Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap

Oh Soap's newly launched dish soap is made out of oyster shells. Courtesy of Oh Soap

Upcycling startup makes use of oyster shell waste

By Lee Gyu-lee

Oysters are considered an affordable and wholesome ingredient in Korea, unlike some western countries. Here, they are found in different dishes such as soups, kimchi, and rice and are often eaten deep-fried or raw. Korea has become the second-largest oyster exporter in the world, after China, producing over 300,000 tons of oysters in 2020 alone, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

From left, co-founders of upcycling brand Oh Soap, CEO Lee Yu-jeong, CTO Lee Ji-youn and CMO Kim Ye-jin / Courtesy of Oh Soap

But what happens to all the shells after oysters have been consumed? Often they are simply disregarded. But for the co-founders of upcycling brand Oh Soap, oyster shells are a crucial source for its soap-based product.

Three young entrepreneurs ― CEO Lee Yu-jeong, CMO Kim Ye-jin and CTO Lee Ji-youn ― developed a solution to make use of the hundreds of thousands of tons of oyster shells, which are discarded as waste each year. In doing so, they still managed to keep their oyster shell product marketable and trendy.

Oh Soap recently launched its first product, a dish soap, made out of oyster shells. The product makes use of calcinated calcium ― a type of chemical that is produced through exposure to high temperatures ― from the shell, using it as its key ingredient.

"Our product is eco-friendly but as many people are now on social media, they also need products that speak to their own tastes. As such, we hope to create a product that is environmentally friendly yet still fulfills people's need for expression," the CEO said during an interview with The Korea Times, via video chat, Tuesday.

The co-founders first started the project with hand soap to compete in the startup competition for university students. Courtesy of Oh Soap

"I don't know if it's personal but I feel most upcycling brands are a bit expensive," Kim added. "We would like to show that good quality products can still be affordable, and can be closer to our lives. We hope to lead upcycling products to be more attractive and trendy."

The three seniors from Keimyung University, all majored in different fields such as management, international trade and commerce and bioscience. They met through a startup competition for university students and joined hands as a team last year to develop the idea of upcycling oyster shells.

A picture of Oh Soap's dish soap and its packaging / Courtesy of Oh Soap

The CEO said she came up with the idea of making use of oyster shells from her personal experience in Tongyeong, a seaside town in South Gyeongsang Province where oysters are produced in big quantities.

"Our family often took summer vacations to Tongyeong and whenever we drive around, I would see piles of oyster shells and when we pass by, they would smell really bad. Also, the liquid from the waste was contaminating the soil and would even go into the sea, polluting the marine environment," Lee Yu-jeong said. "I just had the vague idea but when I saw the issue on the news, I felt we should do something to solve this."

So, the three combined Lee's idea to utilize the shell waste with Kim's idea for soap.

"When we first met, Lee Yu-jeong and Lee Ji-youn already teamed up, then I joined later," Kim said. "The two were getting their head around oyster shell waste, and I had the idea of making it into soap. And we felt it would be a good idea to bring those two things together. We found out that the chemical, calcinated calcium, is used as a natural detergent, and thought it would be a high-power cleanser if we make it into a soap product."

The three started with hand soap for the student competition, but as they launched the project into a startup brand, they pivoted the idea to make a dish detergent as its first official product to take full advantage of the chemical's upsides.

"The characteristic of an oyster shell is that it has good detergent qualities and sanitization … So, we thought of ways to put this quality to a better use and decided to make it into a dish soap," Lee Yu-jeong said.

The co-founders pose after winning the second-highest prize at a local startup competition in October 2022. Courtesy of Oh Soap

The brand partnered up with a local environmental startup, SDK LAB, to source the calcinated oyster shells. SDK LAB obtained the calcium from the shells.

"Oyster shells are made up of over 90 percent calcium carbonate. And to get calcium carbonate powder, it needs to be heated at a very high temperature. Originally, that process makes an enormous amount of CO2, but SDK Lab uses an eco-friendly way that doesn't produce CO2," the CEO explained.

The brand prides itself on being fully eco-friendly, from its product to its packaging. "Many brands put on the front that they use packaging that goes back to nature. But with us, our product itself is upcycling," Lee Yu-jeong said.

"Something that was going to be a waste turned around to be dish soap. So just by using it, we provide consumers with an experience to protect the environment. Our packaging is also biodegradable, which makes our brand distinctive."