels, J., & Melichar, S. (2024). The Impact of Hair Discrimination on Mental Health and Economic Outcomes. Yale University. New Haven, CT.

Quantifies the economic consequences of hair discrimination on career trajectories, including wage differentials and career deflection attributable to appearance-based bias. Informs the CDI’s economic quantification pillar.

Kollen, A.M., et al. (2025). Hair Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being Among Adolescents: A Multi-Ethnic Study. University of Connecticut. Storrs, CT.

Documents that 54 per cent of Black girls aged 12 report hair-related teasing. Provides validated hair satisfaction measures that inform CROWN’s survey instrument design and the psychological dimensions of our research.

OECD. (2025). Combatting Discrimination in the European Union. OECD Publishing. Paris.

Identifies the absence of comparable official data on appearance-based discrimination across EU member states — the foundational data gap that the CROWN Discrimination Index and CROWN Hair Commons are designed to address. Reports that 56 per cent of ethnic minorities in the EU experienced discrimination in the preceding year.

Hair Science and Diagnostics

Adhikari, K., et al. (2024). Deep Hair Phenomics: Multi-Dimensional Characterisation of Human Hair at the Population Scale. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Washington State University.

Establishes the methodology for multi-dimensional hair characterisation beyond the visual Walker classification system. Demonstrates that hair properties — fibre diameter, cross-section geometry, cuticle structure — vary continuously across populations, supporting CROWN’s approach to sensor-verified diagnostics rather than categorical visual assessment.

Health Impacts

Chang, C.J., et al. (2022). Use of Straightening Products and Incident Uterine Cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 114(12), 1636-1645. National Institutes of Health.

Links chemical hair straightening — often undertaken in response to discriminatory grooming norms — to elevated risk of uterine cancer. Establishes the health dimension of conformity pressure, informing the CDI’s severity-weighting framework and CROWN’s advocacy work on the public health implications of hair discrimination.

Legislative and Policy Context

The CROWN Coalition. (2019-present). Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. Various publications and legislative tracking.

The body of advocacy research and legislative documentation supporting the adoption of the CROWN Act across 24 US states. CROWN’s legislative analysis draws extensively on the Coalition’s experience.

Forthcoming

CROWN anticipates publishing the following in the next phase of its research programme:

CDI Pilot Study Results — Initial psychometric evaluation and preliminary CDI scores (submission target: peer-reviewed journal, following pilot completion)
Policy Brief: The Economic Cost of Hair Discrimination in France — First in a series of evidence-based policy briefs translating CDI data into legislative context
CROWN Hair Commons: Architecture and Governance Framework — Technical documentation of the data commons infrastructure for academic and institutional audiences

CROWN maintains a comprehensive source library with full citations for all data referenced across this site. For research collaboration inquiries, visit Research Partners or contact [email protected].