Esōes Cosmetics launched their date rape, domestic violence detection lipstick, designed to help women in tough situations a year ago.
Last year around this time, Joy Hoover was strutting down the pink carpet, unveiling her Esōes lipstick to the valley.
"We have been able to get this into the homes in 42 states," Hoover said.
A compact cosmetic designed to keep women safe in situations where date rape drugs might be present or serve as an aid for victims in domestic violence situations.
The lipstick connects to your phone and the Esōes app, where consumers can customize "SOS" prompts sent to loved ones or authorities in times of danger.
“The amount of feedback and reviews and things we've gotten off it works, like 'the police came right when I needed it,'" she said. "'My husband got the text and called me right away and was able to help.'"
A mother-designed lipstick for mothers like Regina Simmons.
"How do you explain to a 15-year-old that someone out there can do something bad to her?" Simmons said. "So it was intense trying to explain that to her."
Simmons, a mom and business owner at Tacotarian, says she must protect her daughters and the customers who come through her doors.
"If you have a tool to help your community and help women around you, why not do it?" Simmons said. "So to tell every woman I know about this lipstick and try to save someone's life, like save someone to go through something like that. So if we can prevent one case, I'm a winner."
"We've been able to build this community, get restaurants on board like Tacotarian and ten others that have said we want to be safe, stay certified," Hoover said. "We get to go into the businesses with our team and educate them on the nuances of sexual and domestic violence and trafficking."
The product is growing in popularity and developing to other cosmetics like chapsticks and different colors — even expanding to new features on the app. Hoover and her husband Phil have traveled the country pitching their lipstick to schools and college campuses.
"We also got to pitch on a major TV show with an entrepreneur," Hoover said. "And our episode comes out in December."
