Soft Matter: A Very Short Introduction explores the field of soft matter, looking beneath the appearances of matter into its inner structure. Drawing on physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering, soft matter science links fundamental scientific ideas to everyday phenomena such as ‘inkiness’ and ‘stickiness’, with a rich history and philosophy. It studies materials such as polymers, colloids, liquid crystals, and foams. This VSI shows how Brownian Motion—the random molecular motion underlying ‘heat’—is an underpinning principle of soft matter. From hair conditioners to honey, it discusses how common characteristics of these materials shape their behaviour and applications.