Uploaded March 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The hair dye called FIRE changes colour depending on the temperature of the surroundings
Founder of The Unseen in London and material alchemist Lauren Bowker specializes in combining science with art and design with performance. Her latest fashion venture, Fire, repeatedly changes color depending on the environment and temperature. According to Forbes, the semi-permanent colors change from black to red, black to white, silver to blue, blue to white, and black to yellow.
Bowker has assured that the chemical formulation of the dye is safe. “”Because of how we’ve formulated the dye, we’re confident there will be no damage to the scalp, and no significant effect on the hair fibers themselves (no more than typical semi permanent dyes that is.)”
FIRE is designed to be responsive to temperature fluctuations, and is available in multiple colour ranges from bright red to subtle pastels. The data used to create the dye stems from the process of thermoregulation in the human skin and the colour change chemical reaction occurs in response to a certain stimuli - in this case, changes in the environment. When the temperature drops or rises, the carbon-based molecules at the core of the FIRE dye undergo a reversible reaction.
Above a certain temperature change, one of the molecules in the carbon bond is more stable than the other, and so a reaction produces a molecule with a slightly different absorption of light, thus creating a different colour.
Hair dyes can contain an array of irritating and toxic chemicals, leading to damaged hair over time or even damage to the scalp. The Unseen has attempted to mitigate the toxicity in FIRE by using "less toxic ingredients". The irritants in the formula have been neutralised through a process of polymeric stabilisation, in which the harmful molecules are wrapped within polymer chains so as to reduce their negative effects.
According to Dazed, Bowker has used her science know-how to create color-shifting crystal headpieces for Swarovski, as well as digitized couture clothing that can change appearance remotely via an app. Most of it is strictly art and not necessarily practical for the real world (though the digitized clothing is pretty sweet). Her latest invention, however, is color-changing hair dye named Fire, which is at once revolutionary and, at least in theory, user friendly. According to Bowker, the Fire dye is based on technology similar to that which makes a mood ring functional. She explains: “When heat hits the pigment, or if the cool hits the pigment, it changes the bonds of the chemistry to give you a different color, so it’s like a chemical reaction.”
Technology such as this showcases how advancements in science are lending themselves to even the most unexpected developments. Combining chemistry and fashion, FIRE is essentially a demonstration of how material science and data are modernizing the augmentation of appearance. Perhaps in years to come, we will see even further advancements in augmentation.
The hair dye called FIRE changes colour depending on the temperature of the surroundings
Founder of The Unseen in London and material alchemist Lauren Bowker specializes in combining science with art and design with performance. Her latest fashion venture, Fire, repeatedly changes color depending on the environment and temperature. According to Forbes, the semi-permanent colors change from black to red, black to white, silver to blue, blue to white, and black to yellow.
Bowker has assured that the chemical formulation of the dye is safe. “”Because of how we’ve formulated the dye, we’re confident there will be no damage to the scalp, and no significant effect on the hair fibers themselves (no more than typical semi permanent dyes that is.)”
FIRE is designed to be responsive to temperature fluctuations, and is available in multiple colour ranges from bright red to subtle pastels. The data used to create the dye stems from the process of thermoregulation in the human skin and the colour change chemical reaction occurs in response to a certain stimuli - in this case, changes in the environment. When the temperature drops or rises, the carbon-based molecules at the core of the FIRE dye undergo a reversible reaction.
Above a certain temperature change, one of the molecules in the carbon bond is more stable than the other, and so a reaction produces a molecule with a slightly different absorption of light, thus creating a different colour.
Hair dyes can contain an array of irritating and toxic chemicals, leading to damaged hair over time or even damage to the scalp. The Unseen has attempted to mitigate the toxicity in FIRE by using "less toxic ingredients". The irritants in the formula have been neutralised through a process of polymeric stabilisation, in which the harmful molecules are wrapped within polymer chains so as to reduce their negative effects.
According to Dazed, Bowker has used her science know-how to create color-shifting crystal headpieces for Swarovski, as well as digitized couture clothing that can change appearance remotely via an app. Most of it is strictly art and not necessarily practical for the real world (though the digitized clothing is pretty sweet). Her latest invention, however, is color-changing hair dye named Fire, which is at once revolutionary and, at least in theory, user friendly. According to Bowker, the Fire dye is based on technology similar to that which makes a mood ring functional. She explains: “When heat hits the pigment, or if the cool hits the pigment, it changes the bonds of the chemistry to give you a different color, so it’s like a chemical reaction.”
Technology such as this showcases how advancements in science are lending themselves to even the most unexpected developments. Combining chemistry and fashion, FIRE is essentially a demonstration of how material science and data are modernizing the augmentation of appearance. Perhaps in years to come, we will see even further advancements in augmentation.
