The Matte on ‘Shark Tank’: What is the cost, who is founder Melissa Clayton and where can you buy the make-up mat?
ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ has quick-fix solutions for almost everything and this time, it also brings a beauty product that could solve all your problems. An entrepreneur from Acton, Massachusetts, tries to expand her business with her beauty organizer space saver.
Do you have a lot of cosmetics and no place to fit them? The Matte, a collapsible mat designed to lay over your bathroom sink to create an instant counter, is just what you need. You can get it for your home or it will come in handy when you are going on a trip.
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What is The Matte?
Describing what the product does, Melissa Clayton said in an interview, “The matte simply lays down, goes right over your sink and in a second you're going to have your own beauty counter. The Matte will hold 2 pounds of makeup and product and it even has little indents to hold your brushes and nothing rolls on the floor.”
She added, “So we've already sold 10,000 units over the course of bringing the product to life and for tomorrow night, I think the sky's the limit, to be honest.”
Who is the founder?
Not only the inventor of The Matte, Melissa Clayton is also CEO + Founder of Tiny Tags, an online personalized jewelry brand. She started her first company, Tiny Tags after the birth of her first son in 2006 when she couldn’t find the perfect personalized necklace so she decided to make my own. The same is true with The Matte. Tired of using her toilet seat as a counter, balancing makeup on the edges of her sink and watching expensive cosmetics fall on the floor, Melissa knew there had to be a better way.
At one point, she faced a huge challenge to find an interior designer. “No one wanted to work with me because I was on a limited budget,” Melissa said. Cold-calling industrial design firms was her only option and she finally struck gold when a firm turned her down but helped her with the contact of a freelance industrial designer.
What is the cost and where to buy?
Available in black and pink colors, it can be bought at a price of $34.99 on the official website. You can also get a travel bag just for $9.99!
The patented design is easy to store and folds to the size of an iPad case. Measures only 6.5"W x 9.5"L x 1”! Sturdy and durable, it can hold up to two pounds of beauty products.
“I did not buy this for the bathroom sink. I wanted something for my vanity table that would protect it from getting makeup all over it when I do my makeup. I'm really happy with this product. It looks nice and when it folds up it really does remind me of a tablet,” one review on Amazon reads and another says, “Great mat to cover an extra, unused bathroom sink to provide extra counter space. It was a little long so I was able to easily cut a section out to fit around the faucet for a perfect fit. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a quick, temporary solution for extra counter space.”
Where is The Matte now?
The design of The Matte was unique and she kept persuading her dream until she succeeded. In the beginning, she only wanted to manufacture an initial order of 500, and finally got a yes after many rejections. The first shipment of The Matte arrived at her door in October of 2015. With her passion for business and determination, Melissa is excited to share The Matte with all the women getting ready in small bathrooms.
One of the biggest highlights of her career was to be featured on the ‘Next Big Thing’ on ‘Today Show’ in 2016. Sales skyrocketed from there on and she then also got her product on platforms like Amazon, the online beauty retailer, QVC, and online shop, The Grommet.
Who will crack the deal?
There's a strong chance Barbara Corcoran could steal the deal. Who do you think is the perfect fit for this beauty-centric pitch? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
‘Shark Tank’ Season 12 Episode 9 returned to ABC after the winter break on January 8, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Cheese Chopper, The Matte, OpulenceMD Beauty and FurZapper on April 9, 2021, from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
