Social entrepreneur Serena Advani, ’13, is turning her passion for sustainability into a groundbreaking business that is as innovative as it is impactful. As the founder and mastermind behind Sea Drop—a preservative-free, waterless skincare line—Advani is making waves in the beauty industry by tackling two of its most pressing issues: plastic waste and carbon emissions.
Advani’s entrepreneurial spirit sparked early, but it wasn’t until she launched her first venture—The Little Green Bus, a local produce delivery service—as a student at CA that she seriously considered entrepreneurship as a career. This project, born from her entrepreneurship club’s entry into the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Business Plan competition, set her on a path that would ultimately merge her commitment to make a difference with her love of science and business.
After graduating from CA, Advani pursued a double major in cognitive neuroscience and operations, information, and decisions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Initially drawn to med school, she soon discovered a fascination with human behavior and psychology, which led her to explore consumer behavior in the marketplace. “If you can apply insights from psychology and neuroscience to consumer products, you gain an edge that’s hard to beat,” Advani explains.
After college, Advani began her career at the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where she delved into multiple sectors before finding her true calling in the beauty industry. Her journey accelerated when she joined Estee Lauder Companies, where she helped shape global brand strategy for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. Realizing the need for further growth, she pursued an MBA at the prestigious Wharton School, where the idea for Sea Drop was born.
Sea Drop isn’t just another skincare brand; it’s a movement towards sustainable beauty—a mission deeply personal to Serena, influenced by her South Asian heritage. “As a child, my mom and I made Indian face masks and cleansers in our kitchen using recipes passed down through generations. The dry ingredients we used—like turmeric, chickpea flour, and sandalwood—could be mixed with water before application.”
This inspiration took on new urgency when Alvani discovered the staggering environmental impact of the beauty industry. “Most American skincare products are 90 percent water, which requires single-use packaging,” explains Advani. “Over 120 billion units of this packaging—mostly plastic—are produced each year, and less than 9% is recycled. This accumulates in our oceans, and the heavier water-based products are more carbon-intensive to ship, worsening the environmental toll.
Recalling the traditional Indian dry beauty formulas from her youth, Advani had a bold realization: “Water-based skincare doesn’t have to be the standard,” she says. “We can rethink the water-based formulations that have been dominant for the last 50 years and replace them with dry formulations that have been used for thousands of years. And we can do it in a way that is zero-waste and positive for the planet.”
This vision became Sea Drop, a patent-pending, waterless cleanser tablet that eliminates single-use plastics. Concentrated ingredients are compressed into unit-dose tablets that activate with tap water and dissolve into a foamy, preservative-free face wash. Refill kits are packaged in zero-waste, biodegradable tubes.
Since its launch last year, Sea Drop has gained significant media attention—from the Today Show to InStyleto Harper’s Bazaar—and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from consumers and beauty editors alike.
But Advani’s journey is just beginning. With plans to expand Sea Drop’s product line to include skincare, haircare, and body care—all in the same waterless format—she’s poised to continue leading the charge towards a more sustainable beauty industry.
Reflecting on her journey, Serena advises young entrepreneurs: “Don’t let anyone underestimate you because of your age. You can still make a difference, start a company, or create change in your community. Age shouldn’t stop you from trying.”