What inspired you to start evolvetogether™?

When the pandemic first hit NYC, there were a lot of medical mask knock-offs, misinformation, and price gouging — it was almost impossible to find a medical mask at an affordable price that actually worked. Cloth masks weren’t as protective and the medical masks that did exist looked super clinical. I wanted to create an affordable, high-quality medical mask that made taking care of yourself and others super easy — so our team got to work and launched our first daily essential, the everyday medical mask!

Since then, we’ve been expanding that same mentality — quality, universally-designed daily essentials that make a positive impact on people and the planet — to home, travel, read-to-wear, and personal care, and are so grateful for everyone who has joined us on our mission of doing good every day, together.

The brand has so many initiatives that are hyper eco-conscious, from the Gone Today collection to 100% biodegradable storage bags. Why was this so important to you?

It’s easy to feel powerless when solutions to climate change and pollution are so complicated. That’s why we care so much about doing good every day together, and making small, daily actions add up to a lot of good. Because no one is perfect and no one can do it alone.

That’s why our approach to sustainability (and reducing waste) is pretty simple: make well-loved products and make better choices every chance we get. That means we design for both a product’s efficacy (how well it works) and experience (how much you’ll love using it). If you don’t love a product or it doesn’t work, it gets tossed and something else takes its place. We don’t want to feed into that sort of consumerism. We want you to keep and enjoy each of our products until their very last intended use!

We’re committed to doing our part. We partner with socially and environmentally responsible factories. All of our personal care collection is either biodegradable, recyclable, dissolvable, or reusable to limit waste. We partner with nonprofits and help our customers plant trees at check out. We even opted out of traditional box packaging that requires a lot more shipping volume (and a bigger carbon footprint) for biodegradable and reusable pouches sized for each product. And we keep finding ways to do better.

At the end of the day, our ability to be sustainable is directly linked to our ability to evolve. Sometimes a good sustainable option doesn’t exist for something we need today. But we have to keep evolving and reaching for that option until it does. And we think it’s so important that we do it together!

The Gone Today collection is awesome. How did you come upon this idea?

Thank you! We love our Gone Today Collection, too! We already limit single-use plastic in our products to what’s absolutely necessary for performance or safety, and use materials that are either biodegradable, reusable, or forever-recyclable — but the Gone Today Collection takes it to the next level with waterless formulas and 100% dissolvable packaging.

The idea really came from just our own desire to keep evolving and do better. Eight million pieces of plastic enter our oceans every day. We know that even non-plastic pieces can end up in oceans and landfills if not recycled properly, and that not everyone has easy access to recycling. So, we challenged ourselves to think about how we could remove that disposal responsibility from our customers and the Gone Today Collection was born!

The first products in the collection are a Dissolvable Powdered Hand Soap (for a plant-powered, hydrating clean) and a Coconut Powder Face Wash (non-drying, super gentle, and good for all skin types!), with more items to come! Also, because they are lightweight and waterless, they are especially great for travel.

Can you share how you came up with the name, evolvetogether™?

Because we launched our first product (an everyday medical mask) during a time of a lot of isolation, anxiety, and racially-motivated violence, we were thinking about how we could go beyond “just product” to build bridges and inspire connection. That’s how we came up with our name and the global coordinates we stamp on each of our products.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in our own little bubbles. But, our world is a lot more interconnected than that. We wanted to remind everyone that we are all connected no matter our race, gender, religion, or where we live — and that when we evolve together, all our small, daily actions can add up to a better world for all of us.

What is your ultimate dream for the brand?

Eight billion of us share this one beautiful world, and we’re all connected no matter our race, gender, religion, or where we live. It’s important to me that we continue our mission of doing good every day and keep growing our connection with our amazing customers — passionate, caring people who, like us, are wanting to do their part to make the world a better place for all of us.

As we expand our products in the personal care, ready-to-wear, home, wellness, and travel space, we’re also laying the foundation for growing evolvetogether™ into a true 360 brand with DTC, retail locations, and innovative ways to bring our mission to life both online and in-person so we can reach a scale that makes even more impact.

In the next five years, I hope evolvetogether™ becomes the go-to brand for everyday items that are made with care, and made to take care of you and the planet!

What is the most valuable business advice you have ever received?

Have purpose! As long as you stay true to your purpose, you’ll be on a good path. Having that “why” makes the “how” a lot easier to decide along the way.

I love how the website states: make better choices every chance we get. Do you have any easy tips on living more consciously and sustainably?

Everyone’s lives and daily routines are so different. What works for one person just might not be a practical solution for another person. But my favorite thing to do is something everyone can do. And it’s super simple. At the end of each day, ask yourself “What’s one small way I took care of someone or our planet today?”That single question has so much power!

Evolvetogether in three words.

Better daily essentials.

A Few Moments With Evolvetogether's Cynthia Sakai