Whatever Happened To Diaper Dust After Shark Tank?
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Appliances that handle disagreeable household chores are always popular on "Shark Tank" with both the viewers and the show's tank of entrepreneurs. The Crap Strap, the Squatty Potty, and the Toilet Timer are just a few examples of the sort of Shark-approved devices that help make dirty business tolerably clean fun.
Among that illustrious fellowship is Diaper Dust. Marketed to parents who have to deal with mountains of smelly diapers all day, the product neutralizes odors with its activated charcoal formula. Founder Regina Crisci explains on Diaper Dust's official website that her invention came about as a matter of duty over doodie; no conventional method seemed equipped to properly deal with the stink pouring off of her son's diaper pail, and so she went about looking for alternative methods to tame the smell. She devised a formula that worked wonders, and she soon realized that her magical mixture could go beyond assisting parents and aid pet owners, those with smelly household trash, and those who regularly deal with medical waste.
Crisci had friends test it out on their own smelly situations and heard nothing but positive things in return. The results encouraged her to form a company to distribute the product she initially manufactured in her backyard. It began to attain a buzz among parenting influencers, which gave Crisci the impetus to try out for "Shark Tank," knowing she needed professional guidance to take the product to a new level.
Diaper Dust had at least one of the sharks going ga-ga for a deal, but have they managed to weather the test of time? Here's what the company has been up to since its appearance on the show.
What happened to Diaper Dust on Shark Tank?
Regina Crisci hopped into the tank during Episode 14 of Season 13 in 2022. In the episode, Crisci explains what inspired her to create the product. Showing the Sharks mock dirty diapers, she says that one simply has to sprinkle Diaper Dust onto the used pad, roll it up, and toss it out. The Sharks are duly amazed that the product works so well. Diaper Dust has a patent pending despite some competing products already existing, and she says that the company had only made $3,000 in sales as of the time of the show's taping — all of them via her social media presence and word of mouth.
Crisci tells the Sharks that as a traveling nurse, she's out of her element in the business arena and has come to the show looking for mentorship. She's offering a 40% equity in the business in exchange for a $75,000 investment, assistance, and advice in finding a professional manufacturing and distribution system.
Crisci's inexperience and the company's steep asking price force most of the Sharks to bow out immediately. Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, and Lori Greiner all exit, with O'Leary declaring his diaper-related days are behind him, Corcoran worrying that Crisci is simply a hobbyist with a side hustle, and Grenier thinking it's too soon to join up with the company. Guest Shark Emma Grede is also out, though she encourages Crisci to network with "momfluencers" as she has before.
With only Mark Cuban still in the tank, Crisci becomes visibly emotional, declaring she will do anything from selling her house to quitting nursing to make the company a success. But Cuban can already see how committed she is to the project. He agrees to her proposed deal, and Crisci accepts.
Diaper Dust after Shark Tank
According to Shark Tank Blog, Regina Crisci left the site a comment confirming that Mark Cuban did indeed come through and seal the deal he made with Diaper Dust on Shark Tank in August 2022. The company also enjoyed the immediate boon of the Shark Tank Effect; numerous Reddit users reported during the episode's first airing that the product had immediately sold out both on the official website and on Amazon.
In a 2022 interview with Maryland's Herald-Mail Media, Crisci was bare-bones honest about her experience on the show. "My revenue is not that good," she said. "I didn't have a lot of experience. But I'm driven to learn. I told them everything. All the good. All the bad." She also had nothing but praise for Mark Cuban and his people, saying, "He and his team have been wonderful. ... He's given me that and more." She also told the Herald-Mail that she had endured temporary problems with one of her suppliers, which meant she couldn't find the bottles she needed and prevented her from filling orders on time for a brief amount of time.
The company successfully restocked after its initial sell-out. And since its 2020 founding, per its official website, over 10,000 bottles have been sold.
Is Diaper Dust still in business?
Diaper Dust continues to thrive as a company, and its prospects have only improved since it appeared on "Shark Tank." Consumers can buy the product in multiple variations on their official website; a single 8-ounce bottle goes for $14. You can also buy three bottles of Diaper Dust for $42 and seven for $84. Upping the size of one's order to a three or seven-bottle order results in free shipping. Consumers can also sample the product for free with 10 small single-use tubes.
Diaper Dust is also still available via its Amazon storefront, where consumers can either request their orders be fulfilled by the retailer through Prime or add them to their grocery subscription plan. The company bears a 4.5 out of 5-star rating on Amazon as of January 2024, which means it has a pretty stellar following after nearly four years in the business. Diaper Dust maintains an active Facebook presence, boasting a 5.0 rating and over a thousand likes, and is also very active on TikTok, with over 125,000 likes. On the latter platform, Regina Crisci often shares her musings about life as an entrepreneur, the small and big victories that have come with operating Diaper Dust, and her thoughts about parenting. The business isn't as active on Instagram, with only close to 2,000 subscribers.
What's next for Diaper Dust?
Things have gone just a little quiet on the new product development front over at Diaper Dust, and there's a good reason for that. Regina Crisci revealed in the summer of 2023 on TikTok that she's pregnant with her second child, which understandably has taken up a lot of her emotional and physical energy.
But while it looks like she's going to need a whole lot more Diaper Dust to get her through the next few years, things haven't entirely dried up on the company's flow of news. During the 2023 Christmas season, Mark Cuban named Diaper Dust one of his top gift picks of 2023 in his post on The Grommet, something Crisci celebrated by offering customers a 20% discount on the company's website via TikTok.
Crisci has worked hard to get Diaper Dust off the ground, and it looks like her tenacity has paid off. Hopefully, at some point in the future, there will be even more sweet-smelling news ahead for the company, but at the moment, the news surrounding Diaper Dust doesn't stink.