Entrepreneurship students junior Nyajal Dup and sophomore Andrea Nelson are in the beginning stages of their business venture— selling a unique version of travel-sized deodorant.

Although Dup acknowledges travel-sized deodorant can be found in any convenience store, she said their product’s packaging, which resembles a lip-balm tube, differentiates her merchandise from others in the market.

“Say you’re out somewhere, and you forgot to put on your deodorant. You don’t want to pull out an obvious container. So, if you pull something out that smaller and more of like a lip balm, it’s a lot more disguised. So you won’t feel embarrassed using it,” Dup said.

The duo dubbed their business P.O.M.— an acronym for Peace of Mind, which Dup said relates to the product’s overall objective.

“You know your deodorant is with you at all times,” Dup said. “Our slogan is, ‘Freshness wherever you go.’”

Dup said it was important for the team to create a product that is both economically and environmentally friendly. In a process that resembles baking, Dup and Nelson mix together organic, lemon-based products and then freeze the mixture until it’s solid.

“We consider it a bag deodorant or a deodorant to-go,” Dup said. “We wanted it to not only be travel friendly, but also be homemade or organic. We want something that’s actually healthy for people.”

Dup and Nelson’s entrepreneurship professor James Ebben said their project stuck out when they told him about the idea in class.

“It’s something that’s a little bit unique, and when they pitched it in class, it certainly resignated with people—especially the women in the class,” Ebben said.

Sophomore Adriana Velez said she’d be interested in purchasing the product.

“That’s actually one of the most genius things I’ve ever heard of in my life,” Velez said. “When you go on a first date and you get nervous (you can say), ‘I’m going to go put lipstick on’ and head to the bathroom.”

Although senior Tyler Gubb said he finds the concept interesting, he probably would not consider purchasing it.

“It seems pretty cool. I wouldn’t (buy it for a woman) because it insinuates she smells,” Gubb said.

Dup said she anticipates customers will use the deodorant during travel, trips to the gym and nights out on the town.

The product is still in the final stages of development, but Dup said she expects to sell the deodorant for less than $10.

Ebben said the best way to determine the right market for a product is by first selling the product to friends and family.

“It’s a little bit of a test. They are throwing themselves into the mix, and they’ve got a product and just by going out and trying to sell it they’re going to figure out who the right market is,” Ebben said.

Stephanie Dodd can be reached at dodd0474@stthomas.edu.