After completing her college senior thesis on community supported agriculture and small organic farms, Sarah Ribner began scrutinizing not just what she ate, but everything she used—from household cleaners to skincare products.
“I decided to revamp my approach to personal care,” she said. “I started by purging my bathroom cabinets of toxic beauty and personal care products.”
One product, however, proved especially tricky to replace: deodorant.
“Most ‘clean’ options at the time either didn’t work or irritated my skin,” she recalled. So, she set out to create a deodorant that absorbed moisture without harming her skin or the environment. Ribner enlisted the help of her childhood friend, Jess, and together they started experimenting in a community kitchen, blending small batches of coconut oil, shea butter, and activated charcoal.
What began as a homemade side project quickly grew into PiperWai, a clean beauty brand with a devoted following. The duo hand-produced hundreds of jars that sold out almost instantly. In 2015, they decided to pitch their product on Shark Tank.
“Shark Tank really catapulted us into the national spotlight,” Ribner said. Though they didn’t land a deal, she says the exposure proved instrumental “Suddenly, we were flooded with orders.”
To keep up with growing demand, Ribner launched PiperWai’s Amazon storefront in 2017, giving customers a fast, convenient way to shop.
“That was a natural move for us,” she said. “Deodorant is an everyday essential, and Amazon makes it easy for people to reorder without running out. Plus, Amazon helped us connect with customers who are already shopping for their favorite daily items.”
Amazon has also helped PiperWai scale more strategically. To build brand awareness, the team uses Amazon’s Creator Connections, which links small businesses with influencers who promote products authentically. Ribner also leverages the Amazon Vine program when launching new items, which helps sellers populate their product pages with unbiased reviews from Amazon customers.
“Amazon Vine has been huge, especially as a small business,” she said. “We don’t launch new products very often, so it’s been great in helping us better understand how we can optimize and improve.”
Since launching in the Amazon store, PiperWai has expanded into new product lines and entered retail stores across the U.S. and Canada. As it grows, the company remains true to its mission of creating products that are healing both for the skin and the planet. PiperWai prioritizes sustainability through packaging made from recycled ocean plastic, responsible ingredient sourcing, and donations to animal rescues, food-security programs, and disaster relief efforts.
“From the start, PiperWai has been about more than just deodorant,” Ribner said. “We want to prove you don’t have to choose between products that work and products that are good for you.”