▲ Shebah Biotech / CEO Hyewon Im

A number of researchers in the field of biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, microbiology and fermentation technology gathered together. Seeing the same goal and mind, they established Shebah Biotech in Chuncheon City, a hub of bio venture in South Korea. Shebah boasts techniques in fermentation and extraction of natural substance and making them into high functional fermented cosmetics from wild ginseng, ginseng and scutellaria root. 

Using the most of their knowledge in microbiome, the genetic material of all the microbes - bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses - that live on and inside the human body, they have been pushing forward their passion to develop related cosmetics, food and cures for the last 10 years; thus introduced were the innovative skin mircobiome inspired cosmetic lines. 

Mirobiome is a compound word of microbe and biome and it means an environment of microorganism living on our skin. Each person has each different ‘skin microbiome’ and it changes according to age, body condition and environment. Microorganism protects our skin from harmful virus and pollutants, and strengthens immunity, and suppresses the process of aging and pigmentation. In other words, keeping balance of microbiome in our skin affects how healthy and dazzling it becomes.

Shebah Biotech CEO Hyewon Im obtained both bachelor and master’s degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology at Kangwon National University. She deepened her knowledge in immunology, molecular biology and microbiology during a doctoral course at University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Canada. It was around this time she started to brew her interest in cosmetics.

However, running a company required a different field of study and it was only natural for her to add another master’s degree in techno business administration at KAIST Graduate School of Management. She built extensive knowledge in how parts get assembled into one single product and how the product reaches to consumers on the market during this period of study.

In 2011, she listed Shebah Biotech in the Global Cosmetics Project ran by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the company started a research on skin-derived lactobacillus in earnest. In 2015, the company secured a site for factory which was completed right next year. During the year 2016 and 2017, she succeeded inviting a number of state-run projects including Development of a tissue-on-a-chip & Anti-aging Cosmetic Materials Using It (2016) and Development of DNA Chip for Skin Microbiome Analysis and Development of Microbe Processing Technolog (2017).

Two of the innovative products of Shebah Biotech ‘SkinLacto9’ and ‘Nuevo Homme’ contain natural substance that can control probiotics and prebiotics as well as harmful bacteria, and they help keep balance of skin microbiome and recovery. Alongside these innovative product lines, Shebah Biotech is releasing individual customized cosmetics by using the most of its accumulated bio information and big data. 

While publishing yearly 2 to 3 papers on international academic journals and applying patents home and abroad, CEO Im and her team have been actively fulfilling their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) by offering jobs to people with developmental disabilities and also to vocational high school graduates, making contribution to regional economic boost.