Whatever Happened To Reviver – Removes Odors From Clothing After Shark Tank Season 6?

Ben Kusin developed Reviver wipes when he realized his clothes smelled like smoke before an important meeting. After checking a nearby convenience store, he discovered there were tons of products to freshen your breath, but none to make your clothes smell better. Kusin brought his brother, Eric, on board and started the odor-eliminating reusable wipe company in 2011. Reviver began to grow and the brothers created a version of the wipes for pets, which they got into approximately 1,200 Petco locations.

Eric and Ben Kusin knew their product could use a boost, and thought that the Sharks could help them bring their clothing wipes to stores across the country. The Kusin brothers hoped to secure a deal mainly because they were looking for a partnership with a business tycoon who could give sound advice. In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Eric Kusin talked about how beneficial the Sharks could be for Reviver: "We don't think we know everything, and we're open to bringing people who have done it before. The cast of the show would be an incredible resource that we could not say no to."

The founders of Reviver wipes entered the tank asking for $150,000 for 5% of their company. In the 10 months leading up to the show, Reviver made $500,000 in sales, primarily from the wipes for pets sold in Petco. When Kevin O'Leary asked Ben and Eric Kusin how much they spent developing the product and starting the business, the brothers revealed that their father, Gary Kusin, co-founder of GameStop and former CEO of FedEx, gave $2 million to Reviver.

This news was surprising to the Sharks, and some of them were put off by it. Barbara Corcoran told the Kusin brothers, "I feel very badly saying this, but I, as a matter of principle, don't invest in rich kids' businesses." Though Corcoran, Mark Cuban, and O'Leary were not interested in partnering with Reviver, Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec each made an offer. The Kusin brothers settled on a deal with Greiner, securing $150,000 for 15% equity.

After appearing on "Shark Tank," the Kusin brothers were excited to work with Lori Greiner. Ben Kusin explained to The Dallas Morning News how Greiner has been a vital asset for other small companies like Reviver. "All the successful 'Shark Tank' products directed for consumers have her fingerprints on them," he said. Despite the comments Barabara Corcoran made about the Kusin brothers' family finances, Eric and Ben Kusin were happy with their experience in the tank, though they disagreed with Corcoran's stance. "I think there's a huge difference between being rich and being spoiled," Eric Kusin told Business Insider.

Greiner helped Reviver get onto QVC, where she appeared to talk about the odor-eliminating power of the convenient, little wipes. The company continued to sell its product on its website, Amazon, and Walgreens. In an interview with Inc., Eric Kusin talked about how beneficial a deal with Greiner is. "We were looking for a partner to grow this into the very big brand that we think it can be, and we saw that in Lori," he said. "One of the big challenges with Reviver is educating our customers that you can freshen clothes on the go–and how a dry swipe works–because there's just nothing like it. Lori's such a good demonstrator that always in the back of our minds we really wanted to do a deal [with her]."

After its initial success, Reviver continued to come out with more dry clothing wipes, including one specifically for eliminating the smell of smoke. The company also produced pheromone-infused wipes, called Spark, with one version for men and another for women for the purpose of attracting a partner. Eric Kusin explained the new wipes to Inc. "During the day you'd wear Reviver," he said. "At night, if you're on the prowl, Spark is the product for you."

Despite announcing that something new would be coming to Reviver soon on X, formerly known as Twitter, in May of 2022, the company never made another post on the platform or on Facebook. Reviver's website is no longer accessible, and its products are listed as currently unavailable or sold out on Amazon and QVC. According to Ben Kusin's LinkedIn page, he stopped working with the company in May 2019. Though the Kusin brothers hoped that their dry, odor-eating wipes would become a huge brand and act as a replacement for dry cleaning, Reviver is no longer on the market.

Though Reviver did not work out for Eric and Ben Kusin, both entrepreneurs have turned to several new business ventures since their appearance on "Shark Tank." In 2017, the brothers started a restaurant, Malibu Poke, in Dallas, which did so well that they opened another location in Austin after a year. The two brothers also began working on a home renovation company called TreeHouse that year, which ended up going out of business as well.

In 2020, Ben started Video Game Entertainment and News Network, also known as VENN. The company seemed successful after releasing its first trailer but ultimately closed down within months. According to his LinkedIn, Ben continues to be involved in the Texas restaurants. In 2022, Eric began working as a partner for JK Chocolate, a cookie company owned by his mother, Karleen Kusin. Despite starting several failed companies, the Kusin brothers continue to try new careers.