I was recently approached by a family member who became a NuSkin brand affiliate, to join her team. Her first words were “they are not a pyramid scheme”, but as I worked for a multi level marketing company, Usborne Book at Home, before, I wanted to find out what is Nu Skin business model all about and can you earn money as a Nu Skin Brand Affiliate, or is it a waste of time?
I did my own research on the company that makes some of the best anti aging skin products, and this is what I found: This review is about the NuSkin business opportunity, and not about the actual products. These are the aspects that I will cover
- Overview of Nu Skin
- What is the Nu Skin business model?
- Nu Skin products
- What is the Nu Skin business opportunity?
- How much does it cost to join Nu Skin?
- How do I make money selling Nu Skin products?
- The Nu Skin compensation plan
- How much can I earn with Nu Skin?
- Do I get training with Nu Skin?
- What I like about Nu Skin
- What I don’t like about Nu Skin
- Is it a pyramid scheme? is it legit?
- Is this a good way to make money and final thoughts
- My recommendation – click here if you want to see it now.
Overview of Nu Skin
Nu Skin Enterprises is an American Multi Level Marketing (MLM) company. They develop and sell personal care products, including some of the best anti aging skin products, and dietary supplements under the brand NuSkin and Pharmanex.
NuSkin was founded in 1984 in Provo, Utah, United States, by a group of friends who wanted to bring innovation to the world of skin care, while helping people at the same time. The founders are Blake Roney, Sandie Tillotson, Nedra Roney, Steve Lund and Sandie N. Tillotson.
Nu Skin has spent more than thirty years doing research to bring you the best in nature to your beauty regime. They combine powerful ingredients with innovative science and technology to make world-class products that deliver real benefits. The top rated anti aging skin products are backed by science.
What is the Nu Skin Business Model?
Nu Skin is a Multi Level Marketing (MLM) company. Multi level marketing is also known as network marketing, and it basically means that the company has a direct contract with independent distributors to sell and promote their products. At the same time the distributors are encouraged to recruit new distributors to join their team, and also sell the company’s products.
You can then earn from the sales of your own recruits and team. With any MLM business, you are limited to selling the range of products that the company produce and offer.
Evidence shows that 99.6% of people who join a Multi Level Marketing company will lose money. Network Marketers are switching from MLM to Affiliate Marketing and this is the platform they are switching to.
What is the Nu Skin Product Range?
Product categories are body care, nutritionals, Ageloc, face care and Epoch. Shop from beauty devices, to the best anti aging skin products, to nutritional supplements and weight management products. Nutritional products consist of comprehensive supplements to provide the body with optimal levels of anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Nutricentials is their new bioadaptive skin care system which provides you with a better balanced skin every day. Bioadaptive skin care helps your skin to adapt to environmental stressors like pollution, late nights and protects against Ultra Violet rays and blue light rays.
The system is made with sustainable packaging and clean formulas, so you do not need to worry about the ingredients that you are putting on your skin. Products in the Nu Skin portfolio is formulated to 6S Quality Standards, which include the safety of all ingredients. None of these ingredients below are in the Nutricential formulas. 
90% of the palm oil that is used in the Nutricentials Bioadaptive skin care, is sourced from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). They provide transparency on the ingredients.
Beauty devices like hair care and hair removal, body shavers, oral care appliances and the very popular Nu Skin galvanic spa are all available.
What is Nu Skin Business Opportunity?
The Nu Skin business opportunity gives you the option to start your own business by connecting with others, or just a fun way to earn a little extra cash. NuSkin distributors are called Brand Affiliates.
Some people become a NuSkin brand affiliate to enjoy the products at discounted prices, whereas others want to build and manage their own business. According to NuSkin, you will be “exclusively authorized to sell unique innovations”, so how exclusive is it if you can buy it on Amazon, often at better prices?
With MLM you are limited to selling the products of only the one company that you joined as a distributor, so at the end of the day you are just a sales rep. So instead of relying on 1 company or product to make a living, and having to sell to family and friends, I do this.
How much does it cost to join NuSkin?
There is no cost to become a Nu Skin brand affiliate and there is no requirement to purchase products or kits. You receive commission only when products have been sold, and on any products that are returned, the commission is immediately reversed.
But if you join without paying anything, you do not have any samples or products to demonstrate to potential customers. So how will you sell? Distributors must buy products from the range of hair, spa and top rated anti aging skin products to resell to potential customers.
How do You Make Money Selling Nu Skin Products?
NuSkin distributors, also called a Nu Skin Brand Affiliate, can earn commission in different ways:
- Retail Profit is the difference between your costs, including member price, taxes, shipping etc. and the price you sell products for. So you are selling products with a retail markup after buying it at wholesale prices.
- Retailing Bonus is when your retail customers purchase products directly from Nu Skin, you earn the difference between the member price and the price that the retail customer paid, excluding taxes and delivery costs. You will normally see the retailing bonus in your V&G account within 1 business day.
- Shared Bonus can be earned when you personally enroll others as retail customers or brand affiliates. When they purchase products directly from Nu Skin, you earn a sharing bonus on most of their product purchases, and also others on your team. Depending on the product, the range is between 5% and 20%. You should see the sharing bonuses in your Velocity account within 1 business day.
Velocity account is an app and you can transfer funds daily to your account, but you will be charged by NuSkin. If you opt to transfer funds on a weekly basis, it will be free.
NuSkin Compensation Plan
A NuSkin Brand affiliate makes money through selling the NuSkin products, and also by recruiting others. If you help your fellow brand representatives to succeed with their own customers, Nu Skin will pay you a leading bonus, based on the monthly sales of your entire team.
- Monthly you can earn 2.5%, 5% or 10% commission on the commissionable sales of your team.
- Your titles determines the number of generations that you can be paid for.
If you direct customers to the NuSkin website, you can earn up to 30% commission on the retail sales price. The company will keep a retail processing fee, but does not disclose how much. So what is the Nu Skin Leader Levels: 
- Brand Affiliate (Non-brand representative)
- Qualifying Brand Representative
- Brand Representative
- Gold Partner
- Lapis Partner
- Ruby Partner
- Emerald Director
- Diamond Director
- Blue Diamond Director
Commission earned varies considerably depending on the goals, ambition, commitment and time of the brand affiliate.
Like most MLM companies, NuSkin has a complex compensation plan. This includes levels like Active Requirements, Executive Status and Leadership Bonus Pool. You have to maintain a minimum sales volume to qualify for bonuses and extra commissions. 
To qualify for bonuses, this is what you will find in the small print on the compensation plan. 
So you have to maintain rank, to qualify for any bonuses.
How Much Can You Earn with Nu Skin?
As with most MLM’s, Nu Skin uses a point system with terms such as Personal Sales Volumes (PSV) and Group Sales Volumes (GSV), rather than the actual currency amounts. This makes it very difficult to understand exactly how much you need to sell.
According to the 2019 NuSkin Brand Affiliate compensation summary, the average sales compensation paid to affiliates in the USA in 2019, was a miserable $123.96 per month. 85% of NuSkin distributors earned ZERO commission. It is only the top tiny percentage that earn real money. You must be in the top 0.8% of NuSkin brand affiliates to earn more than $5,000 per month. 
You need to hit your monthly Nu Skin sales targets to be paid commission. To achieve that, NuSkin advises and encourages you to set up an Automated Delivery Rewards as the easiest way to maintain your personal sales volume and eligibility for commissions. This means you are committed to receive a Nu Skin parcel every month, and you are billed for it.
You do not get compensated for any expenses like travel, petrol, stationary, telephone costs or any other business expenses that you might incur. So figures published by NuSkin do not represent the profit that the Nu Skin brand affiliate made, as expenses are not included. 
Some people do make money, but without a lead generation strategy, you can not expect to earn much from NuSkin. The big earners are unfortunately always the distributors that have large teams and big down lines that they have built up over several years.
If you want to promote the best anti aging skin products or beauty products without any inventory and without selling to family and friends, you can do so through affiliate marketing.
Start an affiliate website today and you can promote the products that you love and believe in. There is no need to recruit anybody and you can promote any products from any company.
Training
The company provides brochures and training tutorials to all the new distributors.
Best-in-Class business tools that allow you to track, manage and power your gig with digital tools that are easy to use. It includes a comprehensive account dashboard, customer friendly apps and a detailed known-how learning suite.
What I like about Nu Skin 
Nu Skin is getting very good reviews for their top rated anti aging skin products. You can always look at Amazon for honest reviews about products.
The have sustainability commitments, which include:
- By 2023 they want to improve the environmental impact score of all their Nu Skin products.
- By 2030 changing all packaging to be recycled, recyclable, reusable, renewable or reduced, but why wait ten years to do this?
What I don’t like about Nu Skin
The Nu Skin MLM business model is an outdated business model, especially with so many other online opportunities available these days. Operating a MLM business can be far more expensive and time-consuming than most people anticipate and realize.
I worked for a MLM company, Usborne Books at Home, and I understand the frustration that many distributors face when they no longer have family and friends that they can sell to and end up not knowing who to sell to. If you build a website to generate sales, you can sell to people that are already interested in the products that you are selling.
Escape the MLM Rat Race. Multi Level Marketing (MLM) is not the only way of making money from home, so do not be limited by only looking at MLM. An alternative to MLM is affiliate marketing.
Is NuSkin a Pyramid Scheme?
Throughout the forty-year history of the company, it has been subject to several investigations and received fines for wrongdoings. The company has a history of being sued by the Financial Trade Commission (FTC), US states and even China, for making deceptive claims about earnings and their products.
The Chinese government announced in January 2014 that they were investigating NuSkin, after a report in the People’s Daily Newspaper that called it a “suspected illegal pyramid scheme”. NuSkin was then sued by China in a Utah federal court. A $47 million settlement was paid by NuSkin in 2016 for operating a pyramid scheme.
Final Thoughts – is Nu Skin a Good Way to Make Money?
The beauty and anti-aging is a huge industry and is growing all the time. Selling top rated anti-aging skin products like NuSkin can be a fun hobby or even a business if you enjoy helping people look and feel younger. The products are frightfully expensive, but many of the best anti aging skin products are, so it is a product that could survive in the market.
Yes, I worked for a multi level marketing company for nearly ten years, before switching to affiliate marketing. With MLM I was encouraged to ask family and friends to host a party, and then the neighbor and the lady living down the road. And it was not long before my mentor started telling me that I needed to recruit and build a team if I wanted to earn more.
You can sell top rated anti aging skin products through affiliate marketing, without being limited to the products of just one company. And you do not have to place monthly minimum orders to qualify for overriding commission.
I do not think that selling Nu Skin products as a Brand Affiliate, is a good way to make money.
My #1 Recommendation
If you don’t want the anxiety and uncertainty of working for a MLM– look at what Wealthy Affiliate offers you.
You can read my personal review about Wealthy Affiliate here and see why I recommend them.
If you have any suggestions or questions about what is the Nu Skin business opportunity, then please leave your comments below and I will get back to you.
The only problem with these types of companies, especially if you enjoy the products, is that they are really expensive. The price is obviously hiked so that everyone can get paid.
I tend to agree with you that this type of business model is becoming outdated, and it limits you when you are trying to sell only one product. Affiliate marketing is definitely a great alternative, as you can recommend many different types of products, and even ones you use that you find to be exceptional. You also don’t have to be a salesy type of person doing affiliate marketing and you won’t have to irritate your family and friends.
I fully agree with you that affiliate marketing gives the options to promote many different products, including those that you have experience with. MLM is an outdated business model that only really benefits those at the top of the pyramid.
Uuu-uu, yeah, I can relate to that background. I mean, one of my family members who’s kind of a little be crazy about these multi-level marketing companies brought yet another one to my sights.
I loved how you broke down the money-making aspects and the basic compensation plan of the program. And I really enjoyed that it wasn’t superficial because I feel most people wouldn’t have managed to warn their readers about the small print. But you did. Thank you for that. 🙂 Ultimately, I agree. Affiliate marketing is just a better, more flexible approach to promoting anti-aging products if that’s something one feels passionate about. 🙂
Other than that, why do you think almost all people (the 99.6%) that do MLM end up losing money? I mean, surely, there must be something wrong with just the idea of making money that way, right?
Most MLM companies require their distributors to maintain monthly or quarterly sales levels to qualify for bonuses and override commissions. So many reps end up buying products to maintain active status or levels, and end up being out of pocket. Specially if they then have to cover their own business costs as well. This one of the inherent problems with MLM companies.
As I initially began reading this article, there was a red flag that was raised in the second sentence of the first paragraph. Your friend telling you “they are not a pyramid scheme”. My first thought was “uh oh”. I’m glad you took the initiative and did your own research of the Nu Skin Business Opportunity. Another red flag that was raising was in the first sentence – first paragraph – of the Overview of Nu Skin. They are a Multi Level Marketing company. Now, I was always under the impression that MLM and Pyramid schemes are one in the same. However, they are in fact TOTALLY different. People just don’t understand there is a vast difference between the two concepts. It annoys me just how many people are quick to jump to conclusions without doing their own due diligence to find out for themselves. And now I’m done with that rant.
Let’s get back to the subject at hand. This Nu Skin Business Opportunity sounds like an intriguing adventure for anyone interested in selling a physical product. It also sounds like an opportunity for both women, AND men. I was introduced to another MLM about 8 years ago. Initially, I thought I could give it a shot. However, my excitement quickly diminished because, as a male, I realized there just wasn’t enough people who were interested in giving me their business. This Nu Skin opportunity sounds totally different. I’m going to bookmark this page for later reference.
There are many MLM companies that are really a pyramid scheme in disguise, depending on where the emphasis is for recruiting and selling. The Nu Skin business opportunity is not one that I would recommend, although Nu Skin products are very good.
Thank you for this article! I had no idea Nu Skin was still around! Decades ago, my mother joined the company briefly to make some extra money. My family has very sensitive skin and a lot of allergies so the products appealed to her because she could use them without issues. Like any MLM, their compensation plan is somewhat confusing, so thank you for breaking it down in an easy to understand fashion! I’m an Independent Stylist for Color Street, and before I joined, I had to watch a video to understand their comp plan, and I’ve watched it again since joining! I am surprised to see that Nu Skin has been subjected to so many investigations and fines and is still operational. They don’t appear to be a scam, just a typical MLM that makes it hard to make a living wage.
Nu Skin is a legitimate company with some of the best anti aging skin products, but as with most MLM companies, it is difficult to make money with them. The Nu Skin business model is a typical MLM model, and one that I do not recommend.
Thanks for sharing this important information. This will help individuals who are considering joining Nu Skin to make an informed decision on whether it is for them or not.
I think that your assessment is very balanced, factual and honest.
I think that these types of sales schemes are very unfair as everyone deserves to earn the same amount of commission for each item they sell and indeed, why should the person above me get a share when they didn’t sell the item.
I don’t understand why they just don’t have sellers full stop. All with access to the products and the same profits. With this model I always think that the product is secondary to the building up of these money making structures. It’s as if the product is just an add on, or smoke screen to what the company is really wanting to do.
Keep up the good work.
I do think that many MLM companies place too much emphasis on recruiting, and not enough on the selling of the actual products.. The Nu Skin business opportunity is not one that I would pursue or recommend.
Thank you for detailed review of Nu Skin Business. I haven heard about them before but looking on your article and some additional research I don’t think this is a program I would invest my time and money. I wouldn’t feel comfortable engaging my friends and family it such type of business and there are many more interesting opportunities online. For a while now Im a wealthy affiliate site member and I truly believe this is best place for all beginners who want to earn money online.
I think affiliate marketing is a more realistic way of earning a living than with the NuSkin business model.
Hi, I have been researching if an MLM company is the way I should go. And I admit I have been disappointed.
MLMs have high turnover rates. And they also have a high rejection rate. In other words, the majority of people you share your MLM products or business with will reject your offer. And what I dislike the most is that the majority of network marketers do not make money. Building your network marketing business takes hard work.
Most MLM companies have a very high turnover rate of their distributors, as they realise that they are not really making money.
I have researched many multi-level marketing companies in the past including Amway and many others. It is interesting the almost all of them have similar names for their associates i.e “diamond” “ruby” etc. I agree affiliate marketing is a much better way to go. I am also a member of wealthy affiliate and I am really impressed with their training so far. Good luck.
Oh it is interesting how MLM companies use names of precious metals and stones for the ranks, I guess to make one feel special? I do not recommend the Nu Skin business model, which is a typical MLM set-up. If you want to sell top rated anti aging products, affiliate marketing gives you the opportunity to do that, and you are not limited to only one company or product range.
Hello Line,
Thanks for taking your precious time to write an in-depth post about this Nu Skin business opportunity. The thing is many good hearted people are surfing the internet everyday for passive income.
But there are many companies out there who mask themselves with such great deceits to deceive people and rob them from the little bit that they have.
For those looking for great opportunities please do your research, and look for words such as take action now, limited time offers. Words like that should really make you think twice.
Great job on your review, hope people are taking heed.
Nicole,
Nu Skin products are good, although expensive, and the Nu Skin business opportunity is a typical MLM business model, which I do not recommend.
Everything that starts with “this is not a pyramid scheme”, usually are. This certainly sounds like it. That doesn’t mean you can’t make money out of it. Do you know if it’s possible to recruit people online, from a website? Or do you mean that you can just “sell” the products there?
It is possible to recruit people from a website, and you can sell as well. I hope it helps you.
Nu skin really seems like a perfect business idea if they were not operating on a Multi level marketing structure. Sometimes I wonder if it is possible to combine the models of Affiliate Marketing and Multi level Marketing to create some sort of hybrid marketing approach. It would be nice to operate as an affiliate for Nu skin 🙂
To operate as an “affiliate” for Nu Skin, you have to join them as a Nu Skin Brand Affiliate. Interesting concept to join the MLM business model with affiliate marketing.