Two childhood friends, Jess Edelstein and Sarah Ribner of Philadelphia, are the creators of PiperWai, an all-natural creme deodorant made from activated charcoal. It’s an alternative to regular deodorants that use potentially harmful ingredients including aluminum. Charcoal is ideal because it’s super absorbent and gentle on sensitive skin. PiperWai is available in several specialty stores across the country — but the young entrepreneurs want their product on more shelves in bigger stores including Whole Foods.
Edelstein and Ribner will pitch their busienss on Shark Tank on December 11, 9pm on ABC. One of their biggest big challenges is to convince the sharks that consumers are willing to apply deodorant with their fingers. (PiperWai is not yet available in a stick form.) The other challenge is the price: One 2 oz. container of PiperWai costs $11.99.
