The journey leading to the discovery of the selective anti-infective technology called Sateera began in 2015 when its founder Datuk Loh Shin Siong took a road trip to Taiping, Perak.
The Johor-based businessman had been suffering from ringworm (a common fungal infection) of the scalp for more than a decade.
The condition is caused by fungi that invade the hair shaft.
It is usually treated with oral antifungal drugs, often paired with medicated shampoos to reduce the spread.
It left Loh’s scalp itchy and scaly with bald patches everywhere.
Often, the itch was so severe that he’d scratch until his scalp bled, leaving it inflamed with large, open wounds.
Despite seeking both medical and alternative treatments, his problem persisted.
He even travelled to Singapore to get steroid injections, but nothing worked.
Doctors, themselves stumped, advised him to learn to live with his condition.
Life continued with the itch and pain, and Loh’s self-confidence and self-esteem started spiralling downhill.
That is, until the 2015 trip, where he dropped in to visit his old friend’s mangrove charcoal factory in Kuala Sepetang, a coastal town near Taiping.
A pest repellent
Mangrove wood is commonly burned to produce high-quality, dense charcoal, particularly in South-East Asia.
When mangrove wood is heated in a kiln, the resulting smoke is captured, condensed and purified to create a yellowish-brown to dark brown liquid called wood vinegar.
Loh recalls: “My friend knew about my scalp issue and asked if I wanted to try applying wood vinegar on my head to see if it could help, since he was using it as a pest repellent in his factory.
“I had nothing to lose, so I said why not.
"If the wood vinegar could keep pests away, maybe it could keep away the ‘pests’ on my scalp.”
This by-product contains over 200 organic constituents, including acetic acid, methanol and phenol, and is widely used by farmers as a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
It is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties.
“Initially, the acidic content stung my small wounds, but surprisingly, the itchiness stopped shortly afterwards – something no medical treatment had been able to do.
“I was shocked at the quick results and curious to know more about this natural substance’s potential, so I took some back home to Johor,” he says.
Loh then told another friend, a Universiti Malaya professor specialising in bacteria, about the wood vinegar and asked if he could analyse its contents.
“He agreed, and after three years of research, he found that the chemical components had the ability to kill the bad bacteria while retaining the good.
“Although the issue was on my scalp, the professor found that it could also help eliminate bad bacteria in moist parts of the body, such as women’s intimate areas.
“He was intrigued and told me the technology was something worth patenting.
“I named it Sateera and applied for a patent so the professor could conduct further experiments with it,” he shares.
Advancing the technology
In 2021, Loh was granted a patent for Sateera.
As the Covid-19 movement control order (MCO) was in place then, and travelling back and forth to UM in Kuala Lumpur proved difficult, Loh approached researchers from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Johor to refine the technology further.
The idea was to tackle the wood vinegar’s dark colour and smoky scent.
He says: “My intention was to make Sateera marketable so more people can benefit from it.
“Once the UTM researchers managed to do their part in the laboratory, I took Sateera back to UM in 2024 to visualise how the bacteria was actually working.”
Loh also established his biotechnology company.
Last month (March 2026), UM formalised a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for research collaboration with Loh’s company, taking the university-originated research into commercially-applied biotechnology.
The event also saw the launch of the company’s first feminine hygiene product, which holds 14 international invention patents and recognition in the Asean Records for its dual-action, selective antimicrobial formulations.
Now available in the market, the product uses natural mangrove essence and prebiotics to reduce itching, minimise odours and soothe dryness, while strengthening the intimate area’s natural defences.
Loh shares: “Also in the works is research on oral care and we hope to develop a mouthwash in the near future.
“We’re excited.”
As for his ringworm, Loh says it is 90% healed, although he still has the occasional flare-up, which a few applications of Sateera resolves quickly.
The bald spots are history and he now has a full head of hair.
