For many neurodivergent individuals, personal care routines are fragile systems.
Interruptions, sensory overload, ambiguous instructions, or unexpected sensations
can derail completion.
Once a routine fails, it is often abandoned entirely.
This is not a matter of motivation or discipline. It is a predictable outcome of
neurological mismatch.
Most cosmetic products assume:
• Precision-dependent application
• Tolerance for sensory ambiguity
• Memory-dependent sequencing
• Interpretation of marketing cues as harmless exaggeration
For neurodivergent users, these assumptions translate into
friction, anxiety, and distrust.
For neurodivergent users, mismatches between promise and experience are not processed as marketing disappointment. They are processed as breaches of trust.
NICD treats honesty as a functional safety requirement, not a brand value.
Neurologically mismatched products impose cumulative harm:
• Guilt from inconsistent use
• Financial waste from abandoned products
• Anxiety around “doing it wrong”
• Avoidance of situations requiring preparation
These outcomes are preventable through design.