'Shark Tank' contestant gets Mark Cuban to try fake eyelashes and ends up with a $100,000 deal

Cuban was excited to try them on and did a good job despite not having too much experience.

PUBLISHED OCT 9, 2025

Screenshots showing Mark Cuban and the entrepreneur on "Shark Tank" (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television)

Several entrepreneurs trying to make it big in the beauty industry have appeared on "Shark Tank," but no one ever made Mark Cuban wear fake eyelashes before. That’s exactly what one entrepreneur did and was able to get a stunning deal later on. Her product was health-friendly eyelashes, and despite starting the company only a short time before appearing on the show, she had numbers so good that even the toughest sharks were left highly impressed.

Screenshot showing one of the products. (Image credit: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television) — Screenshot showing one of the products. (Image source: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television)

The entrepreneur was Anika Goodwin Hilderbrand, and she sought $75,000 for a 5% stake in her company, OpulenceMD. The company produced eyelashes that were a lot safer to put on, health-wise, and could be reused a lot more frequently than regular lashes. While regular eyelashes have harmful chemicals, the same chemicals that are used in superglue, this one took a more scientific approach to application.

One has to apply a magnetic eyeliner and then place the lashes on. The material of the eyeliner is a lot healthier for the skin around one’s eyes, according to the entrepreneur. She would know about this stuff as she was an eye doctor. This immediately caught the sharks’ attention as it made her a lot more credible as an entrepreneur. She had kept some samples for the sharks to see, and Mark Cuban wanted to try one of the lashes on.

Screenshot showing Mark Cuban applying the eyeliner. (Image credit: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television) — Screenshot showing Mark Cuban applying the eyeliner. (Image source: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television)

He did a good job of applying the eyeliner and putting the lash on, and Hilderbrand absolutely loved the way he looked. When it was time to talk about the numbers, the entrepreneur said that she sold one pack of eyelashes for $245. That’s a premium price, and her cost to make one pack was just $20. That meant her margins were incredible. When it was time to reveal sales, the entrepreneur said that the company had earned revenue of $685,000 in less than a year.

What was more impressive was the fact that the month prior to the taping, Hilderbrand had recorded a profit of more than $200,000. But she had a problem meeting the demand. By now, Mr. Wonderful had heard enough and said that he’d offer $75,000 for 20% of the company.

Screenshot showing Kevin O'Leary. (Image credit: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television) — Screenshot showing Kevin O'Leary. (Image source: YouTube | Sony Pictures Television)

Before Hilderbrand could respond, guest shark Kendra Scott came in, touting that she had more experience in this space than O’Leary, and she matched his offer. 20% was a lot of equity to give up, and the entrepreneur asked Scott if she’d be willing to do the deal for 12%. This was too little equity for the shark, but she said she’d pay $100,000 for 20%. This was an acceptable proposal, and a deal was struck.