In a world where replication is common, it is always a breath of fresh air to see something that prides on offering something that is all-natural. This is probably the reason why, when in the marketplace, organic fruits and vegetables tend to be more expensive as they are given much more value than those that are not.
This is also the same story with Arbonne, a company that offers a wide array of products from skin-care to anti-aging that promises to be pure, safe, and beneficial. It boasts of ingredients that are all-natural. It should also be emphasized Arbonne has products that are on the more expensive side as compared to its other counterparts in the market, but we’ll discuss more on that later.
You may or may not have heard of Arbonne. I have not. Well, maybe yes, I may have heard of it from a friend or two but it really never stuck. Up until I was offered by an old colleague who was confident that the business opportunity with Arbonne would make me or anybody else, leave our jobs and focus on selling and recruiting for Arbonne.
Now, what is Arbonne? Is it really worth your time?
I began looking it up online, digging for praises as well as Arbonne complaints on the web, and making sure that I have all angles covered before I decide. I even stumbled upon Arbonne products getting sold on Amazon without any MLM tag with it.
Anyway, here now, is my complete and honest review of Arbonne.
What is Arbonne?
As the story goes, it was 1975 Switzerland when a man named Petter Morck, together with his gang of biochemists, biologists, herbalists, and the likes, had a vision of producing the best skincare products. And so, Arbonne was born.
I don’t actually know what happened between 1975 and 1980 (as nothing was said about what happened by then) but it was in the year 1980 when Arbonne started growing traction in the US. It also was gaining popularity and started being distributed worldwide by a growing number of Arbonne distributors or Independent Consultants. As of this writing, it is available in Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan among others.
And just like any other MLM companies, Arbonne, on its website, takes pride in its people. It rewards its distributors with numerous travel opportunities, cash incentives, and other rewards that come in many forms that ensure the satisfaction of such distributors.
Let’s see how happy they are, if indeed they are. Later!
Meanwhile, what are their products?
Read on.
What do they sell?
I mentioned earlier that Arbonne initially focused on skincare products when it was first founded in 1975; but as the years go by, some additions have been made, ensuring that beauty is not only taken care of from the outside but as well as from the inside.
And so the variety has gone from skincare to bath and body, to hair care, sunscreen, makeup, and to radiate beauty from within, they have also expanded into nutrition. And as I said it at the start of this review, they ensure that their products are pure, safe, and beneficial.
Speaking of pure, safe, and beneficial, Arbonne also takes pride in their products being safe from parabens, benzene, petrolatum, toluene, animal products or by-products, and a lot more ingredients that are harmful to one’s health. In fact, their website displays a sign that says, “Nothing harmful” indicating the safety of their products from skincare to nutrition.
But what do they sell? When I mentioned haircare, skincare, bath and body, etc. etc., these are just categories and it would take me the whole article (and more) if I list them down. And it would take you a week to read through each and every product, but that’s just the entirety of the products as far as groupings are concerned. A 312-page catalog is available here.
What do they say about the products?
But let me go back to the Arbonne products. While most Arbonne products receive positive reviews, there are also negative ones. We will be looking at both positive and negative reviews so we get both sides.
Our first stop is Amazon. To be very honest, it was quite a shock to find that these products are also sold on Amazon. I mean, there are distributors but, how would you be able to maximize selling to your market if there are available Arbonne products on Amazon?
Anyway, looking at how this verified customer reviewed an Arbonne product – the Arbonne Calm Gentle Daily Moisturizer – gives us the impression that she’s quite happy with how the moisturizer performed for her. I mean, just read through it and you’d expect her to have soft and smooth skin just like she claimed. She even gave the product 5 stars on Amazon.
There are also those that are a bit critical when it comes to reviewing the very same product above, giving it 3 stars on Amazon saying that it is a bit watery and just needs to have a more luscious feel to it. See below:
Upon looking at those that gave the product just 1 star, the comment was not about how the product gave them sores and allergies and all those bad stuff. The 1 star-review was just because a different product was delivered, hence, the bad review. Nothing was said about bad quality and stuff.
It was, however, when I was further digging into the company’s other products that I found this specific Arbonne product review that’s quite interesting:
At first glance, it would seem like Arbonne is the ever-dangerous culprit in these two incidents the customer was talking about. Critical thinking could lead you to think, however, that the person who posted this review could possibly be allergic to something that’s in the lipstick and in the eyeliner that she got in contact with. Whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure, it is not as safe as Arbonne claims to be. Yes, it is probably safe for those without allergies but if there is some truth to what this lady said about the reactions she had upon contact with these specific Arbonne products, then it is not safe for those with allergies. I should be clear here – it is safe if you don’t have allergies but if you are allergic to anything, in particular, look up the ingredients as it may be there and if there is something in the ingredients list that you are allergic to, that specific product is not safe for you. I don’t mean it to be unsafe as in like the unsafe-it-will-wipe-out-humanity kind of unsafe though, so I think you know what I meant.
How can I earn?
As with all MLM (multi-level marketing) companies, Arbonne also rewards you with every sale you or your team makes. Yep, you heard it right – your team. That just means you are also required to get yourself moving so you can recruit your friends and have them join and represent Arbonne and its products as well. So, how do you earn?
Here’s how:
You can earn through Commissions or you can also earn from Overrides.
Being a consultant, commissions could be anywhere from 15% to 35%, depending on whoever purchased from you. As far as commissions go, you will be discounted about 15 – 35 percent and so when you re-sell the products at its suggested retail price (SRP), you get the commissions. It may be a little bit lower as compared to other MLM companies out there but 35% is reasonable enough.
As for the overrides, you could earn from about 6% for your team’s sales. Of course, as always the income you would get depends on which rank you are already in, in the grand scheme of things, but as you go up the Arbonne ladder, you would have access to more overrides than when you are on the lowest rank. For example, a District Manager level which is the second level you go up to after being a consultant, would receive an 8% override on your Central District OV, another 8% override on your first generation district’s OV, a 2% override on your second generation district’s OV, and a 1% override on your third generation district’s OV.
The story goes that as you go up the ladder, the more overrides, commissions, and bonuses you have.
And speaking of bonuses, you also get more as you go up. For example, a Consultant (first level) gets a $100 Independent Consultant Cash Bonus when you meet their requirements; the requirements of which include sponsoring a minimum of two Independent Consultants or Preferred Clients and if they accumulate a total of 150 PQV among others. As you go up the Arbonne ladder, you would have access to more bonuses like $200 for a District Manager and so on. Naturally, there would be a lot more requirements for you to avail of these bonuses.
Well, that’s it. You may be wondering how the Arbonne corporate ladder looks like. You will see that below:
- Consultant
- District Manager
- Area Manager
- Regional Vice President
- National Vice President
And as for the document with all these information, you can find it here.
Is Arbonne a scam?
I would definitely say that it is not. This is obviously not a scam. Reviews on Arbonne products may sometimes be negative (but not all the time) but this is obviously not a scam. They have been operating for decades already and wouldn’t have stayed in the market if the company is a scam.
Should I join Arbonne?
Actually, you should if you feel that you would be very successful in this endeavor. You have to remember that in getting involved in MLMs, it won’t be as easy as when they are presented to you by the person who recruited you. Being successful in MLMs require a lot of focus and determination, a lot of hard work, a lot of times when you have to make friends or even just get acquainted with people just so you would be able to recruit more people and build your team. It would even require a lot of talking and convincing people.
You know what? If in the past you have already experienced joining an MLM and were never successful, think again. What did you do wrong? What was lacking? If you are able to identify the things that you lacked or the things that you did wrong and would be able to correct these things in this new venture, then, by all means, go for it. But if you think you wouldn’t be successful the second time around, don’t do it.
Another thing that I’d be worried about is the fact that there are a million of beauty products on the market today. And when you look at their prices and compare it with the ones from Arbonne, you’d find that there are hundreds, or even thousands more beauty products that are all-natural and are far less expensive than Arbonne. If this is the case, how are you going to convince your potential customers that your beauty products from Arbonne are worth the price difference? If you think you are able to convince them that yours is more special and is worth every difference of a dollar that they have to shell out, then go ahead and join Arbonne.
One more thing is that before joining Arbonne, or any other MLM company, you have to always believe in the power of your products before you jump in. Imagine convincing people to purchase an anti-aging cream from you when you, yourself is not even convinced of it being effective. So, before joining in Arbonne or another MLM, try the products first. Check first if this is something you can vouch for. Besides, showing yourself as a good result of the product you’re selling is a good enough proof that it really works!
And finally, make sure that you have all the friends and neighbors and church friends handy. When in an MLM, it is but natural that you are required to recruit people in order for you to earn more. And when you are required to recruit, you have to make sure that you have all your friends and family members and neighbors convinced to join you in this venture. Because if you don’t have them, how else are you going to move up the Arbonne corporate ladder?
Of course, this won’t pose a problem when you are comfortable with talking to strangers in the streets and try to convince them to join. But if you’re the type who would only settle for friends and acquaintances, you’d better think twice before joining.
At the end of the day, it would be your money and future you’re putting on the line.
