Here's What Went Down With THINgloss After Shark Tank

Longtime "Shark Tank" fans will likely remember April Yvette Sedun's invention, THINgloss. The company formed when Sedun was struggling with her weight after hearing hurtful comments about her appearance at a party, which caused her to take diet pills. That led her to question if there was a way combine an appetite suppressant with a lip gloss to aid weight loss. "I was a single mom, I was just struggling to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck, much less start a business. But, I got really determined to figure out a way when there seemed to be no way," she said in a YouTube video. 

That determination manifested in THINgloss, a lip gloss containing the plant hoodia, which can lower appetite. The cosmetic product included other natural ingredients and scents designed to lower hunger levels once smelled. The gloss was in production for a year before it hit the market and, after a lot of work behind the scenes, she wanted to get her idea to the masses. So, Sedun turned to "Shark Tank" to find an investor.

April Yvette Sedun took her chances on "Shark Tank" Season 2, hoping to land $80,000 for 20% equity in THINgloss. Sedun's numbers didn't shine like her product, though. She'd amassed $26,000 in sales the previous year and wanted to reach $1 million the next, but had only amassed $18,000 in year-to-date sales. Things went further downhill when now former Shark Kevin Harrington asked how she could back up her glosses' appetite curbing niche. "You're not saying it's a cosmetic, you're saying that it will help you lose weight," Harrington pointed out, after Sedun shared she'd spoken to a lawyer about FDA approval. 

Mr. Wonderful wasn't convinced due to the legalities surrounding weight loss products: O'Leary said, "You can't put this into a large box store and put a sign up and say, 'Lose weight,'" to which Sedun responded, "No, that's exactly what I won't say." Though, the Sharks pointed out she'd claimed it could aid weight loss in her marketing materials — awkward.

Things went from bad to worse when the entrepreneurs again highlighted the serious claims Sedun were making and how imperative it was she could back up her claims. Though she again made it clear she would stay inside FDA guidelines, it wasn't enough. "I would be very nervous about getting involved with it because [it's] a very legal category, weight loss," Harrington said, as he dropped out. The others soon followed. With Daymond John unconvinced, O'Leary said he couldn't endorse the product, Barbara Corcoran was "uncomfortable" (though would later invest in "Shark Tank" makeup brand Luna Magic Beauty), and Robert Herjavec didn't think she'd reach her $1 million goal quickly. With that, Sedun couldn't gloss over the issues the Sharks saw, and she left the Tank sans deal.

When April Yvette Sedun's episode aired in 2011, she saw the typical "Shark Tank" sales boost. "There was a landslide of publicity. My product was sold in stores across the U.S. and in a few other countries, and then I got a licensing deal," she recalled on the "April Yvette Podcast" in 2024. Sedun explained in a 2010 YouTube video she'd altered her business plan following her pitch on the ABC show and had undergone negotiations over three months to shift her focus on licensing. "There will be a national infomercial created for THINgloss that will be coast to coast in all the major cities ... Not only that, this infomercial is expected and predicted to exceed $1 million in sales," she said of the deal.

But, THINgloss saw a licensing disaster, just like fellow "Shark Tank" business Blinger, that left Sedun devastated. On the "April Yvette Podcast," she explained the infomercial deal was canceled five months later, leaving her in financial ruin. Sedun's house went into foreclosure and she admitted, "I had this epic failure, a rock bottom moment that challenged my identity." In a candid 2010 YouTube video, Sedun explained she'd taken out a loan to stock up on THINgloss products and was being chased by the bank. "I have a line of credit, been paying on it diligently every single month. And the guy at the bank ... told me that ... I was going to either have to pay that off or that I was going to have to increase my monthly payment," she said.

In 2012, just over a year after April Yvette Sedun's "Shark Tank" episode aired and she refocused her plan for THINgloss, the umbrella business she started, Express Effects Cosmetics, closed its doors. Sedun moved on to something new that August when she bet on herself and founded another company, April Yvette International. Through that venture, Sedun offers motivational speaking opportunities, workshops, and personal consultations. She also began posting inspirational messages on her personal blog, sharing confidence building tips and tips on working with influencers.

In a 2019 Facebook post, she explained she'd sold all remaining stock of THINgloss and wanted to pursue her true passion. "After some soul searching to find my true purpose, I decided to close my THINgloss business and start my motivational speaking and sales consulting business in 2012," she wrote. "I help entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and speakers magnetically attract and convert their perfect clients with their brand story so they can have more impact, influence and income."

It seems April Yvette Sedun has no plans to delve back into the THINgloss world, despite customers still searching for any remaining stock. One would-be customer revealed they were looking to buy the gloss in a 2021 comment on the company's Facebook, to which Sedun responded, "I'm actually completely sold out of THINgloss. It was a great experience being on 'Shark Tank.' I now own a sales [consulting] business and I'm a sales motivational keynote speaker."

The businesswoman also launched her eponymous podcast in 2024, aimed at furthering the careers of entrepreneurs and influencers. "We're going to be diving deep into authentic conversations on the issues and the topics that matter most to you, so you're going to discover compelling and powerful overcomer stories of resilience and even personal reinvention," she shared in a welcome message posted to YouTube. The most inspiring story here, though? How Sedun didn't let what could have been a catastrophic career setback stop her from pursing her business passion and being well on her way to becoming one of "Shark Tank"'s most successful female entrepreneurs of all time.