Play Pits: From Kitchen Creation to Target Shelves.
Chantel Powell started Play Pits to give parents a safe alternative to harmful ingredients.
Sometimes wisdom comes from the mouths of kids. For Chantel Powell, inspiration struck when her six-year-old son, Kam, insisted on sharing her homemade deodorant with his summer camp friends. This led Powell to create a kid-friendly deodorant inspired by her experience with Kam.
“He got in the car smelling like a grown man,” she says with a laugh.
She started looking for a safe product for her active middle child. Living with hand eczema, Powell had always been careful about product ingredients to prevent irritation. Finding nothing she trusted for Kam, she decided to create her own.
“I didn’t want to use toxic antiperspirants full of harsh ingredients, and the natural deodorants were so bland,” Powell explained.
Play Pits, a deodorant for kids, was created in her kitchen using remedies inspired by her grandmother, offering parents a safe and effective alternative to harmful products.
A Fire Nearly Ended the Business—But It Sparked a Bigger Comeback.
In September 2022, Powell received a life-changing call at 3 a.m. Play Pits had experienced tremendous growth, expanding 500% between 2020 and 2021, prompting her to relocate to Atlanta and move into a warehouse to meet demand, including orders from Target. Two years after settling into the warehouse, a neighbor called to tell her it was on fire.
“My husband and I jumped in the car without a word and drove down,” she recalled. “My body was calm, but my heart was racing. I could see the flames from the highway. I lost everything.”
The fire destroyed nearly everything, including essential equipment she started with, 7,000 units of product, all her fragrances, raw materials, and an $11,000 machine used to make the deodorants. The devastation forced Powell to lay off some of her employees, adding to the heartbreak.
Despite the setback, Powell, a woman of faith, says she felt reassured that the fire was just a chapter in her journey, not the end. However, it was an incredibly difficult time for the mother of three, who had poured everything into her business after leaving her full-time job in the entertainment industry. The hardest blow? Insurance didn’t fully cover the losses.
“Everyone kept telling me to prioritize high liability coverage, so I made sure to meet those requirements. But no one ever asked, ‘Chantel, have you checked your property damage insurance?’” she shared.
The insurance payout barely covered a fraction of her losses, and to make matters worse, the company dropped Play Pits from the policy despite the fire not being her fault. As a result, the cost of insurance for the business more than quadrupled.
Two years after the fire, the business is still on the road to recovery. Despite the setbacks, Powell has achieved major milestones, including getting Play Pits on Target shelves, building partnerships with youth sports organizations, and expanding her product line to cater to adults who love them just as much as kids.
“Everything that could go wrong did after that fire,” Powell reflects. “When people see Play Pits on Target shelves, they see the product—but I see the obstacles and challenges I’ve had to overcome to get here.”
More Than Just Smelling Good: Play Pits is Inspiring the Next Generation of Black CEOs.
Customer service and giving back are at the heart of her brand, especially to those who inspire her the most: children.
What sets her apart from other brands, beyond offering parents peace of mind with clean ingredients, is her dedication to treating every customer like family. Powell values listening to children, ensuring their voices are heard by giving them a seat at the table—both the adult and kids’ tables.
“What sets us apart, and always will, is my connection to my customers,” Powell explains. “I’ll sit on the floor with kids at a round table. I never want to lose sight of why I’m here—kids have always been at the heart of it all.”
As a Black woman CEO, Powell takes her role seriously. Growing up, the CEOs she saw didn’t look like her. Her commitment to giving back is about more than products; it’s about showing up authentically and being the representation that inspires the next generation.
“I know the impact of walking into a classroom full of African American kids wearing Jordans, a T-shirt, and jeans, and saying, ‘I’m a CEO,’” Powell says. “When I was young, a CEO was a white man in a suit—it felt out of reach. I’m committed to continuing this work and showing them what’s possible.”
