Heath and wellness is an extensive field, one that covers multiple different areas and product types. But, the general focus remains the same – promoting health. And, why not? Demand for healthy products has skyrocketed. People are looking for methods of living longer and feeling better. All the companies in this list promise those solutions, along with the chance to make money.
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In fact, health and wellness is the single largest direct marketing category out there. There are many different health and wellness network marketing companies to choose from. Some are similar to one another, while others take completely different angles.
This topic is so large that we’ve had to split it up into multiple lists. The current list focuses on companies that don’t fall into any other category, and are general “health” related. This might be because they are unusual or because they are very generic. You can check out the posts linked below for lists on various subcategories.
- Organic and/or Clean
- Special or Unique Ingredient (like aloe or aronia)
- Supplements
- Weight Loss
- Food-Related
These lists aim to provide an objective comparison of the various options. I’m not an affiliate for any of the companies, so your choice doesn’t impact me whatsoever.
But, I do recommend caution. MLMs often have complex compensation plans and significant ongoing costs. You may find yourself spending more than you expected and making relatively little from sales. This happens a lot, and lots of folks end up with a garage full of junk they try to resell on eBay at a 50% discount to try and recoup some of their losses.
Affiliate programs, by contrast, are free to join and have no ongoing costs other than hosting/domain costs for running your website. Here are our health-related affiliate posts:
- Fitness Equipment
- Nootropics
- Diet Pills
- Meal Kits
- Organic Food
- Eco-friendly Products
- Natural Health
- Weight Loss Supplements
Health & Wellness Network Marketing Companies
- Youngevity
- Melaleuca
- ForeverGreen
- ARIIX
- LifePlus
- LifeWave
- Sunrider
- Uno Premier
- Vísi
- Nikken
- Total Life Changes
- Herbalife
- b:hip
- Qivana
- FuXion
- Shaklee
- Zurvita
- Xooma Worldwide
- Synergy Worldwide
- Vemma
- Nature’s Sunshine
- USANA
- Ardyss
- Evolv Health
- Reliv International
- LifeSpan Global
- Healthy Habits Global
- Sanki Global
- IDLife
- Alliance in Motion
- AdvoCare
- It Works!
1. Youngevity
- Focus: Wide product range
- Minimum Cost: $25 (membership fee)
Product Overview: Youngevity is tough to categorize because the company covers such a wide range of products. Still, they are firmly in the health field, with product areas like Health & Nutrition, Food & Beverage and Home & Family. They also sell some clothing, jewelry and essential oils.
The selection is decent in each of these areas too. For example, the Cardiovascular Support part of Health & Nutrition contains 34 individual products, while the Anti-Aging section contains 27. Many of the items are supplements, like Ultimate Selenium, Imortalium and H.G.H Youth Complex.
Some of the products on offer are pretty typical for the industry. Others are a little more unusual. The prices range as well, with some products being reasonable and others much more expensive.
For the most part, Youngevity’s products seem appealing. With such a wide range, most people are likely to find some things they want to buy in the mix.
That being said, the visual style leaves something to be desired. There is no consistent branding or labeling for the products. Instead, the individual items look vastly different than one another. That may be partly because Youngevity doesn’t produce all of them itself.
There’s nothing wrong with sourcing products from many locations – plenty of companies do that. But, the lack of consistency does make the items appear lower quality. This could be a problem when you’re trying to promote sales.
Commission Quick View: Youngevity provides two ways to sell the items. You can do so in person or through a replicated website. Either way, the commission rate is up to 30%. That’s pretty good for the industry. However, Youngevity doesn’t state what the initial commission rate is or how you increase it.
The team aspect for Youngevity follows a unilevel plan, which is a common style across MLMs. Unilevel designs involve your recruits being placed in a downline based on who recruited who, creating a pyramid-like structure. The people you recruit directly become your first level, their recruits become your second level and so on.
You then earn residual commissions based on where recruits fall on this scheme. The specific commissions and levels are typically based on your rank, which is the case here too. Increasing in rank involves meeting monthly requirements, including certain sales goals and team structure criteria.
With Youngevity, the initial rank provides 5% commission on your first level and 5% on your second. This increases to 8%, 8% and 7% for the second rank and continues to grow from there. Interestingly, you just need to hit a sales target of 100 Personal Qualifying Volume (PQV) per month to reach that second rank.
Progressing through ranks is still challenging and involves building a decent team. But, the early requirements for Youngevity are less strict than many other companies. The amount you earn from your team is also higher.
There are various bonuses as well, which offer extra ways to earn. We’re not going to go into them here but most MLMs will have at least some. You normally need a decent-sized team to be able to access the various bonuses. In practice, most members never get that far.
Final Thoughts: Youngevity is relatively decent, as MLMs go. There will still be ongoing requirements and the team aspect can be complex. But, at least there is a decent range of products to choose from.
2. Melaleuca
- Focus: Wellness
- Minimum Cost: Appears to be free to join, although details are scarce
Product Overview: Melaleuca is a very comprehensive company in the health field (and yes, it IS an MLM). Melaleuca has been trading since 1985 and currently offers more than 400 different products. The company estimates that they have 1 million shoppers each month, along with $2 billion in sales every year.
Their website offers many details about the individual products, including any excluded ingredients (like parabens or phosphates), many images and even customer reviews.
Yet, they’re also secretive. The site gives no information about prices unless you’re a member. You can only become a member by going through a distributor. There is a price list available on the site but it is hard to find and isn’t very practical to use.
Most of the products seem decent enough and the prices are on the low side. For example, their Moisturizing Conditioner (12 fl. Oz) costs $7.50 for customers or $4.99 for preferred members. That’s not too bad, especially compared to other health and wellness companies.
Still, the products aren’t very unusual. They’re the same basic thing that other companies offer. The biggest advantages are the large range and the fact that people can purchase online. But, I’m not sure that’s enough to promote sales.
Commission Quick View: Melaleuca consistently states that it isn’t an MLM and many distributors make the same claim (often loudly). But, you’re promoting products and getting paid on multiple levels from your team. By definition, these aspects make it an MLM.
There may be differences in the MLM model compared to other companies, sure. But, the fact remains, it is an MLM. There’s no getting around that.
As for what you earn, well that takes some digging. The information is out there but Melaleuca doesn’t make it easy to find. The compensation plan focuses on earning Product Points. Distributors get 50% of the Product Points from any purchases people make within their first month. It’s not clear what the Product Points actually are or whether they convert into income.
After the first month, distributors earn a percentage on sales, based on the customers they have enrolled. The levels are 7% (1-7 customers), 14% (8 – 19 customers) or 20% (20+ customers). This puts Melaleuca on the low end of the scale. Many companies start at 20% commission and it’s unusual to see that as the top tier.
For the team aspect, distributors get up to 7% of the Product Points from people in their downline. They also earn commissions based on multiple generations (up to seven generations). The system seems to be a typical rank-based unilevel plan. There are only six ranks but each has many individual sub-ranks.
You do also need to sell at least 29 Product Points of items every month, so consistency is key.
Final Thoughts: There are some good factors with Melaleuca, including their pricing and extensive product range. But, despite how defensive distributors are, the compensation plan isn’t very powerful. It’s on the low end for the industry and isn’t described well.
3. ForeverGreen
- Focus: Patches for your skin and some hyped products
- Minimum Cost: $25 (for membership, doesn’t provide products)
Product Overview: ForeverGreen is a great example of a general health company. Their marketing even emphasizes the idea of health in all areas, including physical, financial and spiritual health.
There are two main categories of products. The first is FGXpress, which contains the products Prodigy-5, POWERstrips, SOLARstrips and BEAUTYstrips. Prodigy-5 is basically a nutritional supplement, one that you add into water and drink like a shot. The others are products that you apply to your skin. They’re meant to help in various areas, which includes reducing pain and improving physical appearance.
I’m not a big fan of products like these myself. They feel too much like snake oil. Companies tend to make bold promises but the products rarely ever live up to them.
Still, there is demand. The uniqueness of the products helps as well and ForeverGreen does a good job at marketing them. If you were passionate about the items, there is the potential to make sales.
The other products are classed as Farmers Market. They include nutrition, weight management and supplement products. There aren’t many of these (nine in total) but each is relatively unusual as well.
Pricing details aren’t provided, making it hard to know whether the products are competitive. But, based on the marketing, I expect that many of the items cost $50 or more for a 30-day supply.
Commission Quick View: Commission from ForeverGreen is calculated based on the difference between what the customer pays and the member pricing.
They give an example of a $39.95 product that costs $29.95 for members. That sale would give you a commission of $10 (roughly 25%). But, if your customer becomes a member and gets a discount, your income will decrease.
Members need to be qualified to earn any commissions. This involves purchasing 50 QV worth of product every four weeks. If you buy 100 QV instead, you’re considered fully qualified, which gives access to team commissions and various bonuses. This style means need to purchase products regularly yourself – regardless of how successful your business is.
ForeverGreen describes its compensation plan with a tree. Part of this plan is the Enrollment Root, which consists of people you recruit, their recruits and so on, using a unilevel structure. There is also a Placement Tree, which uses a binary structure. Anyone you recruit is placed into both parts of the tree. Commissions and bonuses are calculated from there.
ForeverGreen does everything it can to make the plan seem simple – but it’s not. It would be confusing to use and optimize, especially for beginners.
The end result isn’t all that powerful either. The income potential certainly isn’t higher than other companies on this list. The binary aspect also means your earnings are based on how your teams perform compared to one another. That style only works well if you can get two teams that do perform well.
Final Thoughts: Simply put, I’m not impressed. The products aren’t as unique as they appear, although there are angles for promoting them. But, when you combine this with a complex compensation plan that isn’t especially powerful – ForeverGreen just feels like more hassle than it’s worth.
4. ARIIX
- Focus: Wide range of health and wellness products
- Minimum Cost: $29.95 (for the Business Orientation System) + $221.95 (for the smallest starter pack)
Product Overview: ARIIX specifically promotes itself as an ‘opportunity company’, which is never the most appealing angle. It suggests that they’re more focused on the opportunity side of things than the products.
Thankfully, ARIIX does produce some good products as well. They have various different areas to choose from, including the following:
- NeCerity: Skincare products
- Nutrifii: Various premium supplements
- Slenderiiz: Weight loss products, including shakes and supplements
- Jouvé: Another skincare range
- Puritii: Air and water filters
- Reviive: Personal care products
- Priime: Essential oils
- Asantae: Whole food products and supplements
And, for some reason, they also have a travel discounts and rewards program.
Overall, the products do look high-quality. The weird names help them to stand out a bit too. Most customers would find some items that interested them.
Prices vary but none of the products are particularly cheap. For example, the supplement Rejuveniix costs $79.27 retail, for a 28-day supply. This pricing makes the items less competitive in the market. As a result, making consistent sales could be challenging.
Most of the products aren’t that unusual either. Take the Rejuveniix supplement as an example. Some of the ingredients are acai berry extract, caffeine, L-theanine and goji berry extract. Similar combinations are found in many other supplements. There are some less common ingredients too. But, the product still isn’t revolutionary.
Commission Quick View: The compensation plan is what makes ARIIX stand out. I’m not sure that the plan is as amazing as ARIIX likes to claim but it is certainly unusual.
They call the approach their ACTIV8 Compensation Plan and it uses a multiline system. The plan is basically a combination of unilevel and matrix designs, with a focus on unlimited depth and width. The idea is that you can build as large of a team as you like (although, you can technically do that with most MLM systems).
There are other aspects that ARIIX promotes. One is auto-balancing, which means you don’t need to worry about placing people or points in teams. Instead, the system does it for you. The process should, in theory, optimize your income. Another is the power re-entry, which allows some team members to be in two parts of your downline.
All of these areas may mean more income, or they may not. The unusual nature of the plan makes the income potential difficult to determine. ARIIX is also light on the details. They offer a lot of information about the overall design but little information about how much you earn and from whom.
The plan also ends up being complex to understand and to follow. That sucks for beginners. You would need to take the time to fully learn it too, so that you could teach anyone who you recruit.
As for sales, ARIIX makes a bold claim of 50% commission. But, you don’t start there. Instead, the base commission rate is 15%. You can earn more if you buy at wholesale and then resell the items but that process comes with additional risks.
The percentage does also increase if you hit certain sales targets a week. Even so, the sales commission isn’t nearly as amazing or unusual as ARIIX suggests.
Final Thoughts: The products from ARIIX are decent enough (albeit expensive) and the compensation plan may be effective. But, don’t be fooled into thinking that ARIIX is unusually powerful.
5. LifePlus
- Focus: General health and wellness
- Minimum Cost: Simply purchase an item
Product Overview: LifePlus states that their main goal is ‘to help people feel good’. That mostly seems to mean improving health through the company’s products. The products are broken down into two categories: Nutritional Supplements and Personal Care.
The supplements cover a range of different areas, including vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and nutritional drinks. The personal care section is broad as well. It includes a product range called Naturalii, which consists of natural and organic skincare. There are other items too.
LifePlus isn’t very open about pricing but their products tend to be relatively expensive (like $36.50 for a 50 ml container of day cream). This pricing is still reasonable for some audiences. But, it would be enough to make people hesitate.
Overall, the products are interesting and they appear high-quality. There are also some unusual ones present, along with a decent range. Health and wellness is an evergreen field and customers will always be interested in items like these.
Most of the products follow the same general themes as the other companies on this list, so LifePlus is far from unique. But, for the right audience, that might not matter.
Commission Quick View: LifePlus mostly uses an online model. But, distributors don’t appear to get a website of their own. Instead, they’re given a PIN from the company. Customers use that when they create an account and make an initial purchase. After that, all of their purchases are tied to the same distributor.
The commission rate is 25% for all sales, which isn’t horrible but isn’t exciting either.
Details about the rest of the plan are a little sketchy. But, there is a 40 Personal Volume autoship required each month, which seems to be around $40 to $50 for a distributor.
The underlying model seems to be a variation on a unilevel plan, where you are earning from three levels. Interestingly, you get 25% from the first level, but that seems to just refer to the initial sales. It’s not clear how the scheme as a whole works, as key details are missing. But, there are ranks to progress through and the requirements for these increases quickly.
Final Thoughts: The low startup cost is an advantage with LifePlus, as is the online component. Still, the vagueness around the compensation plan is a definite issue and suggests a need for caution.
6. LifeWave
- Focus: Wellness products and patches
- Minimum Cost: $25 (for a starter kit that may contain samples)
Product Overview: LifeWave isn’t a typical health and wellness company. They still have some of the common products, like skincare items and supplements. They also sell resistance bands for working out.
But, their main focus is on patches. There are eight of these to choose from, costing $89.95 for a package of 30. The idea is that these help to promote specific outcomes, such as increasing energy.
Other companies sell patches too (Le-Vel is the most significant example). But, the ones from LifeWave are different. The patches don’t contain any chemicals, drugs or stimulants. Instead, they operate through phototherapy. This means that you’re meant to be getting benefits based on wavelengths of light.
LifeWave claims that the patches are clinically proven and they do reference a study. Honestly though, the evidence is limited. If the patch does work, it’s probably mostly due to the placebo effect. The patches are also expensive for something that doesn’t contain any active compounds.
The one advantage is that the patches are unusual. They might appeal to people who are concerned about chemicals but still want to promote their health.
Commission Quick View: LiveWave offers three pretty typical ways to earn. One is through buying and then reselling the products. Another is by having customers order from the company directly. Finally, customers can order via autoship each month.
In each case, distributors earn the difference between wholesale and retail prices. Annoyingly, LifeWave doesn’t state what the wholesale price is – so the commission rate isn’t clear.
There is also the ability to earn from the purchases of people you recruit. Basically, anyone who joins does so at one of five levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond. Each level has a starter kit, with the costs ranging from $25 to $1,499.95 (yes, really). The kits offer products, which distributors can then resell.
Distributors earn between $15 and $500 for recruiting the initial recruitment, depending on the kit that people buy. They also get a bonus when people upgrade from one to another. Some bonuses and aspects of your income potential are also tied to which kit you buy. So, if you join under the Bronze kit, your income may be more limited.
The style is a frustrating one. It pressures people into purchasing large amounts of product right from the beginning. You also need to make 55 PV in purchases each month just to sell products or 110 PV to sell from your team. As an indication, one package of the patches just comes to 39 PV. So, you’d be spending more than $100 per month to meet the minimum requirements.
The team aspect uses a binary system. In this case, you need to hit 990 points across your entire team. 660 come from one side, 330 from the other. Doing that creates a cycle and you earn from sales.
The style means you wouldn’t earn very often, especially as 990 would probably be somewhere around $1,500 in sales. That’s not easy for anyone with a small team.
Final Thoughts: LifeWave simply isn’t appealing. The products would be tough to sell and the compensation plan isn’t very good at all.
7. Sunrider
- Focus: Health-related products
- Minimum Cost: $100 (for a starter pack)
Product Overview: Sunrider occasionally markets its products as being cleaner or more natural. But, we’re including it in this list (rather than on the list of clean or organic companies) because the focus is relatively minor. Instead, most of the products are pretty typical and they’re similar to many other companies on this list.
The products themselves fall into multiple categories. There are some herbal supplements, some personal care items, some skin care products and various herbal foods and drinks. But, despite all the categories, the range isn’t extensive. Most sections on the site don’t contain many items at all.
Beyond this, the products are priced well above the market average and most aren’t very impressive either. They’re simply run-of-the-mill health products. There is no consistency to how the items are labeled, so they just end up looking low-quality.
This is a popular field, so I suppose you could make sales. But honestly, the products aren’t competitive at all. That would put you at a significant disadvantage.
Commission Quick View: Sunrider spends a large amount of time focusing on how amazing their business plan is and much less time explaining it. When they do get down to the nitty gritty – the plan doesn’t look very good at all.
First of all, there are two compensation components. The first is personal sales commission and the second is retail profit. This suggests that you’re buying and then reselling products, although Sunrider isn’t clear on this aspect. Regardless, you earn between 0% and 15% from personal sales commission (depending on your monthly sales), and 5% to 10% in retail profit (it’s unclear what this depends on).
Collectively, you’re getting at most 10% commission for selling less than 499 in volume per month, 15% for 500 to 1,999 volume, 20% for 2,000 to 4,999 volume or 25% for 5,000+ in volume. It isn’t clear what these calculate out to but 100 volume is likely to equal at least $100.
The main team aspect uses a unilevel plan. This starts out at 5% from Level 1 (people you recruit) and increases from there. Despite all the hype, there’s nothing unusual about the plan whatsoever. Instead, they use the same general rank approach as other companies, with increasing requirements and income as you go along.
The only significant difference is the amount you earn from your team. This is higher than average, getting to 10% from your first level. But, it does take more ranks to get decent depth. For example, you need to be in the sixth rank (Ace Prime) to earn from your third level.
One other note. You need to either buy or sell at least $200 of product every single month. Honestly, with the products that they have, this sounds like a tough goal.
Final Thoughts: Sunrider has an average compensation plan with products that simply aren’t impressive. While you could make money with them, the company isn’t nearly as exciting as their marketing implies.
8. Uno Premier
- Focus: Earning money
- Minimum Cost: $328 (for a package with a specific set of products, there are multiple ones to choose from)
Product Overview: Uno Premier does offer health-related products. But, they tend to emphasize their opportunity much more heavily than the products. As an indication, the website relies on phrases like ‘Making a Fortune Can Be Simpler than Making a Living’. That type of emphasis is never encouraging.
There are multiple products to choose from, with the exact selection varying from one country to the next. Some of them are pretty typical, such as supplements and coffee with added herbs. Others are a little more unusual. One example is Nutrifab Pickled Plum, which is literally a pickled plum that has been infused with components like probiotics and green tea.
The items are interesting enough that they might sell – if Uno Premier marketed them well. But, they don’t. Instead, the products look and feel low quality.
They’re also not sold individually. Uno Premier provides four types of packages to choose from, with multiple selections in each. For example, one of their Platinum packages for the USA costs $328 and contains 12 packets of Black Coffee with Stevia and packets of 6 Prime Juice with Stevia.
Details about the individual products are scare, which doesn’t help matters either.
Honestly, with so many health products out there already, it’s hard to imagine how you could sell these. Perhaps with the right sales pitch but the process wouldn’t be easy.
Commission Quick View: Uno Premier promotes a 4x4x100 compensation plan. They spend a lot of time hyping the idea but don’t actually explain it all that well. The first ‘4’ seems to be a reference to one of the 4 starter packs. The second is a reference go finding 4 people to join the company as well.
The ‘100’ refers to 100 global points, which is just a measure of sales. You need to buy or sell 100 points of product each month to earn from your team. It’s not clear what this costs in terms of money.
Distributors earn between 25% and 40% retail profit from the products that they sell. But, it’s not clear how this breaks down exactly.
Beyond this, there are various bonuses tied into sales and team building. For example, the team follows a binary model for some bonuses, where you have two teams below you. Some income comes from matching bonuses. With this, the same sale on the left and right team generates a profit.
There is also a unilevel plan, where you just earn from levels of your team, down to the tenth level. Oddly, the first level gives you 3%, the second 6%, the third 3% and it continues changing from there on.
The end result is fairly complex and poorly explained. It seems like the plan would be difficult to optimize, especially with the binary bonuses. The lack of transparency is concerning too. Uno Premier just likes to rely on hype and seems to hope that this will get people involved.
Final Thoughts: There isn’t much to get excited with about Uno Premier. The products aren’t nearly as amazing as the company implies and the compensation plan is average, at best. Honestly, I don’t see a single reason to try this company – not when you consider how many other health ones there are to choose from.
9. Vísi
- Focus: Scandinavian products
- Minimum Cost: $35 (for a success kit with unspecified contents)
Product Overview: Vísi is an interesting entry into the health and wellness field. They have a strong focus on Scandinavian-based products and techniques, along with an ingredient called artic cloudberry.
Vísi doesn’t have a large number of products but each of their items is well-presented and appears unusual. One example is Probíta, which is a chew that contains hydrolyzed collagen (it comes in Chocolate, Lingonberry and Orange flavors). Hydrolyzed collagen is popular right now and the product type is unusual.
Similar patterns are true for other products too, like their TrúKeto (a ketone supplement), Arctic White (a fluoride-free toothpaste) and Nufínna (a protein powder that includes hydrolyzed collagen, arctic cloudberry and a fruit & vegetable blend).
None of the products are entirely unique – other companies have similar items. But, they’re unusual and Vísi does a fantastic job of marketing them. The prices aren’t specified on the site. But, I imagine that passionate customers would buy them regardless.
Commission Quick View: Vísi doesn’t actually state what you earn from sales – but distributors do need to order at wholesale prices and then resell products. That design is never ideal, especially if the products are expensive.
The main alternative is to get people to join as Preferred Customers. You earn 20% from their purchases and they get a discount too. Although it isn’t stated, it’s likely that you earn less this way than by selling items yourself.
The team aspect for this company follows a binary model. Few specifics are provided but you do need both teams to reach certain goals for you to earn from them. There are also the typical team and personal sales requirements, which increase as you go up the ranks.
The system may be viable for income but it can quickly be confusing. Plus, if you have a poor team structure (like all your high performers in one team), your income could be constrained significantly.
There’s one other thing to mention – ongoing requirements. Even if you hit all your sales goals, you still need to have a 75 PV autoship with the company. This will cost you around $100. This isn’t too bad, as you can then resell what you buy. Still, it’s easy to see how the costs would add up.
Final Thoughts: While the products are decent, Vísi’s compensation plan is far from appealing. There are too many challenges involved, especially as you’re buying the products first.
10. Nikken
- Focus: Magnets and health
- Minimum Cost: $35 (for a kit with tools and possibly some products)
Product Overview: Nikken follows the same health and wellness idea that you see in the rest of this list. But, the company is a little unusual too.
The difference comes from their products. Many of them use less common approaches and technologies. For example, they’re particularly well known for magnets, which are meant to promote health and sleep. They also talk about processes like water technology and sleep technology, which are meant to produce better items.
The product selection is also unconventional. Nikken includes various sleep products, insoles, magnetic support pieces and support wraps, along with multiple other styles of product. Many of the items are expensive (like $199 for a massage tool called KenkoTouch). Still, they’re unusual enough that some people may want to use them.
There aren’t many product reviews out there. But, the range of items is still a major advantage. Most health and wellness companies sell the same general products, just with different ingredient combinations. At least Nikken has some new ideas to offer.
That being said – I’m not sure about the magnets angle. The idea that magnets can promote health is shaky at best.
Commission Quick View: Consultants for Nikken earn 25% retail profits on sales. That remains consistent no matter what. There is also a rebate of up to 20%, which could decrease your costs.
Beyond this, the plan mostly follows a unilevel design. So, you’re recruiting a team under you and progressing up through the ranks. With Nikken, team residuals are 6% for every rank, which is nice and is simpler than normal.
But, of course, each new rank comes with qualification requirements. You have to meet these every month. That includes a 100 Qualified Personal Point Volume, where you have to buy or sell at least 100 in volume every month (the monetary value isn’t stated). There are other goals too, like having qualified legs of people below you.
The end result is complicated and somewhat frustrating. But admittedly, it’s no worse than other MLMs. The design mostly means that you’d need a decent team to earn consistent income.
Final Thoughts: Nikken isn’t the best company I’ve seen, nor is it the worst. It could be a way to make money if you were passionate about the products.
11. Total Life Changes
- Focus: Weight loss and health
- Minimum Cost: $39 (for a starter kit, although it’s unclear what this contains)
Product Overview: Total Life Changes is a relatively broad company. They offer products in multiple areas, including Beauty & Hygiene, Health & Wellness, Skincare, Coffee and Essential Oils.
Some of the items are fairly typical, like a liquid multivitamin. But, others are less common. One example is Iaso Tea, which is a detox tea that’s often promoted as a weight loss aid. They also have Lucidia Charcoal Activated Toothpaste and various other items.
As always, the products aren’t cheap. Many of the supplements cost around $50, as does their Iaso Tea 5 Pack. The prices aren’t unusual for the industry, so the right audience would still buy the products.
There aren’t many reviews for most of the items, with Iaso Tea being the main exception. That has become popular in some circles. Even so, one appealing product isn’t normally enough to create a consistent income for you.
Commission Quick View: The commission rate for Total Life Changes is decent – up to 50%. That’s an impressive amount and it’s rare to see compensation plans that offer this much.
Still, that’s the most attractive part of the plan. The rest is a lot less appealing.
For one thing, Total Life Changes uses a binary model. You need to build two legs into your team and you earn based on their performance. In fact, you’re just paid on the sales of your weaker leg. It doesn’t matter how amazing the other leg is doing, you’ll see little benefit from it.
The company’s plan gets more complex the further you go along, including various complex concepts and jargon that isn’t fully explained. Such patterns make income difficult to optimize, as does the binary model.
Beyond all of this, there are ongoing costs. You need to order at least $40 of products every month. Higher ranks require orders of $80 and then $120. Total Life Changes also sells leadership packs for $199, $499 and $999. These increase your commission rates, which is a very manipulative practice.
Final Thoughts: The one saving grace with Total Life Changes is their commission rate. If you love the products and just want to make sales, it could be worth it. But, if you want to build a team too – I recommend finding a better company.
12. Herbalife
- Focus: Supplements and nutrition
- Minimum Cost: $35/year (membership fee, does not include products)
Product Overview: Herbalife is one of the most well-known network marketing companies out there – and it’s been subject to a fair share of controversy. In fact, there was even a lawsuit that required Herbalife to pay a settlement of $200 million. Despite this, Herbalife continues to be successful and the products are popular.
Herbalife offers a significant range of products in the health and nutrition field. This includes various protein shakes, supplements and nutrition supplements. None of them are particularly unusual or amazing. Instead, they’re similar patterns that you’ll see from other companies.
Despite this, there is considerable hype around the products and they remain popular. I’ve also personally noticed that some of the food products do taste good and many other people clearly agree.
That being said, the products are expensive. For example, you pay $21.30 for a box of 14 protein bars and $50.50 for a 22-serving container of protein shake mix. Those prices would be too high for many people on a regular basis (they’re more than I would spend).
Commission Quick View: Herbalife’s compensation plan has been through many changes, as the company tries to find an approach that makes regulators happy. Annoyingly, the company remains tight-lipped about their compensation plan, making it tough to work out exactly what is currently involved.
But, they have dropped out many of their extra costs and ongoing requirements, which should make it a safer company than many others.
Some complexities do remain. For example, distributors need to specify why they are ordering each time they do so. If they’re ordering for a customer, the customer’s details need to be provided. Distributors also need to keep receipts for sales that they make. The end result is much more paperwork than most other MLMs.
Herbalife does also state that members earn 8% to 25% commission from sales. This is obtained partly by purchasing at a discount and then reselling. This is on the low end for commission rates. Many other companies start at 20% or 25%, with a higher maximum rate.
Final Thoughts: Herbalife’s history makes it very questionable and the company’s reputation has been damaged. This aspect alone would make success tough to find. Besides, when you get down to it, there are far too many paperwork requirements in their compensation plan.
13. b:hip
- Focus: Basic health items
- Minimum Cost: $49.95/year (to join and access their software, no products are provided)
Product Overview: b:hip considers itself to be exceptional. Yet, there’s nothing particularly unusual about their products or their compensation plan. In total, they just have 13 different products. This includes some very typical items, like protein shakes, skincare creams and a metabolism-boosting supplement.
Thankfully, there are some less common items in the mix too. One is Noni Gia, which is an antioxidant drink. There is also Red For Men and Pink For Women. These are drinks designed to meet the needs of each gender.
Oddly there is also a lubricant, which doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the products.
Aside from the lube, most health and wellness companies will have similar products, just with a different combination of ingredients. This is true for the versions from b:hip and the items are also expensive. For example, the shakes have a retail price of $65 and only contain 15 servings.
The prices aren’t absurd for this industry. But, they’re still going to be too high for many customers.
Commission Quick View: b:hip uses an online store for sales, so you don’t need to purchase first and then try to resell. The commission rate starts at around 10%, which is extremely low. This can be increased to 30% by progressing up the ranks.
You can also purchase a more expensive pack to skip straight to the high commission rate. That’s an advantage, I suppose. Just be careful. The style means that you need to invest a considerable amount of money before you know what the income potential truly is.
To stay active, you need at least 50 Personal Volume every four weeks. It’s not clear what this calculates out to but it’s probably $50 or more.
As for the team aspect, b:hip runs off a typical binary model, with a left and a right team. This time, you need to hit 500 Business Volume on both teams. Whenever you do, you earn $50 outright. There are various other bonuses and ways to earn as well.
For the most part, the plan is typical. It’s not amazing but it’s not horrible either.
The biggest limitation is the commission rate. 10% is pretty low for this industry. You can increase it but that involves paying money or going up through the ranks. Neither pattern is ideal.
Final Thoughts: For most people, b:hip wouldn’t be a good choice. The products aren’t competitive enough and the compensation plan is on the low end.
14. Qivana
- Focus: Health, energy and skincare
- Minimum Cost: $45 (it’s not clear what you get for this fee)
Product Overview: Qivana claims to be different. Instead of offering an overwhelming number of products, they have just a few key ranges, each offering specific health benefits. There are five of these in total:
- Shoq: An energy drink, in the form of a shot
- Qore System: Nutrient supplements to help improve health and promote optimal aging.
- Prime: A supplement designed to increase nitric oxide levels, improving blood flow.
- Metaboliq System: Includes shakes and supplements that are designed to promote weight loss.
- Skinshift: A skincare range.
The names are annoying and most seem to just play on the ‘q’ from Qivana. The products themselves are interesting enough, but it’s still not clear whether they’d sell.
One issue is the evidence. Qivana has plenty of rhetoric concerning what these items do and how they’re meant to work. But, there simply isn’t any proof. The items are fairly expensive too. For example, six tiny bottles of the Shoq energy drink costs $25, while a 60-pack of Qore Essentials costs $105.
Those are pretty high prices and you don’t have many products to promote.
Commission Quick View: Commissions from Qivana are based on the difference between distributor price and what customers pay. But, you don’t need to buy the products first. Sales can be made through a replicated website. Qivana doesn’t specify what the distributor price is, so the profit margin isn’t clear.
To earn from your team, you first need to meet various requirements. These include hitting 100 PV (Personal Volume) in sales and 500 GV (Group Volume) in your team each month. You also need two recruits, one in your left and the other in your right team. These need to have at least 50 PV every four weeks.
If you meet all those goals, you can earn through a binary model. This is fairly simple – you get 10% of the sales volume from your lesser leg. The approach works best when you have two teams that both perform well. If only one of your teams is effective, the amount you earn could be very low.
Qivana does have various other ways to learn, including generational commissions and a car bonus. Accessing these involves building a successful team and meeting various goals along the way.
Final Thoughts: The main problem with Qivana is the ongoing requirements. These are pretty high, especially when you’re just getting started in building a team.
15. FuXion
- Focus: Multiple areas of wellness
- Minimum Cost: $40 (for an enrollment kit with some products)
Product Overview: FuXion breaks their products into three key sections: Cleansing, Nutrition & Regeneration and Energy & Revitalization. There are multiple items within these sections, including areas like immune support, weight management and sports performance.
The company spends a lot of time talking about how amazing their products are and how they can dramatically benefit health. I’m sure there are some health advantages – but the claims feel exaggerated to me.
Most of the products are typical for the industry but the marketing is very well done. For example, they have a drink called Berry Balance, which contains various plant-based compounds, including proanthocyanins. Everything about the way this is promoted makes this sound amazing. Yet, many other companies have powdered drink mixes that work in roughly the same way.
Prices aren’t provided, which is frustrating. But, with all the marketing, the items are unlikely to be cheap
Honestly, for this industry, the products aren’t bad. They’re overhyped and probably expensive but you could still make sales. It’s also tough to find a health company that doesn’t rely on extensive marketing, to some degree.
Commission Quick View: Commission from FuXion comes from buying and then reselling products. You get a discount on purchases, which is strongly related to your personal sales (called Personal Volume or PV). The larger the discount, the more you make on sales.
This starts out low, at just 10% discount. It progressively increases to 50%, if you can meet the required sales targets. As an indication, you need 100 PV per month to hit 20% commission, 500 PV to reach 30% commission, 2,000 for 40% commission and 4,000 for 50% commission. The ratio of PV to dollars isn’t stated. But, 100 PV is likely to be at least $100 in sales and probably closer to $150.
The style puts you at a serious disadvantage. Purchase first means you need to invest money in the products and then try to sell them. The risk is higher with FuXion, simply because the initial discount isn’t that great.
The team aspect follows a unilevel plan, which goes up to six levels deep. In this case, distributors earn 5% from Level 1 at the first rank and then 6% from Level 1 and 3% from Level 2 at the second rank. The percentages aren’t amazing but they’re decent enough. At the later ranks, distributors can earn as much as 10% from their first level.
There are various bonuses as well, including a binary system where you are building two teams.
I hate this type of complexity. But, there are no serious red flags. The compensation plan is similar to many others in the industry. The worst aspect is just the purchase first component and even that isn’t so unusual.
Final Thoughts: While FuXion’s compensation plan isn’t amazing, the company does a great job at marketing their products. That aspect could make it a viable choice – just make sure you’re aware of all ongoing requirements first.
16. Shaklee
- Focus: Healthy lives
- Minimum Cost: $19.95 (for a welcome pack, which doesn’t seem to contain products)
Product Overview: Shaklee focuses on multiple aspects of health, including skincare, weight loss and nutrition. Shaklee also extends the focus to include a healthy home. To do this, they offer various cleaning products, like cloths and sprays. These are meant to be better for you than selections from a local grocery store.
The products are pretty much what you’d expect and are similar to other companies. This includes various vitamin supplements, protein shakes, supplements for specific benefits (like mental performance or weight loss) and similar items.
The range isn’t huge, with some sections only having a handful of products. But, the variety of different options may help to promote sales.
Shaklee does also have a few more unusual aspects. One is a strong focus on quality, including the idea of ‘safe, pure, and effective nutrition’. That phrase is simply marketing, of course, and the terms are pretty vague. Still, the angle would help you to promote sales.
A second aspect is personalized health. Shaklee provides personalized health recommendations and scores based on a questionnaire. This then provides an additional way for distributors to promote products and to help people improve their health.
Both angles should, theoretically, make Shaklee easier to promote. Many people are also passionate about their products. Plus, Shaklee manages to avoid much of the controversy that surrounds newer health and wellness companies.
Still, the products aren’t especially unusual for the field and competition will be fierce. You would need to heavily rely on marketing to get consistent sales.
Commission Quick View: Shaklee follows a purchase-first model, which is its first serious limitation. You buy the products yourself and then sell them on to customers. Your commission is the difference between the price you pay and what you sell the item for.
As I’ve mentioned before, purchase-first can be tricky. You normally need to guess what customers are going to want. That’s especially problematic with a company like Shaklee when there are so many different products to choose from. You may be able to get people to tell you what they want first (and perhaps even pay). But, the style is still risky and customers are often unpredictable.
Shaklee states that the average difference is around 16% if you’re selling to a Preferred Member or around 36% if you’re selling to someone who hasn’t joined Shaklee themselves. The first rate isn’t great but the second one is decent.
You also earn by getting people to buy one of the initial starter packs and to get an autoship. This is done by awarding Power Bonus points. If you can hit 15 of those points, you get $150 outright.
The team aspect doesn’t seem to follow any traditional design. Instead, commission seems to come from your team as a whole. For example, Shaklee states that Associates earn between 12% and 14% on the team volume. But, there are no details about precisely how this breaks down.
Regardless, there are various individual team bonuses and a rank system to progress through. The general goal is to grow your team’s size and increase sales. The more you can do this, the greater the income potential.
Final Thoughts: The products from Shaklee are decent enough and the compensation plan isn’t horrible either. The largest limitation is the purchase-first aspect. This is something you should seriously weigh up before getting involved.
17. Zurvita
- Focus: Weight loss and nutrition
- Minimum Cost: $35 (to enroll with the company)
Product Overview: Zurvita talks about ‘a higher way of life’ and the idea of promoting a healthy lifestyle. But, the same concepts really apply to every company on this list. So, what makes this one unique?
The products are broken into three key categories. The first is Zeal for Life. This is promoted as an all-in-one blend but it’s basically just a liquid supplement. It might be a good source of vitamin and antioxidants – although many other products (and foods!) offer the same advantages.
The next is Zurvita Protein. This category contains two flavors, available in protein powder and protein shake form.
The final area is the Zurvita Transformation System. This is a weight management protein and contains a combination of products and education. Whether it works or not is debatable. But, you’re basically just getting protein shakes, some weight loss supplements and a few related items. Plenty of other companies have a similar combination.
To make matters worse, Zurvita provides few details about the products, their ingredients or pricing. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
The one positive thing is that Zurvita has at least updated their packaging since the last time I reviewed them. The company looks more high-quality now, which might help you to sell the products.
Commission Quick View: Distributors for Zurvita make sales through a replicated website, earning 20% commissions. They also make 20% commission on any introductory packs that new distributors purchase. This commission never increases, regardless of your success.
20% per sale is still decent enough – and it’s higher than most affiliate marketing companies. But, the rate is low for this field.
The main other way to earn is through team residuals. Zurvita follows a classic unilevel plan for this, one that includes eight different ranks and eight levels. The plan is easy to follow, as it simply involves 5% residuals from your team for every level. As always, the levels you can earn from are associated with your ranks but, that’s as complex as it gets.
The ranks are permanent but the bonuses aren’t. This means that you still need to maintain all of the qualifications to earn at a given level. Thankfully, Zurvita does have relatively simple criteria for ranks. Each level just has a required personal sales volume and team sales volume. No more than 60% of the latter volume can come from one leg – but that’s the main requirement.
All-in-all, the plain is fairly simple. Even the bonuses are easy enough to understand and take advantage of. That’s refreshing, especially as so many MLMs are complicated.
Of course, you do still need to progress through the ranks. To do that, you and your team would need to make consistent sales. And remember, you’re promoting fairly typical protein shakes and supplements.
Final Thoughts: While the products aren’t unique, Zurvita’s compensation plan isn’t too bad. At least the plan is easy to follow and doesn’t have many unusual complexities.
18. Xooma Worldwide
- Focus: ‘Cutting-edge’ health and wellness products
- Minimum Cost: No joining fee
Product Overview: Xooma Worldwide talks big, focusing on how their products are cutting-edge and life-changing. But, that’s not really true at all. Xooma Worldwide simply has a fairly small selection of products and many of them are typical. For example, there are metabolism boosting supplements, a fiber supplement and a protein fiber shake.
Still, there are some more unusual ones in the mix too. One example is X20, which is a mineral complex you add to water. It’s meant to add extra nutrients into your water but there is little evidence about health benefits. For the most part, the sachet is just a way to make your water alkaline. Some people claim that doing so is amazing for health, while others disagree.
Another example is a product called Silver MAX which is a homeopathic first aid gel.
In most cases, there isn’t much (or any) evidence that the product will be effective. But, this may not matter. People often convince themselves that this type of product works, simply through the placebo effect.
The real question is what you think about the items. If you find them to be effective for yourself, you may be able to convince others to buy them too. If that’s not the case, you’d be fighting an uphill battle.
Commission Quick View: The main method of earning is retail sales. You purchase the products first and then sell them on. The profit margin ranges from 20% to 50%, depending on the products and what you sell them for.
There is also the ability to sell via a replicated website. When you do this, the commission rate is 24%. You also earn 10% from the orders of customers of people you’ve personally recruited.
The team aspect operates through a binary plan, where you need to build a left and a right team. Each time you hit $160 in pay volume (PV) in the lesser leg, the team cycles and you earn either 10% or 15% of the PV from just that leg. The cycling happens each time the required volume is reached and can lead to significant income.
Of course, you’re basically just earning from half of your downline. If both of your teams are very effective, this shouldn’t matter too much. But, if one of your teams is powerful, while the other is much weaker, your overall income would be limited.
There is also a unilevel generational plan that allows you to earn matching bonuses from your team (up to 10%). This adds to the potential income but it is another complexity that you need to consider.
Final Thoughts: Xooma Worldwide is typical in many ways. The compensation plan isn’t amazing but it isn’t horrible. The same is true for the products.
19. Synergy Worldwide
- Focus: Health products
- Minimum Cost: $150 (for your initial purchase)
Product Overview: Synergy Worldwide is meant to be an ‘elite health company’, but they’re pretty typical for the field. The product selection has a strong emphasis on supplements, including fairly typical options like vitamin D3, omega-3 and CoQ10. There are also supplements that support specific health goals, like weight loss, detoxing and heart health.
The most unusual thing is that they have two liquid supplements. One is called Liquid Chlorophyll, which includes extracts from alfalfa and barley grass. The other is Mistica. That one is basically just açai berry extract. There are some skincare items too.
Honestly, the products are typical. They are well marketed and Synergy Worldwide doesn’t make too many absurd claims. But, you’ll still find similar products from countless other companies.
The one advantage is that Synergy Worldwide doesn’t overcharge. For example, their CoQ10 supplement costs $24 retail for 30 pills. That’s still more expensive than a local store but the price is pretty reasonable for this industry.
Commission Quick View: Synergy Worldwide follows the purchase and resale model, which seems to be very popular in this industry. Synergy Worldwide recommends either a 20% or a 30% markup (the recommendation varies depending on where you look).
This style means there is no single retail price for most products. Instead, individual distributors will set their own. This can get complicated fast. For example, some of the people you recruit will be promoting to a similar audience as you are. If their prices are slightly lower, your sales may get more difficult. This competition could easily decrease your income potential.
The team-based aspect is called a business matrix or a tree. For the most part, this follows a binary model. As such, you’ve got a left and a right leg. You then earn 10% on the lesser of the two legs. There are various associated bonuses too.
This style only works well if both of your teams are powerful. If one side makes many sales and the other doesn’t, your income ends up being restricted. Even then, you’re just earning 10% on half of your team (at best!). This is often less than what you earn through a unilevel model.
There are also three qualification requirements. Basic Qualification means an order of at least 60 CV (Commissionable Volume) each month. Standard Qualification means a 120 CV order or a 100 CV autoship. Elite Qualification means an autoship of at least 150 CV. This last one also gives you a rebate on purchases.
Those requirements mean significant ongoing costs. But, they’re mostly associated with the team aspect. If you just want to make sales, the main requirement is a 240 CV purchase once every six months.
Final Thoughts: The compensation plan from Synergy Worldwide is achievable but it’s also complicated. And honestly, it doesn’t seem worth it. Other companies offer better compensation with fewer complexities.
20. Vemma
- Focus: Liquid supplements and energy drinks
- Minimum Cost: $68 (for a starter pack or an initial 60 QV order)
Product Overview: Vemma has a rough history. It was called a pyramid scheme by the Federal Trade Commission back in 2015 and received considerable negative press at the time. Despite this, Vemma is still active and popular, which means you can potentially earn money from them. But, be careful. There were legitimate reasons for the controversy surrounding Vemma and many distributors were losing money through the company.
The product selection is a little different than the other companies on this list. Vemma has a relatively small range but each of their items are distinctive. Many of the products are drinks of some type.
One example is a drink they simply call Vemma. It contains extracts from aloe, mangosteen, green tea and various other ingredients. Vemma claims this is ‘quite possibly the most powerful liquid antioxidant available’. I wouldn’t take it that far personally, especially as antioxidants are common.
Another product is Verve Energy Drink. This is basically designed as a healthier energy drink. So, it still contains caffeine but it also relies on plant-based ingredients and avoids anything artificial.
The end result is a different set of products than most other companies. Many of them are popular too. Still, they do cost more than regular energy drinks or antioxidant drinks, and not everyone will agree that they’re worth the price.
Commission Quick View: Like many companies, Vemma gives two ways to earn. The first is via a purchase-first mechanism, where you buy and then resell. The second is when customers buy directly from the company (via autoship or a replicated website).
Either way, the commission is the difference between the wholesale and retail price, typically around 20%.
The team aspect runs through a binary plan, on a weekly basis. For your downline to cycle, you need at least 360 points in one of your teams and 180 in the other. When this happens, you earn a commission of roughly $20. This can happen multiple times in a single week, potentially creating a large amount of income.
But, the binary model means that both teams need to perform well. If you have one that makes barely any sales, that’s going to limit your income dramatically. There are other bonuses too. Many of these rely on your team and the way that sales match.
To remain active with the company, you need 25 Qualifying Volume (QV) each month. This comes from purchases of your customers and anyone you have enrolled. If you want to earn from your team, this requirement increases to 50 QV.
Vemma also has a 51% rule (partly due to all the FTC issues). This means at least 51% of your volume needs to come from customers – not recruits.
One good thing is that rank in the company isn’t based on your team structure or sales. Instead, it is simply based on the number of cycles in a four-week period. This might make it easier to progress to the higher ranks.
Final Thoughts: The product selection and compensation plan from Vemma aren’t too bad now. But, be aware of the company’s history. This is likely to make recruitment more difficult and could impact sales as well.
21. Nature’s Sunshine
- Focus: Wide range of health products
- Minimum Cost: $40 (fee is for purchasing a product)
Product Overview: Nature’s Sunshine is another broad health company. They focus on many different areas, including children’s health, enzymes, fiber, essential oils, probiotics and traditional Chinese medicine.
There’s nothing unusual or exciting about the products. But, Nature’s Sunshine doesn’t excessively hype them either, which is nice. As always, the formulations used here will be slightly different than other companies. Those differences aren’t typically enough to promote dramatic health benefits. But, they’re something to focus on with marketing.
The main other thing to mention is pricing. Many of the products are fairly inexpensive for the industry. For example, their Super Supplemental Vitamin & Mineral (a multivitamin) costs $30.40 retail or $20.25 for members. The container contains 120 tablets, which totals to 30 servings. This still isn’t cheap – but it’s more reasonable than many other options.
The wide product range is also an advantage. This should make sales easier. The idea is much more powerful than attempting to just promote a handful of products or only focusing on one area, like supplements.
Commission Quick View: The compensation approach from Nature’s Sunshine is a little odd. Specifically, they offer two different plans – a Classic Plan and a Legacy Plan, which operate on a monthly basis. In both cases, the amount you earn is based on the sales of your group (which includes your own sales).
On the Classic plan, you earn 10% if you make between 100 and 299 Group Qualification Volume (QV). This goes all the way up to 30%, if you hit a QV of 3,000 or more. There are various stages in the middle too. Most people probably wouldn’t reach anywhere near 3,000 QV each month, but some of the intermediate stages may be more viable.
The Legacy plan offers 10% commission for 100 to 499 QV. This goes up to 20% for a QV of 1,000 or more. Both plans have other complexities too and the precise amount you earn will be influenced by a range of factors.
The interesting thing is that the plans offer no commission at all for totals less than 99 QV per month. So, you need to hit at least that amount to earn from the company.
There is also the ability to earn residuals from your team. This is based on the two plans as well, along with group volume. The system is unusual in another way too – your rank is based on the number of first-level Managers and total Managers in your downline. This means that you need to get other people promoted so that you can increase your income.
You need to be the Manager rank yourself to earn from your team. To stay at this rank, you need 100 QV in your own purchases each month, along with 1,000 QV in your team.
Personally, I don’t like this compensation plan. It is much more complicated than normal and many of the criteria aren’t explained well. Even if you fully understand the plan, optimizing your income would be difficult indeed, especially due to the ongoing costs.
Final Thoughts: If the products from Nature’s Sunshine were amazing, the company might be worth it despite the compensation plan. But, the combination of a confusing compensation plan and average products simply isn’t worth it.
22. USANA
- Focus: Nutrition and skincare
- Minimum Cost: $29.95 (for a business development system, no products)
Product Overview: Products from USANA fall into three key categories: Nutritionals, Food & Energy and Skincare. Each area is roughly what the name suggests.
For example, Nutritionals includes various supplements, like antioxidants, probiotics and a CoQ10 supplement. Many of these are pretty conventional, while some are a little bit unusual. The prices range from around $20 to around $60, depending on the product. Even so, most are reasonably priced for MLM supplements.
A similar pattern is true for Food & Energy. The product range includes various protein shakes, powders to add to water and an energy drink. The pricing is expensive if you compare the products to similar ones from a grocery store. But, the cost isn’t so bad when compared to other MLMs.
Reviews for the products are mostly positive, although any review should be taken with a grain of salt. Some reviewers will be distributors, others will be victims of the placebo effect. That being said, the pattern does suggest that any customers will be happy with their purchases.
Commission Quick View: The main way to earn from USANA is retail sales. Specifically, you purchase the products and then sell them for ‘an immediate profit’. But… it’s not clear what that profit margin is. The compensation plan isn’t much help – it focuses almost entirely on earning from your team.
The team aspect uses a typical binary model. You start out with one Business Center and two teams (a left team and a right team). You earn commissions based on when the sales of your left team match your right team. Commissions are 20% of the sales volume.
For example, if your left team made 300 Group Volume in sales and your right made 500 Group Volume, your earnings would be calculated at 20% of that 300. The style works well enough – as long as both of your teams perform well. If only one does, you start to run into problems.
If you progress far enough, you can have up to three Business Centers, each with two teams. Needless to say, that process is much more complex. Many people won’t get that far either.
Still, as annoying as the design is, USANA’s binary model isn’t too bad. Many other companies offer just 10% of the sales from one of your teams. You’re getting 20% here, which is much better.
Final Thoughts: I’m not a fan of purchase-first models or the binary design. But, USANA is a surprisingly decent company despite these aspects.
23. Ardyss
- Focus: Nutrition, shapeware and skincare
- Minimum Cost: $269 (to join, it’s not clear whether you receive any products)
Product Overview: Ardyss is a UK-based MLM and they have a rather odd combination of products. Their selection includes various nutrition items but they also have a significant range of shapewear pieces as well. These are pretty unusual and there is a considerable range to choose from.
I guess that selection would help you target a wider audience. But honestly, it just feels like the products are too different from one another.
From the health angle, Ardyss offers a few types of products. This includes a selection of supplements, one protein shake and a weight loss drink mix. There are also liquid supplements that rely on juice and plant extracts. Ardyss is another company that also offers coffee with extra ingredients. One of these has collagen added, while another contains green tea extract and Ganoderma Lucidum (a combination other companies use these too).
None of the items are unusual and the pricing seems pretty typical.
Personally, Ardyss only feels worth the effort if you’re going to promote the shapewear. That aspect is unusual and somewhat competitive. In contrast, these nutrition products are run-of-the-mill. It’s hard to imagine customers getting excited about them.
Commission Quick View: Ardyss is yet another company using the buy and then resell model. Distributors get a discount of 40%. You can increase this to 65% if you join as a Brand Partner (which costs $999).
A 40% discount isn’t too bad and a 65% one is even better. It’s easy to see how that could lead to decent income. But remember, this only works if you can resell most or all of the products that you purchase. If you end up with leftover items, then your overall profit would be lower. You might even spend more than you earn.
The team aspect follows a unilevel plan and starts out at 5% from your first level. At the next rank, you earn 10% from your second level. Each rank after that adds another level (up to eight), at 5% for each. The totals are decent enough for the industry and there are other bonuses too.
Of course, you do have to progress through those ranks. Each has distinct requirements, but these are simple. The main requirement is just to hit certain group sales goals. The structure of your team doesn’t seem to matter.
On a side note, having to buy first could get complicated with Ardyss. The company strongly focuses on shapewear and this is highly specific to body type. The items are also expensive. Buying the right items in the right size could be challenging, especially if some people change their mind after seeing the piece in person.
Final Thoughts: The purchase-first aspect is still a limitation of Ardyss. However, the rest of the plan is decent enough for an MLM and at least it is easy to follow.
24. Evolv Health
- Focus: Integrative health
- Minimum Cost: $59.95 (for a starter kit, which mostly focuses on business supplies)
Product Overview: Evolv Health (or sometimes just evolv) focusing on the idea of dramatically improving health. This includes an emphasis on reducing inflammation and lowering leptin resistance.
To do this, they offer a relatively small range of nutrition products. They include examples like the Evolv Lifebar (meant to promote fat burning), Evolv Daily (a whole food supplement), Evolv Shake (a protein shake) and Evolv Fuel (a powder that you mix into water, which provides energy).
These are all marketed well and Evolv Health has plenty of rhetoric to make the products sound amazing. There is even a science page that offers some proof about specific ingredients.
Everything makes the products like they’re revolutionary for health. But, of course, they’re not even that unusual. We’ve already seen many similar items on this list. Countless other companies offer alternatives too. Evolv Health hides its prices, but distributor websites show that the products aren’t cheap.
I have no doubt that some people will see benefits. Products like protein shakes often promote weight loss and supplements can be beneficial for anyone not eating a balanced diet. But, let’s be honest, there’s nothing unique here.
One side note is that Evolv Health does have a strong social focus, which includes supporting children in need. This may be relevant if you plan to be a distributor, as it is an unusual angle and would appeal to some potential customers.
Commission Quick View: With Evolv Health, sales are mostly made through a replicated website. Customers can sign up for autoship or buy the products individually. Distributors get 10% of the sale total as a commission, along with 55% of the PV.
This commission rate is unusually low, as is the PV. Many MLMs give you the entire volume for any order, not just half.
There is also a 1, 2, Free program, which means provides you with free product as a bonus. That’s nice but it’s not very helpful if you’re trying to make money. You can also earn a bonus from recruiting people, if they purchase a starter kit and there are other bonuses too.
Bonuses aside, the main way to earn is by developing a team. Evolv Health follows a binary design, where you have two teams. Your Pay Team is whichever one is least successful and you earn 10% of their volume. You also need to have a qualifying order of 75 PV in the previous three weeks to get the bonus.
Final Thoughts: The products from Evolv Health look appealing and could possibly sell. But, the compensation plan isn’t great. You earn relatively little from sales and the binary aspect is always a significant limitation.
25. Reliv International
- Focus: Health
- Minimum Cost: $50 (for a distributor kit, which contains business information and tools but no products)
Product Overview: The health industry really is crowded and Reliv International is yet another entry. My biggest problem with the company is that they’re simply not impressive. Everything about their website feels generic and they make the same general claims that we’ve seen time and time again.
Some companies pull the approach off well, creating products that look amazing and marketing that’s very convincing. That’s not the case here.
This is particularly obvious with the products. They’re marketed as premium but they’re just typical. I only counted 19 on the website and that includes a couple of packs.
There is some evidence about health benefits and a few studies highlighted across the site. This may be enough to promote sales, but I’m not personally convinced. The products are expensive and their visual style makes them feel cheap and low-quality.
Commission Quick View: Reliv provides a commission rate of 20% to 40%, based on your sales in the company. This allows you to earn more on your sales, if you can move high volumes per month.
The company seems to be using a purchase first and then resell model but this isn’t clear. They don’t actually specify how people make retail sales, just that sales are how you earn.
The team aspect seems to follow a variation of a unilevel plan. However, your commission is also partly based on how many Front Line Master Affiliates are in your downline (this is a specific rank that people can achieve). This means you don’t just need to grow a team, you also need to make sure some of your recruits get promoted. Doing so is much more difficult.
Reliv doesn’t explain their compensation plan well either. There are multiple other requirements and factors to consider, along with extra ways to earn. The end result is that you could make money but the plan would be difficult to optimize.
Final Thoughts: Honestly, Reliv just isn’t exciting. The plan might work well enough but getting consistent sales would be extremely difficult. Realistically, there just isn’t enough to make the products stand out.
26. LifeSpan Global
- Focus: Premium nutritional supplements
- Minimum Cost: Free to join
Product Overview: LifeSpan Global offers a small range of health products, including ImmuniPro, LifeCleanze, PhytAlive! and Silver Biotics. These sound amazing but they’re not so unusual. For example, PhytAlive! is a nutritional supplement that includes plant extracts to provide various nutrients and antioxidants.
There are two silver-based products: Silver Biotics and ASAP365 Silver Gel. They’re both based on the idea that silver can offer significant benefits. Whether that’s true is fairly debatable.
Beyond these items, there is an Ascential Life range. This includes essential oils, bar soaps, bath bombs and handcrafted holiday bar soaps. These products help LifeSpan stand out a bit but they’re a little odd too.
Commission Quick View: The base commission rate for LifeSpan is 12% and that seems to remain consistent. Oddly, you earn 12% from your own customers and also on the sales of the people that you recruit. That pattern could mean more income if you have a decent team, although it does mean you’re earning less per sale.
The team-based aspect operates through a pretty simple unilevel plan and the commission per level is pretty high. For example, you’re earning 11% on the sales of your second level and 10% of your third level (once you hit the appropriate rank). That’s more than most other options.
LifeSpan is free to join but it does have ongoing requirements. You need to personally purchase $45 of products each month and have at least one active customer. This type of purchase requirement is annoying. Even if you love the products, having to buy them regularly makes it harder to develop a consistent income stream.
The purchase requirements also increase dramatically with the ranks – all the way to $180 of products per month. That’s a huge investment, especially as LifeSpan doesn’t seem to run a reselling model.
Final Thoughts: Because it is free to join, LifeSpan Global is a low risk choice. You’re also earning a decent amount from your team. But, the purchase requirements are high and you’re not earning much from individual sales. The company would only be worth it if you could build a decent team.
27. Healthy Habits Global
- Focus: Coffee, nutrition and emissions
- Minimum Cost: $100 (for a starter pack, which includes some products)
Product Overview: Healthy Habits Global suggests that they focus on healthy habits. That’s partly accurate, I guess. Basically, they have three product ranges that are roughly associated with one another.
The first range is T.A.G.G infused beverages. The acronym refers to Tongkat Ali, Ganoderma and Ginseng. These are meant to offer powerful benefits, which is why you’ll see them in coffee from other companies too.
The health advantages are debatable. Even if the herbs do offer some benefits, they’re unlikely to live up to the long list of advantages that Healthy Habits Global lists. That list includes things like preventing fever, preventing a hangover (as if!), burning fat, decreasing stress and stimulating muscle growth.
The second set of products are nutrition-based. They’re mostly just supplements and not very exciting ones either. The final area is just a single product, which is a fuel enhancer. I have no idea whether this works or not. But honestly, who is going to buy a fuel enhancer from a health and nutrition company?
Product pricing varies dramatically. The hot drinks are relatively inexpensive. Most are $23.95 retail, although that’s still pricey for instant coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The supplements aren’t great and the fuel enhancer costs $99.95 retail. When you combine the pricing, poor product design and unrealistic claims, the odds of making sales seem pretty low.
Commission Quick View: Healthy Habits Global offers either 20% or 40% commission per sale. You need to sell 50 Personal Volume (PV) for the 20% tier and 100 PV for the 40% tier. This is likely to be at least $50 of product per month, if not more. Getting 40% for hitting 100 PV isn’t that bad. Companies often have higher requirements for that type of commission rate.
If you can’t reach those sales goals, you can also get the 20% by buying 100 volume of product yourself. That’s an easy solution but it does cut into your profit margin.
Beyond this, you’re earning from a team. There is a fast start bonus but the main approach is through a unilevel plan. In this case, you get 5% commission from most levels, except your third level (which gives 10% – for some reason). You also earn from your first two levels at the initial rank, which is pretty good. The percentages aren’t the greatest in the industry but they’re not horrible either.
Most success would come from the higher ranks in Healthy Habits Global. Progressing up the ranks involves hitting group sales targets and having a certain number of active recruits (ones that you personally sponsor). This last requirement is unusual. It means that you can’t just grow a large team, you also need to be sure you recruit enough people directly.
Final Thoughts: I’m really not convinced about the products here and the ongoing requirements are frustrating. You could earn money, I’m sure. But honestly, Healthy Habits Global just doesn’t have enough going for it.
28. Sanki Global
- Focus: Japanese science
- Minimum Cost: $25 (joining fee)
Product Overview: Sanki Global has a distinctly Japanese angle, which is the inspiration behind the company’s name as well. They just offer three main products:
- Belage ($59.00 retail). A supplement containing extracts from rosemary and olive leaves, which you add to water. It is meant to improve cellular health and is an antioxidant.
- Kronuit Fire ($69.50 retail). An antioxidant powder made from green tea extract and black bean extract. The supplement seems to be designed for evening use, as a way to help lower blood sugar absorption.
- Inner 7 ($59.00 retail). Purified deep sea water. The goal is to help balance the pH level in your body. Of course, our bodies do that on their own – but this type of product is common and tends to be popular.
There is also a sample pack that contains four sticks of Belage and Kronuit Fire. That costs $80 for four packs.
All three products are unusual and they’re interesting for that reason alone. Sanki Global makes them sound amazing too, which is good for sales.
Of course, the concepts aren’t unique. Belage and Kronuit Fire are basically just antioxidant supplements. They get their antioxidants from different places than normal and would contain some different compounds. Even so, they’re not that different than other products.
Commission Quick View: Sanki doesn’t offer much direct information about their compensation plan. There are some YouTube videos but they’re filled with more hype than actual information.
For example, the main video mentions that you can earn from retail sales and Preferred Customer sales. But, there are no details about how much you actually make.
Most of the team-based aspect seems to operate through bonuses, not through team residuals. This includes various bonuses for getting matching sales between different legs of your team, along with fast start bonuses.
There are also ranks that you can progress through. Income is likely to increase as you go up those ranks. But again, there aren’t many details.
Final Thoughts: The products from Sanki are well-marketed and are unusual enough to sell. But, with so little information available, it’s not clear whether Sanki is decent as a way to make money.
29. IDLife
- Focus: Health and weight loss
- Minimum Cost: Free (if you can sell two starter kits or hit 500 volume) or $199 (for a starter kit with various products)
Product Overview: IDLife is typical in many ways. Their products include items like protein shakes and powders that you can add to water for extra energy or nutrition.
I also need to admit that some of their products are decent. For example, their protein shakes contain 23 grams of whey protein and only 4 grams of sugar. That’s not too bad for this industry and I’ve seen plenty of less appealing shakes out there. They do have some slightly more unusual items too, such as Sleep Strips, KIDS Nut Free Bars and even a smart scale.
The products are, of course, on the expensive side. For example, you pay $46.99 for a 15-serving bag of the shakes or $45.99 for 10 individual sachets. That’s much more than you’d pay locally for a similar nutrient composition.
There are also Garmin devices, which are a little different. These include watches, scales and fitness trackers. I haven’t seen any other MLM sell products like these, giving IDLife a distinct advantage. You probably wouldn’t make many sales of them, but they’re priced high, so the commission would be decent.
To make sales, you’d certainly need a passionate audience, with people willing to invest in their health. Thankfully, these types of product are popular, so sales are possible. Plus, IDLife does have a decent range and some interesting options. Those aspects could be enough to get people interested.
Commission Quick View: Distributors can make sales through a replicated website or in-person, earning a 30% commission. Any sales to Preferred Customers result in a 20% commission instead (as the customer gets a discount).
There are various bonuses on offer, along with associated criteria for those bonuses. We’re not going to discuss those here because they get complicated too quickly. But, the general idea is simply that the larger and more successful your team is, the more you can earn.
The main aspect worth talking about is the residual income. This is the core way that you earn from your team. IDLife uses the unilevel approach for this aspect. Commission rates start out at 5% for your first level and you get to earn from more levels as you progress through ranks. I’ve seen better rates in the industry and worse ones. When you consider the prices of the products, the income potential here is decent.
The main limitation is ongoing requirements. Even at the first rank, you need 100 Personal Volume (PV) per month. This can come from your own purchases or from sales that you make.
You do also need to pay for your replicated website each month, which is $24.95. That’s higher than most companies. You can earn this for free but you have to hit 1,000 PV each month to do so.
Final Thoughts: Honestly, IDLife is one of the better choices for this industry. You don’t have to purchase first and their model is unilevel. Just pay attention to the ongoing costs. These could add up quickly if you weren’t making enough sales.
30. Alliance in Motion
- Focus: Global health and wellness
- Minimum Cost: Not stated (cost is likely to vary from country to country)
Product Overview: The biggest selling point of Alliance in Motion is that the company is global. They don’t actually target an American audience at all (with the exception of Hawaii). Instead, Alliance in Motion serves many other markets, including the Philippians, Singapore, Kenya, UAE and Japan.
The products are very general health and wellness items. Most also seem pretty low quality. This includes items like coffee or hot chocolate with added herbs, along with supplements and other nutrient-based products.
Most of the products come with the standard marketing claims and no real evidence. A bigger problem is that the products don’t look good. Most seem like something you might find at a dollar store. That’s never great for inspiring confidence and sales.
On a side note, it doesn’t seem like the products are sold individually. They may be in some countries but many others seem to have packages only. This could make the process more difficult, as you have limited control of the specific products that you end up with.
Commission Quick View: The compensation plan from Alliance in Motion is likely to vary depending on your specific country. But, it looks like you’re mostly making money by buying packages and reselling the products within them.
This idea always sounds amazing on paper. If you could sell everything that you purchased, you would turn a tidy profit. Still, reality rarely works that way. You’ll often find that the products are difficult to sell or that people want more of the items that you don’t have in stock. In many cases, you’d be left with excess product, which dramatically cuts into your profit margins.
There is also a team aspect. Alliance in Motion seems to have a binary model where you are building two teams. You then earn bonuses when orders match from one team to the next.
Final Thoughts: I don’t generally recommend Alliance in Motion. It isn’t particularly powerful and the products aren’t unique at all. But, if you have access to few other MLMs, it could be a viable option. Just make sure you consider the costs carefully, along with who you’re going to sell to.
31. AdvoCare
- Focus: Weight loss and wellness
- Minimum Cost: $59 (for a starter kit with some tools and product samples)
Product Overview: AdvoCare is a health company, with a particularly strong emphasis on weight loss. They split their products into various key categories including Trim, Fit, Active, Well and Performance Elite. Each is based on specific goals, like building muscle and enhancing workouts for Performance Elite.
Their product range is also extensive. There are well over 50 different items and some come in multiple flavors or styles. This type of variation is always good for promoting sales.
For the most part, the products are typical. For example, they have CorePlex with Iron, (a multivitamin supplement that contains iron) and AdvoBar Peach (a nutrition bar with 11 grams of protein).
Still, there are some variations, like extra nutrients, unusual flavors or simply a different formula. Those differences would be enough to get people interested. And honestly, the products are familiar for a reason – they sell. Health is a booming market and people often do whatever they can to boost their physical health.
The final point is price. None of these items are cheap. For example, a 12-pack of the AdvoBar Peach costs $31.95. That’s more than $2.60 per bar. Their CorePlex multivitamin costs $41.50 for 60 servings. But, the prices still aren’t shocking, not for this industry. The right audience would make purchases, time and time again.
Commission Quick View: The compensation plan for AdvoCare isn’t easy to follow, which is never a good first sign. But basically, they operate through a buy and then resell model.
Distributors start out at a 20% discount. This can increase up to 40%, if they meet certain criteria. This effectively means your commission is between 20% and 40%, as long as you can sell at retail price.
Alternatively, you can convince people to become Preferred Customers. These customers get product directly from the company and you don’t have to worry about buying first. Your income is based on the difference between what they pay and your discounted price. They get a discount too – so Preferred Customers will earn you less money.
The team aspect is honestly just complicated. It contains multiple angles and different criteria that you have to meet. AdvoCare has a huge document detailing all of the requirements and it’s pretty tough to figure out what the team structure even is. I suspect they follow a unilevel model but honestly, I’m not sure.
Final Thoughts: The products are appealing enough but AdvoCare’s compensation plan leaves much to be desired. Unless you’re extremely passionate about these particular products, it’s probably worth going with another option.
32. It Works!
- Focus: Wraps, weight loss and health
- Minimum Cost: $99 (for a starter kit with products)
Product Overview: It Works is most famous for one type of product – their wraps. These are meant to promote weight loss and are clearly popular. When I initially reviewed them, the wraps were selling throughout the country and many distributors were being pretty successful. I’m not sure whether that’s still the case. But, if nothing else, the product choice is unusual.
Personally, I’m not convinced. The wraps are controversial and there isn’t much evidence for their effectiveness. When people do lose weight, it’s normally from dietary changes. Despite this, body wraps are popular and clearly sell.
Many of the other products are typical. They include essential oils, greens supplements and protein shakes. But, there are some other interesting ones too.
One key product line is KetoWorks. This is a small product range, focused on the keto diet. Ketosis has become a trending weight loss approach, with many passionate advocates. Despite this, relatively few MLMs promote keto.
The overall product selection from It Works is common enough that people will already want some of the items – and different enough that you have a competitive advantage. Just bear in mind that the items are still expensive. There are also many other It Works distributors out there.
Commission Quick View: There are two ways to sell through It Works. The first is through a typical replicated website (which costs $20 per month). It Works doesn’t say how much you earn with this method.
The other approach is buying and then reselling the products. This earns you the difference between wholesale and retail prices. The exact difference varies depending on the product but it’s often around 50%, which is very generous. Of course, buying first does mean more risk, especially when there are so many products to choose from.
The team approach follows a fairly typical unilevel plan. This means you’re progressing up through ranks and earning based on different levels in your team. It’s nice to see a plan that’s relatively straightforward. Even so, most distributors probably won’t get past the first rank or two.
There is also a monthly requirement. You either need to hit 150 Personal Volume (PV) in sales or have an 80 PV autoship with the company. That autoship is around $75. Many people would go that route because it is easier and less stressful. The cost isn’t too bad if you resell those products. Still, it adds up, especially when you’re also paying $20 per month for a website.
Final Thoughts: My biggest issue with It Works is the purchase first idea. But, the company could still work for some people – especially if you communicated well with your customers and knew exactly what they wanted.
Top Pick
A foodie website or fitness website would be great vehicles for promoting any of these programs. Health and wellness really is an extensive industry – and this list only covers the network marketing companies that don’t easily fit into a single subcategory (like weight loss or supplements). There are countless other companies in the field as well, including physical stores and affiliate marketing companies.
Still, the industry is a popular one. You don’t need to be promoting the best products either. You just need something that’s appealing and somewhat competitive.
This list has covered some decent companies and others that leave a lot to be desired. But, if you were going to pick a single one to start with, consider IDLife. They have a broader product focus than many other options, including some product types that you don’t normally see. You’re also making sales through a website and the commission rate is decent.
Beyond all of that, they’re transparent. With IDLife, all of the information about their compensation plan, requirements and pricing was easy to find. The details were spelled out in a way that most people could easily follow. This is always a good sign. If you’re going to rely on a company for income, you want one that is trustworthy.
MLM Critic & Author: Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. I have to be honest though. I'm not a big fan of MLM. Tried it. Hated it.
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Jason Fisher
I really appreciate that you reviewed, and having used your site to check out a few different companies over the last year, I’m glad you can identify the scams and pyramids. I’ve been looking for a good company.
Thanks for sharing
Lola Love
Xooma is definitely my favorite, I use a few of their products and love it.
I especially enjoy and see/feel results from the Focus Up and the X20 and I love the green water bottle!
I don’t work for the company I’m just a happy customer.