Wardah Wins First Cannes Lion with Hear in Hijab, a Hearing Aid for Hijab-Wearing Women

Wardah has won its first Cannes Lion for the Hear in Hijab innovation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026, the world’s most prestigious creativity festival held on the French Riviera from 22-26 June 2026. The Bronze Lion in the Brand Experience & Activation (Cultural Engagement) category was achieved through a collaboration between Wardah, Dentsu Creative Jakarta, and Digital Nativ, bringing an innovation born from the needs of Indonesian Muslim women who wear the hijab to the global creativity stage. This achievement marks an important milestone in Wardah’s innovation journey, demonstrating that solutions rooted in an understanding of community needs and Indonesia’s cultural context can gain international appreciation. For over seven decades, Cannes Lions has been the highest benchmark for the best works in advertising, marketing, and communications, annually bringing together creators, marketers, and industry leaders from various countries to celebrate creativity that delivers real impact. Hear in Hijab is a hearing aid specifically designed for Muslim women who wear the hijab, particularly elderly women experiencing hearing loss. Stemming from an understanding of the challenges faced by conventional hearing aid users when wearing a hijab, this innovation features a brooch-shaped microphone worn on the outside of the hijab to capture sound more optimally. The sound is then transmitted wirelessly to a receiver device in the ear, allowing the user to hear more comfortably without disturbing the use of the hijab. Hear in Hijab was developed through a collaboration between Wardah, Dentsu Creative Jakarta, Digital Nativ, and elderly hijab-wearing women who were directly involved in the research and user experience testing process. This empathy-based approach produced a solution that is not only technologically innovative but also relevant to the needs and life experiences of its users. Before gaining recognition at Cannes Lions 2026, Hear in Hijab first won the Grand Prix of Medium, the highest award at Citra Pariwada 2025. This journey shows how an innovation born from the real needs of Indonesian society can gain appreciation from the national creative industry stage to the world’s most prestigious creativity festival. Khikin Indahsari, Group Head of New Brand Innovation at ParagonCorp, linked this innovation to Wardah’s role in accompanying women at every stage of their lives. She stated that Wardah has always believed beauty belongs to every woman, at every stage of her life, and that beauty cannot be separated from the way they live their lives. ‘The hijab is an expression of faith and identity that is closely tied to self-confidence, the ability to hear loved ones clearly, and a sense of presence and empowerment,’ she said. She added that Wardah’s mission is not solely focused on products, but also on a broader impact for the lives of Indonesian women, and that Hear in Hijab is the most direct manifestation of that mission. Defri Dwipaputra, Chief Creative & Experience Officer of Dentsu Creative Indonesia, said the work was born from an understanding of the complexity of the Indonesian market, which often cannot be simplified. He noted that Indonesia is a market with deeply layered ways of life, strong spiritual values, and needs that cannot be oversimplified, and that Indonesian women, in particular, deserve brands that dare to face this complexity honestly. He added that innovation and technology are tools for change that provide real benefits to the communities they reach. As a Purposeful Beauty Tech Company, ParagonCorp continues to be committed to delivering innovations that combine science, technology, and creativity to create solutions that provide tangible benefits to society. Through Wardah, the company encourages innovations that stem from a deep understanding of consumer needs, so that beauty is not only interpreted as appearance, but also as an effort to improve quality of life and deliver a sustainable positive impact. This award is an important step in Wardah’s journey to continue presenting inclusive, relevant, and impactful innovations. Going forward, Wardah and ParagonCorp will continue to collaborate with various partners to develop solutions that benefit society while strengthening Indonesia’s contribution to global innovation.