Gently Soap founder Kristen Dunning appeared on “Shark Tank” Season 15’s debut episode last week and struck a deal with Candace Nelson, founder of the Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery chain.

The deal, which she struck with Nelson for 25 per cent of her sensitive skincare brand, included a $75,000 investment and access to the specialty beauty website Thirteen Lune.

“I’m just so excited to continue to grow Gently,” Dunning said following a viewing party on the day of the episode launched (Sept. 30). “We’re going to pitch to Target. We’re going to pitch to Walmart. And none of that is guaranteed, but it’s happening, and it is beyond what I thought I would be able to achieve at this point in the business.”

Dunning said she struggled with eczema and self-confidence because of her sensitive skin and vowed to create a product that would alter the experience of young girls, especially Black, dealing with issues. She added her soap line and work in horticulture were inspired by the legacy of her grandparents, who operated an 84-acre farm in Alabama, and the heritage of Black farmers across the South.

Gently Soap is based in Athens, Georgia. Her products use herbal infusions as opposed to fragrances and chemicals. She says it’s safe for various skin types and conditions, such as TSW, psoriasis, eczema, and chemo skin.

Her speech impressed Nelson, who tabled the offer. “There are two types of entrepreneurs in the world,” Nelson said during the episode. “There are (entrepreneurs like Kevin) analyzing the market space and being very analytical about it, and then there are passion-driven entrepreneurs. I’ve always been one of those, and that’s what I look for in the founders that I partner with.”

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Dunning, a University of Georgia (UGA) grad, earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and agricultural communication from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2021 and launched Gently Soap in March 2021. She developed the process and formula for the sensitive-skin-friendly soap while working with herbs at the UGArden. She was also enrolled in the UGA Entrepreneurship Program, starting with the Idea Accelerator program, which helped prepare her for the business world.

Over the past two years, she has received a $100,000 investment from Essence and Aveeno’s Skin Health Startup award. She also became a finalist for the music mogul Pharrell Williams’s $1 million Black Ambition entrepreneurship prize.

Moreover, she was chosen to participate in the Techstars Accelerator program recently. Since founding her brand, Dunning has won over 15 pitch competitions.