LifeVantage Review
Company Name: LifeVantage
Costs: $500 starter kit
Rating: 30/100
What Is It?
A health-based MLM with lots of hype but little else.
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Short Review
LifeVantage wants you to think that their products are amazing, but honestly, there is little to suggest that they are. Instead, the company promotes similar products to most other health MLMs out there and you also have to pay a lot of the starter kit to even get going with the company.
At the same time, the compensation plan for the company is typical for an MLM, with the usual strong emphasis on recruitment and bonuses. The end result is that your chance of success within the company is pretty slim.
Product Breakdown
My first thought when I visited LifeVantage’s site was ‘same old, same old’, which isn’t a particularly good first impression. Now, the site for the company is pretty elegant and looks professional, but the company still focuses on excessive hype. That pattern is far too common in MLM companies and normally happens with companies that simply aren’t that great.
In general, the company offers five different products ranges:
The first of these is the one that the company focuses on, Protandim. Essentially, it’s an antioxidant supplement that is supposed to be more effective than other antioxidants. I’ll go into the science a bit later, but in general, there isn’t any evidence that this product lives up to its hype.
The next set of products is Axio, which basically just involves two products, one normal and one decaf. Essentially, these are powders that you put into drinks that act as energy drinks. The company uses a proprietary blend, but honestly, there isn’t much special about the packets. They might offer some energy, but most of that probably comes from the caffeine.
Physiq is a set of products designed to promote weight loss. Again, there is nothing unique here. You would find similar products on pretty much any health-focused MLM and grocery store shelves also stock similar items.
The next set of products is the TrueScience range. This one is a set of skincare, In theory, the skin products are supposed to help fight aging, but honestly, the support for that concept isn’t very strong.
The final product is chewable supplements for dogs. This product is a bit of an odd choice, as it doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the products. I don’t know enough about dog supplements to know whether this is any good or not. Personally, though, I’d buy products for dogs from companies that specialize in dogs, rather than a human company focused on health.
In general, the products from LifeVantage aren’t nearly as unique as the company implies. I review companies like this every week, and health & wellness is one of the most popular topics. In my opinion, it’s because there is also very little evidence supporting the benefits of these products, as well as not much you can do to “disprove” them to IBOs that are fully indoctrinated into the company.
Realistically, they are just hyped up products that probably perform in a similar way to products that hundreds of other companies offer.
Pricing
A big part of joining an MLM is trying to sell their products. So, the prices of those products are pretty significant. The site for LifeVantage doesn’t actually provide this information at all. Instead, the site tells people to get in touch with a distributor to purchase the product or find the price.
Interestingly, the company doesn’t actually tell you how to find a distributor if you don’t already know one.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to contact a distributor to find out about the price of the products. That distributor is going to try and talk you into making a purchase, which probably isn’t what you want if you are window shopping.
However, you can find some information about the products on Amazon. For example, this is one listing for the Protandim bottles.
Based on that, you might expect to pay around $30 for 30 pills (which is pretty high compared to most supplements). However, it’s unclear whether distributors sell these for the same price or a different price.
One reviewer on Amazon did suggest that the prices on Amazon are probably too low and argued that distributors pay more than that. I think that someone purchased too much of the stuff, regretted it, and are now trying to resell it to cut their losses and move on.
So, it’s pretty hard to know how much the products really cost. But, the $30 a bottle price tag does give some indication. After all, that is a lot of money for a supplement.
Now, I know some people do pay that much for supplements, but most don’t. So, the prices of the products are going to make it that much more difficult to make sales as a distributor.
The Science
The emphasis with LifeVantage is that the company is promoting a scientifically proven approach for fighting aging and supporting health. So, it’s only natural to ask whether science is really there. When it comes to health products, I’m naturally a skeptic. I mean, there are products out there that can promote health, but there are many more that do nothing at all.
In the case of LifeVantage, the emphasis is on a unique kind of antioxidant that is supposed to fight aging. Before we go any further, let me point out one thing.
There isn’t even a scientific consensus that we need antioxidants. Instead, this is an area that is under considerable debate.
Here’s the thing, antioxidants are specific compounds that help to fight a process called oxidation in our bodies. Too much oxidation has been associated with the development of free radicals. These free radicals have been associated with aging and with damage to the body in general. However, oxidation is a critical process in our body. So, it’s easy to see how fighting oxidation could have unintended effects.
In their video, LifeVantage makes this claim about the support for their product:
That sounds great… if you know nothing about research. Four published studies? That’s next to nothing from a scientific perspective. If they were amazing and comprehensive studies then four studies might be enough to prove some of the site’s perspective, but odds are that they’re not.
Realistically, there are hundreds of thousands of different studies on antioxidants – and we still haven’t come to a consensus about whether they are good for health overall or not. So, there certainly isn’t any way that LifeVantage can prove that its products are great in just four studies.
The site does also has a long list of studies, but honestly, I’m still not impressed. Some of those studies talk about antioxidants in general or take a more theoretical stance. The studies on the company’s products are limited and they even cite some studies that found no benefit.
Even the studies that do show some benefits of the product aren’t encouraging. In particular, the research just looks at whether the product works rather than whether it is any better than a standard antioxidant.
While we’re on the topic, the company also uses its patents as further evidence that their product really works.
To be honest, I’m not sure why they do this, aside from hyping up their product even more. Realistically, the presence of patents doesn’t mean anything at all. Getting a patent means that you have a unique product or process that you want to protect. That doesn’t mean that the product or process is actually any good. So, in this case, the presence of patents certainly doesn’t mean that the products from LifeVantage actually work.
At the end of the day, there simply isn’t any evidence that the products from LifeVantage actually offer significant health benefits. But, you wouldn’t know this from their site, because they have such a strong focus on hype.
Opportunity Breakdown
I’ve talked about the products, but what about the opportunity itself?
Well, the company does offer a number of bonuses to members, which make it sound like you can make a lot of money from the company:
However, bonuses in MLMs are tricky. They tend to be tied to your overall success. That includes the people you have recruited and the team you build under you. So, you have to make quite a bit of progress in the company to see most of these bonuses. That approach ends up working well for the company, as it means that they only have to pay a small number of people the bonuses.
In fact, the company spends a lot of time talking about bonuses on its site, but much less time talking about the opportunity itself or how it works.
Bonuses aside, the compensation plan for the company works in a similar way to most MLMs. In particular, your success in the company is tied to your rank. As your rank increases, you can earn profit from more tiers of people below you. This means that higher ranks mean more income in general.
But, progressing through the ranks can be quite difficult. Increasing ranks involves getting higher amounts of sales yourself and within your team. For example, the second rank requires an OV of 1,000 while a rank about midway through the system involves an OV of 50,000.
Now, the term OV refers to the number of sales you get in your team. Each product you sell will be worth a certain OV although the company doesn’t offer much information about what this means in terms of money.
It’s also worth noting that you have to make purchases yourself every month. At the lower ranks, the requirement is 100 PV (personal volume), while the requirement is 200 PV at the higher rank.
Again, there is no indication of how much this calculated out to. However, based on other MLMs, it’s likely that you will have to spend at least $100 every month to stay active and earn money.
MLM VS Affiliate Marketing
The MLM model is supposed to be this wonderful opportunity, but that’s rarely actually the case. Instead, you end up with companies that are extremely similar to one another and promoting hyped up variations of the same basic products.
As a distributor, your job is to try and sell those products and recruit people to the company. Yet, honestly, your chances of being able to do this effectively are pretty slim, especially as most members of the population are getting pretty sick of all the rhetoric about how this or that will help you stay young and healthy.
Affiliate marketing is a different approach to making money, and it’s how I make money online. For starters, affiliate marketing doesn’t involve any recruitment. At the same time, you get to promote products that people want to buy, and that you personally believe in.
Can You Generate Reliable Income With LifeVantage?
The LifeVantage Review
Products
Business Opportunity
Final
To begin with, LifeVantage's products are not that impressive, add the fact that it strongly emphasizes recruitment as a way to make money, this is not something I would invest my time and money into.
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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Amy
Nathaniell, I hope you have changed your mind about Protandim. I had breast cancer in 2016 and have been struggling with side effects, pain, and extreme fatigue since that time. A friend recommended I try Protandim, and in 6 weeks, I no longer have any side effects, no pain, and my fatigue is completely gone. I understand the science behind it, and I am a firm believer in the product. I’m not a distributor. Just a customer. I’m not trying to sell to anyone, but I will recommend it – highly. My daughter suffered from constant stomach aches for a year and a half. 6 weeks on Protandim (for a 10 year old) – and she is no longer having stomach aches, vomiting or constipation. Call it what you will, but you will never sway me. Take it for 2 months – it will change your mind. I put my life on it.
Sara
I started taking Protandim at a friend’s suggestion a little over two months ago. She had originally approached me about it three years ago and after finding out it was an MLM company, I was immediately skeptical and declined to purchase it.
She finally talked me into it after I reinjured my knee three months ago and was in a lot of pain. As a person who doesn’t like to take pharmaceuticals, I figured I would give it a try.
My expectations of Protandim were exceeded after a couple of weeks of taking it. I suddenly had more energy (I have suffered from chronic fatigue for over 15 years), and I wasn’t as depressed and my anxiety levels were reduced. After about a month, the chronic pain in my lower back, neck, and shoulders were almost a distant memory. I felt better than I had felt in YEARS. I now no longer have to spend hundreds of dollars on acupuncture and chiropractic care.
My health continues to get better the longer I take Protandim. As a former skeptic, I am now a believer. I decided to purchase the Petandim for my senior dog whose health has been rapidly declining over the last year. I am once again blown away with the changes in him. He no longer sleeps all day and can walk for two miles without stopping or getting tired, which is pretty amazing for a 12 year old dog. He is gaining back all the weight he lost as a result of pancreatitus.
If you’ve never actually taken any of these products, don’t knock them. I am now a believer and will purchase Protandim for as long as it is available.
JR
Well said, Monica. I see the value in PROTANDIM.
Nathaniell, I know you are focused on another type of online business and are trying to draw attention to your niche via an example of something you are not interested in doing.
From what I have seen, both products could possibly have a mutual grow benefit to each other with the right insight on the facts of each system.
PROTANDIM research is transparent and strong. Wealthy Affiliate with its new features and tools would reach the masses.
Two missing links indeed.
Nathaniell
well yes, you could use the website building skills and promotional tools inside WA to promote anything you want, including LifeVantage. The stuff in my review is just my opinion, but obviously some people like it. I’m just showing people what worked for me and what my opinion is of other companies.
Monica Ballesteros
Funny, I don’t recall trying to sell you anything. Yes, I take the products. Yes, our other family members take them too. Yes, I’ve spoken to doctors who approved the product after looking at the reviews.
I actually stumbled onto your page while looking at reviews on something else. Based on your negative attitude, I decided to type in Lifevantage and read your “LONG WINDED CRITIQUE”. I couldn’t resist replying to your inaccurate statements about something I did a great deal of research before trying. I have more than enough proof it works. Nothing you say will change that. But I feel sorry for the people who read your reviews and think you are some sort of authority on the subject when you obviously don’t understand the scientific evidence.
Monica Ballesteros
Nathanielle, I was a lot like you. I had a real sour taste in my mouth toward MLMs. But the reality is that SOME of them actually are good. The key to success is having all the components at once in a company for it to be a good opportunity. Look at Amway, Avon, Tupperware, etc. But the time to get into those companies and succeed are long gone. So there are still good opportunities out there, just harder to find the right one at the right time. Enough of that.
As to product …My son was introduced to a couple of LifeVantages products by a friend. He was very impressed with the results compared to what he was using before. Next thing you know, he’s trying to tell us about them. Sounded like a bunch hype to me, so I set out to save him from wasting his money. He knows I do lots of research and wanted my honest opinion … So that gave me the green light to tell him whatever dirt I dug up. I know there’s lots of companies making claims they can’t back up. Even when they try to point to studies, those studies are usually on one or more of the ingredients they use in their product. Sure that’s great, but that doesn’t tell me anything about the quality or quantity of theirs. Studies should be done on the finished product. What’s more, studies by scientists or universities that aren’t affiliated with the company or studies that aren’t funded by the company are going to be more reliable. If a company has done studies, it should stand the test of peer reviews and qualify to be published for others in that field to examine. Fortunately, I love science and have a deep understanding of health and the body works. So if I may, I’d like to point out a few things for your personal understanding. Whether or not this moves you to modify what you wrote or will write in the future is up to you.
You are correct that oxidation is a natural occurrence in our bodies. As we breathe, exercise, and break down food, our bodies create free radicals. But what you don’t seem to realize is that our bodies also have a system to deal with the oxidation that naturally occurs. Among the +500 different types of survival genes the body produces, is a class of antioxidant genes. These genes are so many times more effective than outside sources of antioxidants could ever be. The problem comes in when diet, environment, stress, etc affect the production and performance of these genes. For years, people have been trying to make up the difference by supplementing with external, less effective sources of antioxidants. But that’s like trying to put out a fire with a Dixie cup. Over the years, there have been 1,000s of studies published on oxidative stress, and in the last 10 years, increasing studies on the nrf2 pathway to the survival genes. It sounds like you tried to read some of the studies on the National Institudes of Healths website, pubmed.gov and didn’t understand the impact of what those studies reveal. Please have someone in the medical/nutritional field explain them to you.
You said the company emphasized on a unique kind of antioxidant. Please correct that.
1- Protandim is unique. But it’s NOT an antioxidant. It’s a nrf2 synergizer. What’s more, it’s made from herbs, not a pharmaceutical. To date, it’s the most potent nrf2 activator to regulate over 500 survival genes (which also include groups of anti-inflammatory & anti-fibrotic genes). Nothing comes close. The published studies show the efficacy rate of others is substantially lower.
2- Protandim is getting the attention of others in the medical field in a large way. This is why other universities and institutes around the world are studying it in their field of expertise. Their studies are getting published, proving the impact Protandim has. (I’m not sure what you were looking at when you said there were only 4 studies. There’s over a dozen listed on Protandim on pubmed. That might not sound like a lot to you, but I venture to say that if you tried typing in your favorite product, you might not even get ONE published study on pubmed.) Over 100 doctors in different fields have registered with LifeVantage to spread the word. They are willingly sharing their knowledge with others. I’ve spoken to several of them (on the phone and in person).
2- To correctly identify what the company and their products are about, their website has plenty of information. They’ve incorporated nrf2 technology in some of the other products. They’re first in the industry to do this, and do it well with natural ingredients. Perhaps you didn’t take the time to go thru it all. Each product has retail and preferred customer pricing, science info, FAQs, label info, etc. All I originally needed was the distributors ID# to order (so they get the commission). I can’t imagine a distributor telling someone about the products and website without giving the ID. Actually, they make it even easier, by giving the distributor a web page with the company, so everything done thru that site gets credited to the distributor. There’s no charge for the page, monthly or yearly.
Anyway, I’m very picky about what I put in and on my body. So far, I’ve been very impressed with everything we have tried. The ingredients, quality and results we are getting will keep us going back. Maybe you should try it before knocking it. I’m completely serious.
By the way, I’m not sure what you meant by having to pay a lot for a starter kit with the company. My sister started using their products too. Then decided to become a distributor. She paid $50 for her starter kit that included training and advertising materials on the different products. Then she added whatever products she wanted to have up front on hand. She could have chosen one of the 3 sizes offered, but wanted to start slow and see if she could do it. A couple of months later, she upgraded to the biggest package available. Some of the products she used personally and some she’s given away as samples. But she likes that she doesn’t have to stockpile any products. Her customers order from the company and she gets the commisions.
Anyway, I just wanted to address the statements your made. I understand your sceptisizm, but please be fair and make sure you understand what the science is really saying.
Nathaniell
Funny how MLM’s suddenly turn everyone into scientists.
Monica Ballesteros
Really? That’s your response? I’m not claiming to be a scientist. I’m not performing any studies. I get the science behind the studies because of what I’ve studied. But you want to debunk the science when you obviously don’t understand what you’re reading in the scientific reviews. I simply asked for you to have someone explain it in lay mans terms so you COULD understand it. Don’t take MY word for it. Just get a proper understanding before being so quick to try to disprove it. You make yourself look bad with your remarks about the studies. Just have someone your trust, who understands the studies, explain it to you. That’s all. Thank you for your time.
Nathaniell
It’s just funny how someone trying to sell something suddenly becomes so analytical. I get these long-winded critiques of my posts all the time, and most of the time it sounds just like a keyboard warrior trying to appear intelligent rather than someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.