If Ariel from The Little Mermaid came to life, she might be reincarnated into Cassia Tofan, lover of the sea and makeup artist. Cassia is the Founder of Seabae, which is a reusable and biodegradable makeup wipe. Cleverly shaped like a seashell and offered in various sizes, these wipes can be used to remove makeup, washed and reused over and over thus helping decrease the usage of disposable makeup wipes, which often become dangerous in the waters for sea life who mistake them for food. We chatted with Cassia about creating a new biodegradable niche in reusable makeup wipes, where her mermaid inspiration came from, and what eco-friendly steps we can take as consumers.

As a beauty consumer, I didn’t realize how much harm makeup wipes were on the aquatic life. I love how your reusable wipes are biodegradable, which I’ve never heard of before. Was this hard to create and design?
It was definitely an adventure designing a product that not only looked good but did good, too. Though reusable wipes aren’t a new concept, biodegradable ones are. Lots of hours spent on thoughtful research and testing went into this product as I wanted to create something new in the green beauty market, something I personally had never seen or came across. The shape really adds to the design as well, making it an aesthetically pleasing and handy product you can store on your beauty sink or cabinet that acts as a reminder to what cause you’re helping.

How long did the process of creating Seabae take?
It took two years to fully realize the product after the initial year was spent on research and testing. As soon as I had the design made it took a bit longer to also secure a factory that follows sustainable and ethical standards, we had a few prototypes and finally landed on the Seabae wipes as they are now!

Based on your Instagram, you are definitely (and were) a Mermaid in a past life. Were you always dreaming of creating your own beauty product with a marine life theme or did this happen more out of an “A-ha” moment?
I grew up with the Ariel generation, she was a huge inspiration for me at a young age and motivated me to always follow my dreams, but beyond that I was also an avid swimmer and felt a strong connection to the sea. It holds great memories and hits a deep nostalgia for me that is comforting and enchanting at the same time. As soon as I realized I could take that passion to the next level and actually make waves of change with a product and this lifestyle, I knew I was in!

What are some of your favorite skincare products that you like to use with Seabae wipes?
I love to use toner with them because they really soak in the product well without wasting too much of it. I’m currently obsessed with using the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser and then dipping my Seabae wipes in warm water to rinse it off.

If you could speak to your mer-self 5-10 years ago, what advice would you give?
This is just the beginning of a magical journey, the best is yet to come.

You seem very passionate about donating towards the See Turtles Organization and its Billion Baby Turtles program. What do you love about this organization?
Sea turtles are unfortunately one of the many creatures that are directly affected by disposable products, especially makeup wipes. They often confuse them for jellyfish and ingest them, later asphyxiating and dying from this. It’s heartbreaking but the organization gives me hope. Not only do they run their Billion Baby Turtles Program that is sitting at 4 million right now and going strong, but they also provide educational programming, volunteering, and really a holistic approach to sea turtles as a whole. They’re even part of a coalition that fights against the demand for turtle shell materials in tourism or businesses.

And finally, what other kinds of eco-friendly action items can we do as consumers to better help the world we live in?
There are small swaps you can do right now that are so accessible, like bringing fabric bags to the grocery store instead of asking for plastic disposable bags, purchasing biodegradable disposable products, reducing plastic use and waste whenever you can (I always try to use my own utensils and I always bring my own metal straw for drinks). I like to do beach clean-ups whenever I can, it’s on a volunteer basis, of course, but you can also get a group together and do it as an event or activity.