'Shark Tank' helps boost Houston woman's skin care product for men
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The success of a Houston woman behind a popular men's skin care product is made all the more special because of what happened to her during an appearance on ABC's reality show, "Shark Tank."
"I'm blessed beyond words," Lydia Evans said.
Evans says her appearance on ABC's "Shark Tank" was life changing. She is a successful international business woman and the creator of the Swag Bar, a 3-in-1 loofah soap that cleanses, exfoliates and disinfects the skin in one use. She made it at the request of her brother, who is a barber.
"He came to me saying the guys need something, we need something, we don't want to use our lady's products. Can you formulate something for me?" Evans said.
Evans finally gave in and created the swag bar for her brother. It became an instant success in Houston.
Evans then went on a "Shark Tank" audition in Austin and was chosen to appear on the show. She says was very nervous and excited when she went on the show, but in the end, the sharks decided not to invest in her product.
"I fought back the tears, but I smiled through it because I refused to let anyone see that," Evans said.
Evans held a watch party when the episode aired and something magical happened that night.
"After the show, the business went berserk. The website went crazy. My web designer called. There's four million people on the website," she said.
Evans said she got six million visits to her website after her "Shark Tank" episode aired.
"We literally went from partying and enjoying ourselves to I rounded up my team like, 'Come on let's go,'" she said.
Evans has shipped products around the world, from Australia to the North Pole. She has teamed up with Cedric the entertainer's company to sell her skin care products and is in talks with large retail outlets.
"'Shark Tank' came out and did an update story on us because we were so abnormally successful for a business that did not have investment and I think it's been amazing," she said.
