Austrian Startup NASH Bets on ‘Liquid Wood’ to Cut Razor Waste
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If you shave every morning, you may have thrown away plastic before you drank your coffee: Two Austrian founders want to break that habit.
NASH (short for Natural Shaving) is the brand of Thomas Grüner and Thomas Schoß. The two have been entrepreneurs in the Austrian e-commerce scene for more than ten years. Their vision, as NASH puts it, is a future in which everyday products are natural, affordable and free of unnecessary plastic waste. They start with shaving.
A Razor Handle Made of Biocomposite, Packaging Made of Grass
The centerpiece is a material the company calls “liquid wood”: biocomposite. It is made in Scandinavia from wood fibers and bio-based polymers. According to NASH, the fibers are a byproduct of wood processing, so no additional trees have to be felled for the raw material. Compared with conventional plastic such as ABS, the carbon footprint is said to be up to 75 percent lower. The razor handle and the stand are made of biocomposite.
For packaging, NASH uses grass paper from Germany. The fibers come from meadows grown specifically for this purpose, not from land used for food production. Making it takes less water and energy than paper and cardboard, the company says, and the packaging is biodegradable. The solid shaving soap is plastic-free and the shipping boxes are recyclable. The founders say the soap is “generally also suitable for sensitive skin because it is based on natural ingredients,” and advise checking the ingredients for possible intolerances. Depending on use and beard growth, a bar lasts about two to three months.
Design is part of the pitch. Together with two product designers from Hamburg, NASH created a razor meant to stand in plain sight in the bathroom instead of disappearing into a cabinet. The product won the German Innovation Award 2025 in the Beauty & Care category, and the solid shaving care received a “very good” rating from Dermatest. NASH also plants a tree for every purchase.
The Business Model: Blades at Fair Prices
The founders criticize the industry’s classic model, in which the handle is sold cheaply and replacement blades cost many times more over the years.
NASH sells directly, without retail markups, and promises transparent pricing. The Gentlemen shaving set currently costs 49.99 euros in the online shop, down from the struck-through 87.25 euros. Replacement blades start at 1.50 euros each, according to NASH, with no subscription required: The box of 8 costs 17.99 euros, the box of 16 costs 29.99 euros and the value box of 24 costs 41.99 euros. On pricing, the founders say: “There are no hefty advertising budgets for football stars and no high margins for middlemen. In return, you get a comfortable and clean shave at a fair price.” Shipping is free and usually takes one to three working days in Austria and Germany, and a 60-day money-back guarantee applies. A subscription is unnecessary: “We don’t offer a subscription at all yet,” the founders say, and customers reorder blades and cosmetics as needed. The product took a year and a half to develop, together with designers, dermatologists and materials specialists.
What NASH Is Working on Next
The biggest open problem is the replaceable blade heads. Razor blades place high technical demands on raw materials, and bio-based materials behave differently, for example in their tolerance for deviations. According to NASH, high-quality blade heads made entirely from bio-based raw materials are currently not yet possible. The company plans to fund further development from sales revenue.
The innovation pipeline includes four projects:
- High-performance biocomposites: for use in replaceable blade heads
- Closure system: a proprietary system for replacement blades
- Blade cleaning: for even longer blade life
- Organic shaving cosmetics: for men and women
The Competition
The wet-shaving market has been dominated by a handful of large corporations for years, and Gillette and Wilkinson Sword occupy shelves in every drugstore. NASH is not alone in the sustainability segment either. The German company Razeco says it is the first in the world to make blade heads for system razors from material that is 99 percent bio-based, and it won a Green Product Award for it. Two claims therefore stand side by side: NASH calls bio-based blade heads not yet feasible, while Razeco already offers them. Other providers such as Mühle focus on all-metal razors whose blades and handles can be recycled with scrap metal, and Shavent on plastic-free swivel-head razors that use standard blades.
