Dragons’ Den fans fume as beauty pitch is snubbed after show is slammed for ‘ear seeds’ investment
DRAGONS' Den viewers were gobsmacked as the business experts were less than impressed with one founder's innovative idea.
Business woman Pavan Dhanjal entered the den to share her plans to expand her beauty company but the Dragons weren't convinced.
Much to BBC viewers dismay the experts refused to invest in her idea to bring henna art into beauty salons across the country.
The investing panel, made up of Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett, highlighted some doubts about the Henna art business.
The investors asked Pavan an array of tough questions, and after trying the product Steven asked: "Is that how it's supposed to look?"
Peter quipped: "It looks like you've just spilled Tipp-Ex on yourself."
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Deborah also acknowledged skin reactions can sometimes be caused by henna, which is used as a way of creating temporary body art as it dyes the skin.
Pavan's brand sells skin-friendly and organic henna cones, hand charts and stickers and has gone on to be hugely successful - with Pavan even being awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018.
Questioning the product, Deborah looked at the small print on Pavan's packaging and said: "I've read this here because it's quite small, 'tingling sensation is normal.'
"What causes the tingling sensation? That's not usually a good thing. Are there warnings if you are allergic?"
Pavan reassured Deborah: "We've had to go through all of those regulations to make sure it's retail ready."
Pavan also explained that the tingling can be caused by clove oil and eucalyptus oil and that the brand offers patch tests if people want to come into store for one.
Viewers accused the dragons of being unusually harsh, and one wrote on social media: "So they will ask loads of questions about henna but jump on ear seeds to 'cure' a serious, complex, debilitating neurological disease. Mental."
Another noted: "I could see Nail Bars adding henna to their offerings. They are already artistic!"
A third added: "The dragons are totally wrong about the henna. Savan just needs help getting the business into the mainstream.
"I would totally pay for henna if I knew where to get it done."
It comes after the business experts "jumped on" a business idea, selling 'ear seeds' that was later reported to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Now, the BBC have pulled the episode, which aired on January 18.
A BBC spokesperson told The Sun: "We're taking the concerns raised seriously, so we are reviewing the episode and therefore it's currently not available on iPlayer."
Ear seeds are tiny needle-less beads, based on acupuncture principles, which are applied to the ear to stimulate nerve endings.
Natural henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, and one of the only two species of the genus Lawsonia.
The NHS warns that toxic "black henna" tattoos (that are unlike the usually safe, age-old orange natural henna) can contain high levels of toxic chemical dye, which it is normally illegal to use on the skin.
The paste contains an ingredient called paraphenylenediamine (PPD).
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Pavan has worked with a whole host of famous faces such as Alesha Dixon, Rudimental, Ellie Goulding, Perrie Edwards, Emma Bunton, Judy Dench and Huda Kattan.
After winning a Guinness World Record for being the world’s fastest Henna artist, Pavan even contacted BBC soap EastEnders and landed a spot in the makeup department.
