You’ve probably heard of “glass skin” – that luminous, almost translucent glow made famous by Korean beauty experts. Hidden within that beauty ritual is an unexpected ocean ingredient: seaweed. Globally, seaweed has become a powerhouse in the cosmetics industry, yet Kenya’s production remains just a fraction of its potential.
So why isn’t Kenya’s seaweed making the same waves?
This question sparked our curiosity and led us on a three-day learning visit to Vanga and Tumbe villages in the heart of Kwale County, where we explored the seaweed value chain, uncovering its opportunities, untapped potential, and what it could mean for livelihoods and innovation at the Kenyan coast.
In Vanga, we met 34 young women, seaweed farmers supported by Kwale Women Focus Initiative (KWFI), navigating immense challenges with unwavering resilience. Due to competition with sea grass farmers in the same region, they were forced to relocate their farms to a far less accessible, and less productive site. Reaching it is no easy feat , it takes an hour-long trek from the shore, wading through stubborn, waist-deep mud that seems determined to test both your patience and life choices.
What a humbling experience. Gym enthusiasts and seasoned hikers alike, all equally defeated by the sticky, unrelenting terrain. It quickly became clear that no fitness routine quite prepares you for this kind of challenge. And yet, for the women seaweed farmers, this is routine. Day in and day out, they make this journey, often leaving their children in the care of others, carrying up to 20 kilograms of farm inputs to the site, and returning with their harvest. On some days, the return journey means waiting over an hour for a boat back to shore. It’s a powerful reminder that behind every value chain we discuss are individuals whose resilience and effort far exceed what we often see or account for.
Even with all this effort, success is not guaranteed. Yields can be affected by storms, damaged farms, failed inputs, or boats accidentally tearing through the seaweed lines. Yet, despite the mud, the sweat, and the struggle, these women persist. They are determined to transform their small, under-resourced farms into sustainable livelihoods, not just for survival, but to generate income that can improve their livelihoods. It’s this grit and determination that turns every step of the journey into progress.
In Tumbe, we saw what’s possible – a more organized approach to farming and value addition that is starting to deliver results with significant opportunities to scale. This thriving group of 54 members (49 women and 6 men), supported by Coastal and Marine Resources Development (COMRED), has been steadily growing since 2021. Their seaweed is dried in solar driers and transformed into market ready products: seaweed powder, lotions, shower gels, and more.
Both KWFI and COMRED are implementing partners of the BlueBiz Program, each working with 300 youth in the seaweed value chain, with a strong focus on young women.
Together, that’s 600 young people building livelihoods not just from farming, but from participating in an entire ecosystem. Because that’s the shift we’re driving:
👉 From raw production to value-added products
👉 From isolated farmers to connected market players
👉 From effort to dignified income
To push this forward, we convened a stakeholder workshop bringing together community leaders, partners, and market actors. The goal was simple but powerful: co-create practical solutions that make this value chain work better for the young people at its core.
We hope that the next time you see a seaweed product, it carries the imprint of the unstoppable Kenyan women that BlueBiz supports — women whose resilience is already transforming mud, sweat, and tides into opportunity. With the right support, this value chain could become one of Kenya’s next big success stories — perhaps even our own answer to the famed Korean “glass skin.” And when you hold that product, it represents far more than just an ingredient. It carries a story of grit, innovation, and a coastline full of ambition — ready, at last, to shine.