Natural Deodorant PiperWai Is Coming To The 'Tank'

If you haven't heard of it before, this week's episode of Shark Tank will introduce you to PiperWai. First conceived by Jess Edelstein back in 2013, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal, PiperWai is an exciting new all-natural deodorant. She was fed up with traditional natural deodorants that weren't really doing their job, so she started experimenting with her own formula.

As Edelstein recounted to the Business Journal, she tinkered with the recipe, and eventually gave her friend, Sarah Ribner a sample, just in time for her trip to South America. Ribner was impressed — after all, the product stood up to the intense South American heat — and the two friends quickly decided to start their own business marketing the deodorant upon her return to the States. They started their business with a $2,000 loan from their parents, and now two-plus years later, they're looking at a projected $500,000 profit for 2016, according to Philly.com. Not bad, eh?

If all of that has you interested, you can pick up PiperWai deodorant in boutiques across the country (and in Canada), which are listed on the company website, or order it there for $11.99 a jar. The website is also currently offering a 2-for-$22 Shark Tank special.

So with all that in mind, here are a few more things you might want to know about the PiperWai entrepreneurs and their product before they hit the Shark Tank.

The Product Has Gotten Rave Reviews

While I've never tried the product myself, the reviews from those who have are very convincing. Refinery29 included it on a list of their favorite all-natural products, and quipped that slightly messy application aside, it's "worth the hassle." (Incidentally, Edelstein and Ribner are currently working on an easier-to-apply stick version of the product.) PiperWai has also picked up its fair share of 5-star reviews on Amazon, and a journalist from Well + Good NYC really took the product to task by wearing it to an "incredibly intense, sweaty boot camp class" — and it worked!

Activated Charcoal Does The Heavy Lifting

So, how exactly, does it manage to work so well? Easy — activated charcoal, which is famous for its toxin-absorbing properties (it's even used medically). It happens to be the perfect mode of absorption for all your sweat, as well as its accompanying, odor-causing bacteria. As a Dr. Lin explained to Self Magazine, "Activated charcoal can absorb up to a thousand times its own weight in moisture ... This porous substance makes it the perfect ingredient for deodorants to soak up oils and smell."

It's Named After A Dog... And A South American Tribe

According to the business partners' interview with NewsWorks, the brand gets its unique name from Edelstein's childhood dog, Piper, and a South American tribe from Guyana and Northern Brazil called the Wai Wai.

The Founders Are Childhood Friends

In their Business Journal interview, Edelstein and Ribner joked that they've been working together since they "were 11-years-old with a lemonade stand." Um, adorable.

What do you think? Would you take this all-natural deodorant out for a spin? And, perhaps more importantly, do you think the Sharks will?

Images: Michael Desmond/ABC (2); Giphy; PiperWai (2)