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One of my favorite perks of working at ReferralCandy is that I get a front-row seat to what highly intelligent entrepreneurs are building all over the world. Every week there’s a new “wait, how does this not exist already?” type of moment for me.
Some of these brands are saving us time, some are saving the planet, some are just making life a bit more fun (or less painful the morning after, you’ll see what I mean).
And because of the nature of my job, there’s a pattern here: every single one of these brands runs their referral program on ReferralCandy. I’ve also had the chance to talk to many of them (and even close some as clients, that’s how I earn my coffee).
If you need ideas for gifts, upgrades to your own routine, or just want to see what good DTC looks like in 2025, here are nine of the coolest products I’ve come across this year.
Robot vacuums used to feel like a cool idea that never quite matched the hype. They’d bump into chair legs, get stuck on cables, and die in random corners. You still had to “clean for the robot” before it cleaned for you. And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably getting tired of yours getting stuck in the same corner every single time.
Matic is the first time I’ve seen a home robot that feels genuinely… competent. It actually sees your home in 3D instead of blindly bumping around, and it knows the difference between “crumbs you want gone” and “Lego you don’t want to step on but also don’t want to lose.” It vacuums and mops, avoids wires and random obstacles, and is quiet enough that you can run it while you’re working.
My favorite detail is that it doesn’t just follow a dumb route; you can tell it to clean specific rooms or even a specific area, and it just gets it done. No babysitting required. It feels closer to WALL-E than Roomba.
And yes, the Matic team also has a referral program, so their happiest customers are the ones helping roll these little robots into more homes.
We all say we care about food waste, and then we buy the prettiest apples in the supermarket and quietly ignore the rest. Odd Bunch looked at that problem and basically said: fine, we’ll take all the “odd” fruits and veggies and ship them straight to people who actually want them.
They deliver boxes of “imperfect” produce that tastes exactly the same as the pretty stuff on the shelf, for less money and with a side of “hey, I’m doing something vaguely good for the planet today.” You pick the size of your box, and suddenly your weekly menu starts being shaped by whatever the supermarket didn’t want to display front and center.
It’s one of those ideas where everyone I talk to goes, “How is this not everywhere already?” And if you love it enough to tell your friends, Odd Bunch will happily reward you for spreading the word through their referral program.
If you’ve ever fallen into a Mark Rober YouTube rabbit hole (I have), you already know the vibe: unnecessarily cool builds, a lot of physics disguised as fun, and more “whoa” moments than your average science class.
CrunchLabs is that energy in subscription box form. Every month kids (and let’s be honest, plenty of adults) get a new build-it-yourself toy plus a video from Mark walking them through the build. It’s half engineering class, half magic trick, and all cleverly designed so the kid feels like the genius by the end.
What I like most is that the finished builds are actually fun to play with, not just “school projects you forget on a shelf” (like that CD tower I made in middle school that mysteriously disappeared from my parents’ house). And when parents see their kids voluntarily choosing engineering time over more screen time, they tend to talk about it. A lot. CrunchLabs leans into that enthusiasm with a referral program so pumped-up parents and kids can help get more future engineers hooked.
If you’ve ever tried to carry a toddler for more than five minutes, you know exactly how fast your lower back starts negotiating with you. Traditional carriers help, but they can be fiddly to put on, especially for “just a quick trip” or “they refused the stroller again.”
Tushbaby is basically a deceptively simple idea: a structured hip seat you wear around your waist that gives the kid a comfy perch and your spine a break. You can use it facing in, facing out, on the side, even in a feeding position. It works for babies all the way up to “small child demanding to be carried despite weighing as much as your gym bag with dumbbells inside.”
The best part is how fast it is to use. No straps maze, no origami. You clip it on, park the kid, and suddenly everyday things like travel, errands, and long walks become a lot more doable. Unsurprisingly, parents who finally get their hands on one are extremely happy to tell every other parent in their circle, which is exactly what Tushbaby’s referral program taps into.
Natural deodorant is one of those categories full of broken promises. You want something that’s better for your skin and the planet, but you also don’t want to be the “fun experiment” in a crowded elevator. If you and I have had the same experience you know exactly what I’m talking about.
AKT London is the first natural deodorant I’ve seen positioned like a performance product. It comes in these sleek, aluminum-free balms with really considered fragrances, and it’s completely plastic-free and gender-neutral. The brand story leans into its West End roots and being tested on dancers, which instantly communicates “this isn’t just vibes; this actually has to work.”
It’s the kind of product you don’t mind leaving out on your bathroom counter. And because people love talking about stuff that makes them smell good without feeling like a science experiment, AKT fuels that word-of-mouth with a ReferralCandy-powered referral program.
Most of us grew up on a diet of cheap plastic razors, absurdly macho shaving ads, and that one rusty handle in the shower that nobody remembers buying. House of Atlas feels like the opposite of all that.
It’s a modern men’s grooming brand from the team behind Athena Club, and the focus is on razors and shaving products that actually look and feel like someone thought them through. Weighted metal handles, five-blade cartridges, magnetic hooks, shave cream and aftershave that sound more like skincare than an afterthought. It’s all very “I take care of myself, but quietly.”
House of Atlas is one of those brands that lives or dies by repeat purchases and recommendations. If you love your new razor enough to convert your roommate, brother, or partner, their referral program makes that conversation even more rewarding.
We did the “toothpaste but no plastic tube” thing in our 2021 list with Smyle, and it’s been cool to see that category grow up. Mighty is another brand trying to fix the “billions of tubes in landfills” problem, but with a slightly different take.
Instead of squeezy tubes, Mighty uses refillable packaging and biodegradable refills that break down quickly. The formula itself is packed with ingredients like fluoride and papain (a natural enzyme) to gently lift stains and support your oral microbiome, without the harsh abrasives that make your gums hate you.
The end result is toothpaste that feels like an upgrade on what you grew up with, not some crunchy compromise you tolerate for eco points. Customers who switch tend to be pretty passionate about it and Mighty uses a referral program to turn that passion into growth.
PrePear might be the most “how is this not a bigger thing already” product on this list. It’s a pouch of 100% Shingo Korean pear juice you drink before alcohol, inspired by Korean drinking culture and backed by actual science.
The idea is simple: you make PrePear part of your pre-drinks ritual and your next-day self quietly thanks you. It’s literally called PrePear because you “pre-pair” yourself for the night with pear (get it?). It’s one of those products that spreads almost entirely through group chats and becomes the one thing you remind your friend about the next morning over brunch. Yes, the one that hasn’t taken their sunglasses off.
You bring it to a weekend trip, people try it “for science,” and next thing you know they’re asking where to buy it. The team behind PrePear leaned into that from day one with a referral program so loyal fans can keep converting their friends and get rewarded for it.
If you’ve ever gone cherry-red after half a glass of wine and had someone helpfully point it out every five minutes, iBlush will make instant sense. It’s a line of products designed for people who experience alcohol flush: the redness, warmth, and general discomfort that shows up way before the hangover.
They offer things like patches, gels, and recovery boosters that help take the edge off those symptoms so you can actually enjoy being out without worrying about turning into a tomato in every photo. It’s not about encouraging people to overdo it; it’s about making social drinking less uncomfortable for a group that has historically just been told to “deal with it.”
Because it solves such a specific and annoying problem, iBlush spreads fast within friend groups and communities that struggle with alcohol flush. Naturally, they channel that into a referral program so happy customers can quietly help more people discover it.
So that’s the 2025 edition of “Raúl’s favorite products he discovered while doing his job.”
I love these brands because they solve real problems in clever ways: smarter robots, less waste, better grooming, kinder mornings after a night out, and fewer plastic tubes in the bin. And, of course, because they all believe in something I’ve bet most of my career on: That your happiest customers are your best growth channel.
If any of these find their way into your cart this year, let me know which one you tried first. And if you’re feeling really generous… you already know I’m happy to send over my shipping address.
Happy holidays, and here’s to discovering even more cool products in 2026!
Raúl Galera is the Growth Lead at ReferralCandy, where they’ve helped 30,000+ eCommerce brands drive sales through referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. Over the past 8+ years, Raúl has worked hands-on with DTC merchants of all sizes (from scrappy Shopify startups to household names) helping them turn happy customers into revenue-driving advocates. Raúl’s been featured on dozens of top eCommerce podcasts, contributed to leading industry publications, and regularly speaks about customer acquisition, retention, and brand growth at industry events.
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