Dragons' Den series 23 returns with episode 8 and pitches include Selkie powder-to-liquid shampoo, retro sweets, and spice kits
This week there are two guest Dragons as one favourite is missing
Dragons’ Den series 23 continues tonight with episode 8, but not all of the usual fan favourites are present to hear this week’s pitches.
The series has not been on our screens since March, when BBC One made the baffling decision to stop the 14 episode run halfway through. Not for the first time, either, they did it with the previous series too.
Now it returns with the missing episode 8, but there’s a missing Dragon instead as Touker Suleyman does not appear. Besides some of these puzzling changes, the show remains the same as four more aspiring entrepreneurs get the chance to pitch their business ideas.
This week, multimillionaire investors Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, and guest Dragons Jenna Meek and Susie Ma hold all the power. And, incase you didn’t notice, it’s the first time in the Den there’s been more females than men. A power shift that has taken more than 20 years.
Evan Davis presents as entrepreneurs pitch water-saving powder-to-liquid hair care, traditional confectionery, handcrafted spice blends and a mission-led travel start-up.
Dragons’ Den pitches in tonight’s episode 8: Haircare brand Selkie
Cicely Coops, founder of sustainable haircare brand Selkie, is first up in the Den tonight. She wants a £40,000 investment for 12.5 percent of her company.
The Amersham-based entrepreneur started the indie business from scratch, selling her vegan “groundbreaking powder-to-liquid formula”. She now has plans to expand the range to hair masks and hair oils as she shakes up the shampoo market.
Believe it or not, she got the idea for Selkie while she was watching Dragons’ Den. At the time, there was a company called Homethings that made cleaning products from a powder base. As a chemistry graduate – she did her degree and MA at Bristol Uni – she had always been interested in formulas, so she had a lightbulb moment. What if she could use that powder-to-liquid method to make haircare products?
So how do you use a powdered shampoo? You just fill the refillable shampoo or conditioner bottle with warm water, add the powder and shake it for about 30 seconds, then the liquid shampoo and conditioner is ready!
The shampoo and conditioner starter kit, which include your keep-for-life bottles and powder refills, costs £29.99, or save 15% when you purchase on a subscription. Will any of the Dragons invest in her business?
Mr Swainston’s Traditional Sweet Emporium
John Gray and Sean Robinson pitch their business Mr Swainston’s Traditional Sweet Emporium. It’s a traditional and retro sweet shop located at 128–130 Fowler Street, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 1PZ. They also sell their vintage pick ‘n’ mix sweets online.
The Geordie couple describe themselves as the “Ant and Dec of the sweet world”, and hope that’s enough to get them a £50,000 investment in return for a 10% share in their business. Can they make their enterprise the “McDonalds of sweets”?
Sweet-toothed Peter is keen to hear more about their retro business. But will he offer a sweet deal on the retro classics?
Dragons’ Den pitches in tonight’s episode 8: Spice Kitchen
Next up is mother and son duo Shashi and Sanjay Aggarwal, the co-founders of handcrafted spice blends Spice Kitchen. It’s a family-owned, family-run business, which sells spice blends rooted in their family history. Packaged in a beautiful sari-wrapped spice tin, it was “inspired by a lifetime of family recipes, shared meals and the belief that good food has a remarkable way of bringing people together”.
To this day, Shashi and her team of seamstresses hand sew the sari wraps that dress the pretty spice tins. Their Signature Spice Blend Discovery Box contains six flavour-packed Spice Blends and costs £35. The Spice Kitchen products are currently sold in high-end stores including Selfridges, John Lewis, and Boots. They recently began selling on Amazon.
Shashi and Sanjay ask for £75,000 investment in return for 5% equity. But will any of the Dragon’s bite?
Travel company Plotpackers
Lastly, Louise Truman pitches her group travel business Plotpackers, a responsible group travel agency that carefully curates destinations and experiences “for unforgettable adventures”. The company designs trips that are “more than just a checklist of destinations”. It’s aimed at backpackers aged 18 to 25, and prioritises budget-friendly, low-carbon tours and safety, especially for women.
The business “believes in scaling community through people-centric experiences designed to connect, explore and belong”. Scaling a community means growing an audience or group from a small, tight core into a large, active network without losing its core value, culture, or quality.
Plotpackers launched in 2023 by founder Louise Truman following a traumatic event while backpacking alone in Latin America when she was 21. She reveals she was “sexually assaulted very violently and considers herself very lucky to be alive”.
Frustrated by the lack of travel companies offering ethical, exceptional and affordable group travel experiences, she subsequently set out to create what she wished had existed for herself as a young woman – a way for people to travel freely whilst minimising risk to both themselves and the world around them.
She asks for £60,000 for a return of 3%, but will any of the Dragons’ like her business enough to invest?
Read more: Touker Suleyman quits Dragons’ Den after ‘extraordinary’ decade on the show
