It’s been a long old hiatus, but everyone’s favourite business show is finally back. Dragons’ Den returns to our screens tonight, and for the first time in the show’s history (somewhat unbelievably) there are more women founders on the panel than men.

Tonight, Tropic Skincare founder Susie Ma and beauty mogul Jenna Meek return to the show, making it the first time two guest dragons have appeared in the same episode. They’ll feature alongside Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones.

Four new entrepreneurs kick off the series’ return, with the founders pitching everything from water-saving haircare and traditional sweets to handcrafted spice blends and adventure travel. Here’s everything you need to know about the businesses pitching tonight, and where to buy their products.

First in the den tonight is Cicely Coops, the Amersham-based founder of sustainable haircare company Selkie. She’s hoping the dragons will see the potential in her rather genius take on shampoo and conditioner.

Founded in 2021, Selkie sells powder-to-liquid shampoo and conditioner that you mix with water at home. Instead of shipping products that it says are mostly water in single-use plastic bottles, Selkie sends concentrated powder refills that you combine with warm tap water in reusable bottles.

A Selkie full starter kit comes with two reusable keep-for-life bottles and powder formulas that make 300ml (each) of shampoo and conditioner when mixed with water. It costs £35 for a one-off purchase, but you can also subscribe for £28, with powder refills costing £12.75 each instead of the usual £15.

Read more: Best vegan shampoos and conditioners

Next into the den are South Shields-based John Gray and Sean Robinson, the founders of a retro sweet shop, but will their sugary-sweet pitch be enough to convince the dragons to part with their cash?

Inspired by a trip to the Beamish living museum, the pair opened their first sweets shop in South Shields in May 2024, selling hundreds of retro sweets, from cola cubes and pear drops to aniseed balls, sherbet lemons and liquorice allsorts. After starting with 125 jars of sweets, there are now more than 600 jars in their shop, with customers able to shop in-person or order online.

There are hundreds of traditional and retro sweets available on its site. Most of its 100g bags cost £2.29. You can also build your own pick ’n’ mix, with a nine-choice sweet box costing £14.95. The ‘snackle box’ is for those with a serious sweet tooth – it comes with 1.6kg of sweets of your choice in a reusable lockable container.

Third into the den are mother-and-son duo Shashi and Sanjay Aggarwal, the founders of Spice Kitchen. No strangers to The Independent, Sanjay previously told us how a retirement hobby for his mum turned into a booming spice business.

Launched in 2012, Spice Kitchen makes and sells handcrafted spice blends and curated spice collections in traditional Indian stainless steel masala tins. The brand’s signature product is its Indian spice tin (£30, Spicekitchenuk.com), which is filled with nine spices and blends.

The company also sells world spice tins (£30, spicekitchenuk.com), Middle Eastern spice tins (£30, Spicekitchenuk.com), chilli spice tins (£30, Spicekitchenuk.com) and gin botanical spice tins (£30, Spicekitchenuk.com). Individual spices and blends start from £2. There are also spiced chocolates and hot chocolate, cookbooks and other foodie giftboxes.

Last into the den is London-based Louise Truman, the founder of a group travel company aimed at solo travellers. But will she have the dragons coming along for the ride?

Launched in 2023, Plotpackers organises affordable group trips around the world, with more than 25 destinations on offer. Truman came up with the idea after experiencing a traumatic event while solo backpacking when she was 21, and so set out to create a safer group travel experience she wished had existed for her at the time.

The company says more than 4,000 people have travelled with Plotpackers since it launched, with trips in more than 25 different destinations. Packages range from a two-day glamping experience in Peru for £299 per person to a 24-day tour through India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives for £2,397 per person. There are also trips to Thailand, Vietnam, Kenya and Nepal.

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