Why TIME’s Kid of the Year created a soap to fight skin cancer
Heman Bekele, a 15-year-old originally from Ethiopia, has captured global attention with a life-changing innovation that could revolutionise skin cancer treatment.
On August 15, 2024, he was named TIME Magazine’s Kid of the Year for his creation of a soap designed to treat skin cancer, an achievement that positions him as a rising star in scientific research.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Heman moved to the United States with his family at the age of four. Now residing in Annandale, Virginia, he developed the Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS) last year.
The soap, a compound-based bar infused with various cancer-fighting chemicals, aims to provide an affordable and accessible treatment option for people suffering from different types of skin cancer.
Heman’s parents taught him and his sisters the importance of protecting their skin from prolonged sun exposure. However, he recalled some of his earliest memories were of seeing labourers working under the intense sun with little to no protection.
“I’m really passionate about skin cancer research… whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field,” Heman shared in his interview with TIME. “It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.”
The idea for the soap stemmed from Heman’s research into an effective skin cancer-fighting cream. He wondered whether such treatments could be made more widely accessible and affordable. He realised that almost everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, uses soap daily, making it an ideal medium for delivering life-saving medication.
“What is one thing that is an internationally impactful idea, something that everyone can use, [regardless of] socioeconomic class? Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option,” Heman explained.
Heman’s innovative soap was the winning entry at the 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a prestigious science and engineering competition for students in grades five through eight. His entry earned him a $25,000 cash prize and recognition as one of the most promising young scientists in the world.
When asked in an interview earlier this year how he intends to make his product affordable and accessible, he said: “I have plans that by 2028, I hope to turn this passion project into more than that. I hope to turn it into a nonprofit organisation so that I can provide equitable and accessible skin cancer treatment to truly as many people as possible.”
