S13.E14: Range Beauty; Diaper Dust; PinoleBlue; Junobie-Reusable breast milk bags

[JTMacc99]

Good American CEO Emma Grede guest judges; A line of beauty products formulated for melanin rich skin; a product to help eliminate diaper odor; a line of products made from an ancient super food; a way to help new moms during breast-feeding.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Shark Tank 13/14

Mark, Lori, Kevin, Barbara and Emma Grede (spoilered for anyone who didn't see the show in their time zone yet)  I really enjoy it when Emma Grede is the guest Shark

1.       Range Beauty-diverse skin care and makeup for under represented shades, and skin care.   Wow!  The sellers are fast talkers.   They are very impressive.  Their makeup shades are inclusive, with 21 foundation shades from fair to dark.  The sellers certainly know their numbers.   Very impressive.  Lori and Emma Grede are interested.  They make the deal, and I bet they’ll be wonderful partners.

2.       Diaper Dust-to cover up smelly diapers for disposal.  The look on the Sharks faces when the simulated dirty diaper sample is in front of them is hysterical.  Fortunately, no smell-o-vision has been created yet.   Sprinkle the powder on the dirty diaper, and toss it away.   The dust works, and I’m proud of the Sharks for not hurling.   Seller claims there are no competitors.  It’s patent pending.   Seller is a full-time travel nurse.    Margins are good.  It’s too early for most of the Sharks.   Mark tells the seller not to sell her house to finance this company.   Mark makes the deal, and I love him for that. 

3.       PinoleBlue-ancient grain, used by Tarahumara, indigenous people in Mexico.  Roasted and ground corn mixture.    The sales and profits aren’t great.   It’s way too early for a Shark.   No deal.  (Enough with the sob stories). 

4.       Junobie-Reusable breast milk bags.   There are inferior knock offs on the market also.  Emma Grede makes the deal.

An update on Wicked Good Cupcakes, Kevin did very well with his royalty deal, and the company was acquired by Hickory Farms.

Edited February 27, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[hifihifi]

Worst Shark Tank Episode ever. I honestly though I was watching a repeat till the Pinole presentation as I could have sworn I had seen the first 2 presentations before, especially when the makeup presentation seemed to be filmed in 2020 by the dialogue. I can put up with one baby related product on the show but not two so I fast forwarded the first and stopped watching when breast feeding came on. Only product that interested me was PinoleBlue but it was painful to watch them not leave when they were supposed too. I may buy their product though.

For the millionth time, there needs to be a rule that SOB stories are not allowed. Almost no one wants to hear them, sorry. If I ran Shark Tank, as soon as a person started a SOB Story, they would be instantly disqualified and escorted off the stage.

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by hifihifi

[ljr]

Those people with the Pinole were awful. They had one sob story after another. The sharks have been there ,done that.

I never even heard of Pinole 

[LittleIggy]

SOB story? Son of a bïtch story? 😆

[TM101]

This might have been one of the worst episodes of all time. Boring products and presentations. The guest shark is also boring too.

There have been some terrible products this season.

[eel21788]

On 2/25/2022 at 7:04 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Diaper Dust-to cover up smelly diapers for disposal. Seller claims there are no competitors.  It’s patent pending. 

Before she told us what was in it, I was thinking, "Why not use baking soda or charcoal?" I don't see any advantage in mixing them together, and there is absolutely nothing proprietary about it. She is not going to get a patent just because she puts it in the diaper instead of in the diaper pail. 

On 2/26/2022 at 5:35 AM, hifihifi said:

I can put up with one baby related product on the show but not two so I fast forwarded the first and stopped watching when breast feeding came on.

I hate the mothers who think they have revolutionized childcare. Two in one show is too much! 

Back in my day, you pumped breastmilk directly into a plastic bottle before you put it in the freezer. When you needed it, you heated it up on the stove (pre-microwave days) in the bottle, too. There was no need for an extra bag, especially one more thing that needed to be cleaned and sterilized. 

Both products seemed like something you would buy just to show how posh you are. Just another way to get hapless new parents to spend more money on childcare items than is necessary.

[eel21788]

On 2/26/2022 at 5:35 AM, hifihifi said:

For the millionth time, there needs to be a rule that SOB stories are not allowed. Almost no one wants to hear them, sorry. If I ran Shark Tank, as soon as a person started a SOB Story, they would be instantly disqualified and escorted off the stage.

Unfortunately, the producers encourage it. If they aren't brought up, the producers prompt the snarks to ask about it through an earpiece. For some reason, they think we want to hear it.

Maybe if we started a petition saying we're only interested in the business aspects of the companies, not the social lives of the inventors. . . ?

Edited February 27, 2022 by eel21788

[eel21788]

On 2/25/2022 at 7:04 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 PinoleBlue-ancient grain, used by Tarahumara, indigenous people in Mexico.  Roasted and ground corn mixture.    The sales and profits aren’t great.   It’s way too early for a Shark.   No deal.  (Enough with the sob stories). 

I really wasn't impressed with the business professor. Does this woman have a PhD? It's pretty obvious that her students aren't getting a lot of useful information out of her classes, except the try to Never Take No For An Answer class, which totally backfired on her.

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by eel21788

[eel21788]

On 2/26/2022 at 9:22 AM, ljr said:

I never even heard of Pinole 

However, I know there are other tortillas made with blue corn.

[seacliffsal]

I was really bored by this episode.  I see many colors of foundation whenever I go to the store so don't know how unique the make-up company is.  Maybe their products are better made?  Anyway, it seemed like the deal will be good for the company and the valuation was realistic based on their sales.

The traveling nurse's product seemed uninspired/unnecessary.  Mark will help her and she'll have a nice business but I don't think it will go multi-million.

Oh my gosh, the presenters who wouldn't stop talking or leave.  Just no-and stop with all of the sob stories.  And, no, professor-you don't get to keep your students past the end of class because they may actually have other classes...and you don't get to tell the Sharks that you're not leaving.  She may be someone who believes that what she says and what she wants is a priority over others and their time.  

I guess I don't understand the need for the "white gold" container.  As was mentioned by a previous poster, women have been able to figure out their own systems for decades.  She had a rough childhood and good for her for escaping generational poverty/homelessness, but that doesn't mean she had a good product.

Oh, and hopefully the fact that Hickory Farms bought Wicked Good Cupcakes means that I will never have to see another update by them.  There are certain companies that I think we must get updates from 20 times a season...well, maybe not that often, but there are certainly some companies we hear more about than others.  Speaking of which, I wish Barbara would stop bringing up Grace and Lace every time she's trying to convince someone to take her deal (I mean, I'm glad they're doing well, but I just don't want to hear about them all the time).

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Oh, and hopefully the fact that Hickory Farms bought Wicked Good Cupcakes means that I will never have to see another update by them.  There are certain companies that I think we must get updates from 20 times a season...well, maybe not that often, but there are certainly some companies we hear more about than others.  Speaking of which, I wish Barbara would stop bringing up Grace and Lace every time she's trying to convince someone to take her deal (I mean, I'm glad they're doing well, but I just don't want to hear about them all the time).

They like to tell us about the ones that are doing well, and I guess Wicked Good Cupcakes is a particularly good performer, but I think you are right that it will be the last update.  I will admit I ordered from them and they weren't that great. I mean, they were perfectly good cupcakes but not so outstanding that it was worth the expensive price when I could just buy some cake mix and make my own. Hard to believe they were worth a multi-million dollar deal. I am glad the mother/daughter did well with it.

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

The traveling nurse's product seemed uninspired/unnecessary.  Mark will help her and she'll have a nice business but I don't think it will go multi-million.

I agree, and there are millions of smell-removals out there. She claimed it was the first designed for diapers, but who really cares what it is designed for? Wouldn't anyone with a nose and half a brain think to use other smell-removals on the thing everyone knows smells bad?

At least the women had a reasonable valuation and was willing to give away a lot of the company in exchange for all the help she wanted.

[EtheltoTillie]

I thought there have been makeup shades for women of color for decades.  Admittedly I paid little attention to that segment and don't know whether there was anything unique.

Edited February 28, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[aemom]

15 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I agree, and there are millions of smell-removals out there. She claimed it was the first designed for diapers, but who really cares what it is designed for? Wouldn't anyone with a nose and half a brain think to use other smell-removals on the thing everyone knows smells bad?

At least the women had a reasonable valuation and was willing to give away a lot of the company in exchange for all the help she wanted.

She said that it was quite the mess to make it in her backyard, so I suspect that there is more to the manufacture than meets the eye.  What I did like about her is that she was SO reasonable.  Some pitchers come to the tank with a completely wackadoo valuation and are oblivious to what they don't know.  She wanted only $40K (which is small potatoes at the tank) for 40% and was willing to work hard and fully acknowledged that she needed help.  I found this attitude so refreshing.  I think that she is really hoping that this business grows enough to sustain her because her nursing day job sounds really hard.

 

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I thought there have been makeup shades for women of color for decades.  Admittedly I paid little attention to that segment and don't know whether there was anything unique.

Their makeup contains ingredients that are supposed to help fight eczema and other skin conditions.  Where most cosmetics are used to hide problems, their line is intended to help improve your skin at the same time.

 

I really can't comment on the breast-milk bags.  While I breastfed two children once upon a time, I never pumped.  I tried to once and I spent twenty minutes at it and got one ounce for my trouble.  That was it for me!  Maybe I needed a better pump but thankfully those days are WAY in the past.

The blue corn guys - the sharks were right - you have to explain why your stuff is so much better than anyone else's.  Frankly I'm just thrilled when I can find ANY soft corn tortilla in the grocery store.  There are a ton of wheat ones, but not corn.  You can easily find hard, corn taco shells, but the soft ones?  There is either one kind or no kind.  Canada is a bit behind the US on that I think.

[DEL901]

54 minutes ago, aemom said:

She said that it was quite the mess to make it in her backyard, so I suspect that there is more to the manufacture than meets the eye.  What I did like about her is that she was SO reasonable.  Some pitchers come to the tank with a completely wackadoo valuation and are oblivious to what they don't know.  She wanted only $40K (which is small potatoes at the tank) for 40% and was willing to work hard and fully acknowledged that she needed help.  I found this attitude so refreshing.  I think that she is really hoping that this business grows enough to sustain her because her nursing day job sounds really hard

Yes I liked her and she did come across as hard working and realistic. 

I checked Google.  In 2019, there were 3.75 million babies born.  If she gets even 5% of those families buying one unit, she’ll make decent money.  She won’t get rich, but will be comfortable.   And I see this as a product that will be acquired by one of the name players in baby products. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The seller of the Diaper Dust also said they use the dust for adult incontinence products, and I bet that market is going to be a goldmine too.    It's not just adult diapers, but all of the bladder leak pads too.    

I think they need to rename the Diaper Dust too.    It covers all kinds of stench, and not just diapers.    Stink Away or something would be more appropriate, and widen the possible buyer pool. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[KaveDweller]

10 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I thought there have been makeup shades for women of color for decades.  Admittedly I paid little attention to that segment and don't know whether there was anything unique.

There have been makeup shades for women of color, but maybe not enough shades? I am white so I may not know what I am talking about, but it sounded like they were saying that it is harder to match makeup to skin tone if you are non-white? 

[DEL901]

7 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

There have been makeup shades for women of color, but maybe not enough shades? I am white so I may not know what I am talking about, but it sounded like they were saying that it is harder to match makeup to skin tone if you are non-white? 

Yes, even as a fellow pale person, I have noticed that you can go into a drug store and it seems like you can find dozens of shades of pale for every shade for darker skin.  

[Kiss my mutt]

I’m as to the ingredients in the foundation that help treat eczema. Colloidal oatmeal, maybe? 

[Cotypubby]

So clearly I am not the target audience but why does breast milk need to be stored in bags? You don’t store any other kind of liquid in your fridge in bags…

Edited March 2, 2022 by Cotypubby

[Welshman in Ca]

12 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

So clearly I am not the target audience but why does breast milk need to be stored in bags? You don’t store any other kind of liquid in your fridge in bags…

Unless you're Canadian & have milk in your fridge. Boxed wine also used to be in a bag inside the box, might still be but I don't drink wine.

Not sure about why breast milk is but I do know that there is a stack in my freezer that the wife forgot to tell me about putting in there. From her daughter when we're on baby sitting duties. Too much and too inconvenient to put into bottles ? But I'm not the target audience either. Not sure it has to be in bags, might just be one of those things that is because it just is.
 

Edited March 2, 2022 by Welshman in Ca

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

So clearly I am not the target audience but why does breast milk need to be stored in bags? You don’t store any other kind of liquid in your fridge in bags…

3 hours ago, Welshman in Ca said:

Not sure about why breast milk is but I do know that there is a stack in my freezer that the wife forgot to tell me about putting in there. From her daughter when we're on baby sitting duties. Too much and too inconvenient to put into bottles ? But I'm not the target audience either. Not sure it has to be in bags, might just be one of those things that is because it just is.

It so the manufacturer of the breast pump can continue to sell you rolls of plastic bags for the next year or two. 

[bilgistic]

I don't have children, but it used to be that the plastic bag fit into the baby bottle (it was more like a plastic cylinder), and the bottle nipple is screwed on over the bag top with a ring attachment. I don't know if the silicone bags work the same way. It wasn't addressed, which I found odd.

[jabRI]

I dont think the products are getting worse, I just think we've learned to minimize during Covid, and question what we really need taking up precious counter space, when we are home all the time. For example, you don't need a dedicated popcorn popper, just a regular pot, oil & popcorn on the stovetop.

[eel21788]

On 3/3/2022 at 4:26 PM, bilgistic said:

I don't have children, but it used to be that the plastic bag fit into the baby bottle (it was more like a plastic cylinder), and the bottle nipple is screwed on over the bag top with a ring attachment. I don't know if the silicone bags work the same way. It wasn't addressed, which I found odd.

That was the Playtex Nurser system. It was all the rage in the 1970s. They claimed the baby would suck less air than with a traditional bottle.

Although it is still around, it has fortunately fallen out of favor. It was messy, inconvenient and awkward to use, not to mention the waste of single-use plastic bags. I doubt it would work with her silicone bags because the connection between the nipple and the bottle was threaded with the plastic bag in between them. I would think her bags would get damaged from that pretty quickly.

[theatremouse]

On 2/28/2022 at 1:39 PM, DEL901 said:

I checked Google.  In 2019, there were 3.75 million babies born.  If she gets even 5% of those families buying one unit, she’ll make decent money.  She won’t get rich, but will be comfortable.   And I see this as a product that will be acquired by one of the name players in baby products. 

I'd like to think most parents of newborns know by now you don't want any kind of powder near them. So I'm thinking the market for her product in the baby sector is smaller than she thinks.

On 3/1/2022 at 8:43 PM, Cotypubby said:

So clearly I am not the target audience but why does breast milk need to be stored in bags? You don’t store any other kind of liquid in your fridge in bags…

It doesn't need to be, but it takes up less space. It's not about the fridge. Most people pump into bottles and if they're keeping it in the fridge they keep it in the bottle. It's the freezer stash that goes into those single use bags. Freeze 'em flat. Easier to store than having the same amount of milk in a bottle in the freeze. Plus if you're building up a freezer stash, we're not talking 6-8 containers here. There's a reason they sell those single use bags usually in multiples of 50. I thought it was odd she didn't address that but I guess if the sharks didn't think to ask, maybe she didn't have to. But her talking about a 4 pack of whatever of her product? I'm like..uh that's expensive and not enough. If we're talking someone who travels and leaves pumped milk at home where the baby is, they're going to want to have a week's supply at a time or whatnot in the freezer. In general I'm onboard with reusable stuff over single-use stuff, but the use case here is just not practical. I guess for someone who only freezes on occasion the reusables are practical and might be a good value proposition, but if someone isn't doing it as regularly, I imagine that person is probably less concerned about the single use bags because they're not going through a ton of them.

[LuvMyShows]

On 2/27/2022 at 11:35 PM, KaveDweller said:

I will admit I ordered from them and they weren't that great. I mean, they were perfectly good cupcakes but not so outstanding that it was worth the expensive price when I could just buy some cake mix and make my own.

Same here.