Thin Gloss was launched by Express Effects Cosmetics which was founded by April Morris. Thin Gloss is a lip gloss that has natural ingredients in it which help in reducing food cravings and appetite.
Many women struggle with weight issues. Anyone trying to lose weight will try anything suggested. Nothing frustrates anyone battling weight problems like being called fat. Being called fat got into April Morris and she decided she was not going to keep calm about it.
That’s when she found out the new way of losing weight. Thin Gloss is made with natural ingredients like Hoodia. Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that grows in Africa and it shows up in many weight loss supplements. The idea behind THINgloss was, that you inhale it approximately 30 minutes before eating.
Thin Gloss at a glance:
| EPISODE | Season 2 Episode 5 |
| BUSINESS | Lip gloss helps in reducing food cravings and appetite. |
| ENTREPRENEUR | April Morris |
| ASKED FOR | $80,000 For 20% at $400,000 valuation on Shark Tank |
| ACCEPTED OFFER | No/None |
| SHARK | No Shark |
| BUSINESS STATUS | Out Of Business |
| WEBSITE | Thin Gloss |
Index:
Who are the Founders of Thin Gloss?
Thin Gloss was launched by Express Effects Cosmetics. April Morris is the founder of Express Effects. She created and launched Thin Gloss. She introduced this product as a unique way of losing weight.
April Morris is a single mother of 2 kids. She herself struggled a lot with her weight. She hated being called chubby. That’s when she started trying diet pills. Even though the medications were effective, they had a lot of side effects. One day while applying makeup she got an idea about makeup products that will help reduce weight. After doing some research Thin Gloss was created.
April got pregnant and ended up marrying before the age of 20 which abruptly ended her big life plans. Unfortunately, her marriage ended in divorce and April ended up being a single mother raising two kids on her own.
This stress led to her gaining a lot of weight and neglecting her health. She faced a lot of criticism for being a chubby mother. After trying various ways of losing weight and not seeing the desirable results, she thought about an innovative makeup product that would help her lose weight as well.
Even though she had an idea, she didn’t have enough money to start her own business. So, April began a career in real estate, where she was very successful. Once she had the money to start her business, she quit real estate to launch her business.
How was Thin Gloss Shark Tank Pitch?
She invested all of her savings into the start-up Thin Gloss but soon she realized she was running out of money. She wanted the Sharks to help her be successful.
April brought her product in the 115th episode of Shark Tank. She came to Shark Tank seeking $80,000 in exchange for a 20% piece of her company. She started her pitch by applying the gloss in front of a mirror and explaining her story.
The judges asked her several questions like if she has done any clinical trials and they told her that the “before and after” photos used in her display are a legal implication of a weight loss promise.
All the judges were not sure about the weight-loss claims and thought that it would be difficult to reach a million sales from its early sales number. That’s why Morris was left without a deal. But this did not affect her confidence.
The lip gloss got accepted by the audience and Morris attained her $1 million mark the next year.
How does Thin Gloss make money?
Thin gloss was available on many online websites. Morris sold the product for $19.99. Let’s also assume that a tube of lip gloss will last 1 month and each tube costs $20. That’s 12 lip gloss tubes a year for a total of 12 x $20 =$240 / year. So a loyal customer spends $2,540 a year.
Morris has been active on her Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Thin Gloss net worth:
At the time of the shark tank appearance, Thin Gloss was valued at around $400,000. Currently, it’s out of business.
What Happened to Thin Gloss After Shark Tank?
Before appearing on Shark Tank, April Morris said she had made $26,000 by the end of the year 2009. And in 2010 before appearing on shark tank she had made sales worth $18,000.
One of the judges on the shark tank said by this speed she might not even reach last year’s sales. But after the Shark Tank episode aired, Morris achieved her target of $1 million worth of sales.
In the year 2009, Morris made sales of $26,000. Before appearing on the show she had made sales of $18,000 and after the show, she received a positive response and made more than 1 million.
After the Shark Tank episode even though Morris was left without a deal, she managed to make sales worth a million dollars. After that, she stopped selling Thin Gloss.
In 2012, April Morris announced that she is no longer selling Thin Gloss and she is now working as a sales consultant and inspirational speaker. But she is still active on Thin Gloss’s Facebook page and keeps updating about her life.
Investors Details and Funding of Thin Gloss:
In Shark Tank, April Morris was left without a deal. Her product lacked many factors. She had not conducted a clinical test on products.
April explained that she had spoken to an FDA attorney about Thin Gloss enhancing the appearance of women as a cosmetic, and she was able to tell her potential customers to try it for themselves and see how it works for them.
One of the judges on Shark Tank- Kevin informed her that she was not pitching Thin Gloss as a regular cosmetic but as a weight loss aid. Robert asked if April would be allowed to make those claims, and Kevin H. informed him that she would need a clinical study to back them up.
Competitor Analysis of Thin Gloss:
Too Faced:
Too Faced Fuze Slenderize Guilt-free “Always on the lips … never on the hips,” lip gloss claims it can suppress your appetite with the same mix of minerals and ingredients found in Coca-Cola’s Fuze energy fruit drinks. Too Faced is a well-known makeup brand this product got a lot of attention but this product isn’t available for sale right now.
Mojo Spa:
Goddess Lip Gloss for Beauty & Weight Loss by Mojo Spa also has some similar claims. It is much more affordable than Thin Gloss and Too Faced lip glosses. They have used various natural ingredients and is quite popular in Western countries. The product is out of stock at the moment on its official website.
Interesting facts about Thin Gloss:
- Morris claimed that Thin Gloss contains African Hoodia Cactus which helps with weight loss but she never conducted a clinical test to prove its effectiveness.
- Even though in Shark Tank Morris was left without a deal, her product Thin Gloss got a warm reception from women who helped Morris attain her $1 million marks the following year.
- After the shark tank episode, April Morris featured on numerous radio and magazine interviews and appeared on TV. She has generated a following of women and men!
- Even after she stopped selling Thin Gloss in 2012, she is still connected with her customers via her Facebook and YouTube channels.
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Loved thin gloss concept!
Merely wanna state that this is very helpful , Thanks for taking your time to write this.
Thank you for writing with such honesty and humility. It has great value to those who read it.