What Happened To Nail Pak After Shark Tank?

How far are business hopefuls willing to go to get their ideas off the ground? Well, one optimistic entrepreneur traded in an irreplaceable relic –- her engagement ring –- to invest in her company. Pulling together $300,000 of her own money, Barbara Lampugnale appeared on "Shark Tank" with hopes of securing funding for her up-and-coming beauty line, Duality Cosmetics. 

Her star product, Nail Pak, served as a three-in-one polish solution, offering all the materials needed for an at-home manicure or pedicure. Each Nail Pak contained a prepared polish-remover swab, colored polish, and a file — all compressed to the size of a regular polish bottle. In her pitch, Lampugnale shared that the idea came to her during one of her family's weekly "Nail Nights." As a mother of six daughters, the abundance of nail accessories, bottles, and pads scattered around her home inspired her to find a solution. Thus, Nail Pak was born.

Lampugnale saw the opening for her unique product on the market. She applied for her patent nine months prior to filming and assured the Sharks there were no other products like this on the market. In 2012, she arrived on Season 3 of "Shark Tank" seeking support in getting her company off the ground and onto beauty supply shelves.

Barbara Lampugnale had a reasonable ask for the Sharks: $50,000 in exchange for 20% equity in Duality Cosmetics. With each bottle selling at a retail price of $14.99 while only costing $3 to make, the Sharks were happy with the mompreneur's numbers. Nail Pak's convenience factor was convincing, but the task of building the company's team and manufacturing systems looked difficult. For that reason, Rob Herjavec and Mark Cuban were the first Sharks out.

While Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary wasn't committed to investing by himself, he looked to QVC heavy-hitter Lori Greiner as a potential partner. Before "Shark Tank," Greiner founded her own beauty empire, and empathized with Lampugnale's struggle as a female entrepreneur. However, she didn't see the value in partnering with O'Leary, claiming that she had her own connections and could sell millions of Nail Paks without him. She made Lampugnale a solo offer: $50,000 in exchange for 51% of the company.

This hefty equity came with perks. Greiner explained, "I can do millions of this for you, on QVC and everywhere else. I'll get that on my show, we will launch it, we will be a huge success." O'Leary made his own offer: the same investment of $50,000 but for only 40% equity. Caught between two competitive Sharks, Lampugnale made a hard decision: she counteroffered Lori with 40% instead. Lori accepted and they had a deal, much to O'Leary's disappointment.

While partnering with a Shark may seem like a surefire success, deals don't always pan out after airing — just take fellow woman-led beauty brand, Glow Recipe. However, it turns out that Barbara Lampugnale was smart to partner with shopping Maven Lori Greiner. In the months following their deal, Greiner delivered on her promise. Nail Pak debuted on QVC the weekend after their "Shark Tank" episode aired, and quickly sold out.

In addition to television placements, Lampugnale's angel investor also got the product onto Ulta Beauty shelves across the country. With Nail Pak flying off shelves in over 500 stores, the company's success was featured in a special "Shark Tank" segment during Season 4. During the update, it was revealed that nearly 50,000 Nail Paks had been sold and the duo had already grossed $750,000 before the Ulta Beauty deal.

Lampugnale later renamed her cosmetics line Grace Nail Company. While the company's website is still up, showcasing the rebranded Nail Pak product, the product shop is down. Additionally, the Nail Pak is no longer sold in-store or online. The company's Instagram page has also been inactive since 2019.