Arbonne Business Review | What Is Arbonne Business?

If you’re reading this, then you’ve likely been approached by somebody about the Arbonne business. It was likely framed as a way to get rich relatively easily and quickly.

So maybe you’re intrigued. But also hesitant. So you decided to do some diligence and research the Arbonne MLM for yourself.

Good for you!

Starting a business (even a home business) is a very big life changing decision. And it shouldn’t necessarily be done lightly.

Unlike many of the other Arbonne reviews out there, I want to attempt to approach this from an unbiased perspective. I want to share with you the good and the bad.

We’re going to talk about:

• The history
• Products
• The business model
• Compensation plan
• Arbonne pyramid scheme allegations
• Pros and cons

So let’s get into the Arbonne review!

Arbonne MLM | History

Arbonne International was founded in 1980 in Orem Utah, though the company moved to Irvine, California 4 years later.

The company is named after a Swiss town called Arbon. In 2004, Arbonne became a subsidiary of Levlad, Inc, which became the primary manufacturer of Arbonne products. The very next year, both companies were acquired by a private equity firm, Harvest Partners.

By 2010, Harvest Partners was no longer involved in Arbonne. They were now owned by a combination of large banks and private equity firms. That year, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in order to reduce company debts. In 2018, Arbonne International was acquired by Groupe Rocher, a French health and wellness company.

Despite the company’s financial hardships, they have seen explosive growth over the years. From 2004 to 2007, the number of Arbonne distributors grew from 400,000 to 1.3 million, though that number had dropped to 800,000 by 2009. Their annual revenue as of 2023 is estimated at $800 million.

Where is Abronne located today?

The Arbonne business is still headquartered in Irvine, California, though they have distribution centers in the following locations:

• Indiana
• Canada
• Australia
• The United Kingdom
• New Zealand
• Poland

Who started Arbonne?

The Arbonne business was founded by Petter Mørck, who had worked in the skincare field in Norway since 1965.

Mørck played an active role in the company until he died in 2008. Today, his son Stian is the Brand Ambassador.

Arbonne MLM Lawsuit

In 2009, a US District Court in Indiana ruled that Arbonna International had violated federal law. They allegedly refused to employ Lisa Wilson due to her hearing impairment. The Arbonne lawsuit resulted in the company being forced to pay a $30,000 settlement to Ms Wilson and they had to implement anti-discrimination policies.

The Arbonne business has also faced scrutiny on the grounds that they are operating an illegal pyramid scheme. In 2017, the company was sued in a California court under pyramid scheme allegations. The case was dismissed by the court the following year.

This is a very common accusation levied at network marketing companies. Businesses such as Primerica and eXp Realty face constant criticisms similar to this. It stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the business model by the broader public. But we’ll get to that…

In 2020, Arbonne received a warning letter from the FTC. Arbonne consultants were allegedly making false health claims in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic that was raging during that time. Some consultants were also making unrealistic income claims in relation to the Arbonne business opportunity.

Arbonne Products

The Arbonne MLM company sells 3 main categories of products:

• Makeup
• Skincare
• Nutrition

Arbonne International claims that their products are 100% vegan, gluten free, and cruelty free.

In this Arbonne review, we are not going to cover the products in great detail. Instead, we are going to focus more on the Arbonne business opportunity that’s available.

There are many Arbonne reviews out there that talk specifically about the products, and the Arbonne products catalog consists of hundreds of products. We’d be here all day if we were to cover all of them.

Besides, you came here mainly to learn about the business opportunity, right?

With that being said, let’s just briefly cover what you would be selling as an Arbonne consultant.

Makeup

One of their top selling makeup products is the Real Conceal Liquid Concealer.

Arbonne’s makeup products are designed to not only last long, but also simultaneously provide skincare benefits. They are infused with ingredients like Vitamin C and peptides.

Skincare

One of Arbonne’s top selling skin care products is the Rescue and Renew product line.

Some of the potential benefits about this product line (according to Arbonne) are skin detoxification, hydration, and anti-aging. They even claim that these products promote relaxation due to the essential oils used in the products.

Nutrition

Arbonne’s flagship nutrition products appear to be their 30 Days To Healthy Living Program.

This program is designed to not just help you get more nutrients, but also promotes a healthier lifestyle. They claim that you can get higher energy levels, healthier skin, reduce inflammation, and even lose weight.

I want to make it clear that the videos above are marketing videos from Arbonne’s YouTube channel. I put them here for informational purposes only, so they don’t necessarily reflect how I feel about these products.

Now let’s briefly cover some of the more frequently asked questions about their products, and then we’ll get on with the Arbonne business review.

Arbonne Products FAQ

Arbonne Business Model | What Is An Arbonne Business?

So now let’s talk about how Arbonne works and how you would earn an income with the business.

As we mentioned already, the Arbonne business model is based on a model known as network marketing, commonly referred to as direct sales or MLM (multi level marketing).

So what does that mean? How does network marketing work?

Well like all MLM companies, the Arbonne network marketing business uses independent distributors in order to sell their products into the marketplace. So instead of paying millions of dollars to big box retailers and advertising corporations, they choose instead to pass profits on down to their customers.

When you get signed up as an Arbonne consultant, you would be tasked with selling your products to consumers. And for each sale that you make, you would earn a small commission. Your customers would get signed up for the online store, and every time they place an online order in the future, you would earn money.

Now to be honest, it would be next to impossible to earn a full time income by selling products alone.

The really big money is made when you build your own sales team. So every time somebody on your team makes a sale, you would earn a small commission from those sales, too.

Not only that, but each of the consultants that you sign up are able to build their own teams as well, and you can earn commissions from every sale made by members in the entire organization down to several levels deep.

If done correctly, your income can compound at an exponential rate over time.

You can learn more in depth about network marketing and why it could be a good option for the current times in our MLM deep dive article.

Arbonne Business Opportunity Video

The video above comes from Arbonne’s official YouTube channel. It’s a marketing video so I want to be very clear that the views expressed in the video do not necessarily reflect the way I see the company. I’m putting it here for informational purposes only.

So now let’s turn this Arbonne review to how exactly the compensation plan works.

Arbonne Compensation Plan

There are 4 main types of compensation plan commonly used by network marketing companies, including:

• Forced Matrix
• Unilevel
• Binary
• Stairstep Breakaway

You can learn about each individual type of plan in our MLM deep dive article.

The Arbonne compensation plan is based on the Unilevel structure. This means that you can build your team (or downline) as wide as you want to. In other words, you can have as many Arbonne consultants directly underneath you as you want.

However, you can only build to a predefined level of depth. In the example above, you can earn commissions from a depth of 3 levels, although most companies will allow you to earn from deeper generations, typically 6 or 7.

With the Arbonne compensation plan, you can earn from 6 levels deep.

Each of your consultants will have the same opportunity as you do. In other words, while your team may grow to much deeper levels than 6, you will only be eligible to earn from the predefined number of 6 generations.

The truth is, there are some downsides to each of the 4 main types of compensation plans that we listed earlier. To compensate for this, MLM companies make modifications to whichever pay structure they choose to use.

Every compensation plan is unique. They are often complex, with many nuances, intricacies, and bonus incentives. The Arbonne compensation plan is no different. We are not going to cover all the details as that would require a whole article of it’s own. But you can check out the official Arbonne pay plan document here.

You may also be interested in seeing this explanation from an existing Arbonne independent consultant. Bear in mind, the video is biased and does not necessarily reflect how I personally view the company or pay structure.

Let’s cover some common Arbonne earnings questions.

Arbonne: Can You Make Money With This?

The answer is absolutely yes. It just won’t be easy. You may be told that you’re going to get rich quickly and easily if you’re recruited by a new and inexperienced consultant (they tend to be a bit overzealous).

If this is what you’re told, just be aware that it’s going to take very hard work. It’ll require you stepping out of your comfort zone. And you’re gonna need to learn some new skills.

There are many people earning full time incomes with Arbonne, so it can certainly be done.

How Much Do Arbonne Consultants Make?

According to the official Arbonne income disclosure statement, the the typical Arbonne consultant in the US made about $250 in 2021.

That’s really not a lot!

But bear in mind, that statistic includes all of the folks who are just getting started in addition to those who have been in the business since inception.

The disclosure statement also reveals that the top 1% of income earners in Arbonne make an average of just over $34,000 per year.

Arbonne doesn’t publicize any individual earnings. But according to data from BusinessForHome.org, the Arbonne top earners are a couple named Donna Johnson and Thomas Tidlund. According to the data, they earn roughly $660,000 per year.

So it’s certainly possible to earn life changing money with this opportunity.

Many Arbonne reviews will paint a very binary picture… they will either claim that this is some type of scam, or that astronomical success is all but guaranteed. My goal with this review is to show you the reality of the Arbonne opportunity.

The good and the bad.

In an unbiased way.

Is Arbonne A Legitimate Business?

The answer is yes.

But the Arbonne business structure leads many people to have doubts about the legitimacy of the business. As a society, we tend to think about a business having a central location.

An office.

And a brick and mortar building where people physically come to your store and buy what you’re selling.

But the reality is, that’s just one way of doing business.

The network marketing business model makes it entirely possible for you to acquire customers and build a sales team without you needing to physically buy any inventory.

You just lead your customers to your Arbonne website. They place their orders, and you get the credit.

Is Arbonne A Pyramid Scheme?

As we talked about earlier, a California lawsuit was levied against Arbonne in in 2017 under allegations that they were operating an illegal pyramid scheme. But the case was dismissed when the court determined that the business model did not fall under the definition of a pyramid scheme.

So why is Arbonne not a pyramid scheme?

Here’s what the FTC says about network marketing:

Businesses that involve selling products to family and friends and recruiting other people to do the same are called multi-level marketing (MLM), network marketing, or direct marketing businesses.

And here’s what they say about pyramid schemes:

Some people confuse pyramid and Ponzi schemes with legitimate multilevel marketing. Multilevel marketing programs are known as MLM’s, and unlike pyramid or Ponzi schemes, MLM’s have a real product to sell. More importantly, MLM’s actually sell their product to members of the general public, without requiring these consumers to pay anything extra or to join the MLM system. MLM’s may pay commissions to a long string of distributors, but these commission are paid for real retail sales, not for new recruits.

Listen…

A network marketing company like Arbonne is really not that different from a traditional business. The main difference is the way in which products are marketed and distributed into the marketplace.

Ultimately, a business provides value to consumers in exchange for money.

It’s a value for value exchange.

Goods and services (value) are traded for money (value).

So Why The Arbonne Pyramid Scheme Allegations?

Despite this business not being a pyramid scheme, there is still a lot of people who are convinced that Arbonne is bad and that it’s some type of scam.

So why is that?

Let’s first talk about the structure of a pyramid scheme.

When you join a pyramid scheme, you will be required to pay a fee in order to get a spot in a pyramid shaped organization. And that’s all you get for your money.

So in order for your income to grow, you simply need to sign more people up in order to fill spots underneath you in the organization. There are no valuable goods or services being sold to anybody.

And therein lies the problem.

If a “business” isn’t providing real value to the marketplace, then it stands to reason that the market is not going to support that company for very long.

And it will inevitably collapse.

When it does, all of the people at the top of the pyramid shaped structure got rich, while all the people at the bottom lost everything they put in.

How This Relates To Arbonne MLM Scam Allegations

You see, over the past few decades, there have been several illegal Ponzi and pyramid schemes that were cleverly disguised as legitimate network marketing companies.

When they inevitably collapsed, they got a lot of widespread attention from the media.

And for good reason!

A lot of unsuspecting innocent people got very badly hurt. And these predatory companies need to be called out so that the general public would be educated enough to avoid them in the future.

The problem is, the media never does a good job of providing nuanced details. Because let’s be honest, they after the clicks. Fear sells, right?

So instead of telling people how to distinguish between a legitimate opportunity and a predatory scam, they simply painted the entire network marketing profession with a broad brush. So most people simply assume that network marketing and pyramid schemes are one and the same.

But What About The Pyramid Shape?

OK, this is an import thing to address.

Many people will ask (rightfully so) about the pyramid shape that any network marketing organization develops as it grows.

This is a very fair question to ask.

But I would ask you to have a look at the shape of a traditional corporate structure:

Looks suspiciously like a pyramid scheme, doesn’t it?

Look, any hierarchical organization will will inevitably take on the shape of a pyramid. And as humans, we will always self organize into hierarchies. You see it in every single human organization:

• Friend circles
• Families
• Churches
• Small business
• Large corporations
• Governments

This simply can not be avoided. Our tendency to organize into hierarchies is what allows us to work together so effectively. It’s essential for human co-operation. And it’s what allowed us to climb to the very top of the food chain.

The difference between a corporate hierarchy and a network marketing business is that you have the very same opportunity to succeed as does the person who recruited you. Even the person who’s already earning 6 or 7 figures.

If you perform better and your team produces more sales volume, you’re going to earn more money. It’s completely merit-based and brutally fair.

This is not the case in the corporate world. If you are working in the mail-room, you will never earn more money than the CEO of the company. Unless you can climb the corporate madder, displacing people all along the way, and take the CEO’s job away for yourself.

In network marketing, everyone has the same opportunity to succeed.

It’s just not going to be easy.

Arbonne Pros and Cons

Unlike many of the other Arbonne MLM reviews you’re going to find online, I want to make sure that we cover the good and bad aspects of this business.

Because the truth is, not every is good.

One of the biggest issues I personally have with network marketing in general is the cult-like atmosphere that many of them have.

You may find that when you join an MLM, folks in your organization will try to paint the opportunity as something that can solve all of the problems in your life.

Use the products, and your health is going to get transformed into perfection.

Take advantage of the opportunity, and you’ll be able to easily become rich and buy all of the things that you’ve ever wanted in life.

But they often don’t emphasize that using the their products are only a small a small part of your overall health. And they never discuss the fact that making a lot of money is not going to buy you happiness.

And they certainly don’t prepare you for how difficult it will actually be to succeed with the business.

If you find yourself falling into this line of thinking and you approach your potential recruits with this mindset, it’s likely going to be very off-putting for them.

And when they don’t show as much interest in your business as you thought they would, you may find yourself getting pushy.

Obnoxious.

Even downright annoying.

Don’t allow this to happen to you, because it can damage your relationships… and no business is worth that!

I think that this is where many Arbonne complaints come from. When folks see you developing a cult-like mindset towards your business, they will likely assume that you’ve been roped into a scam or pyramid scheme.

So let’s cover some pros and cons:

You may be interested in reading these articles:

• Why Recommend Network Marketing

• What Is Bad Abut Network Marketing

Arbonne Success Plan | How To Succeed

So if you decide to jump in and take advantage of the Arbonne opportunity, what are the steps to becoming successful?

How do you actually make money?

There are 5 things that you need to understand.

1. Lay The Foundation

When you get started with this business, you’re going to be walked through an orientation. You’ll get a ton of information, such as:

• How the compensation plan works
• How your online back office works
• How to connect with leaders in your team
• Rules and ethics to follow

And probably a bunch of other stuff. Get this stuff done quickly.

Additionally, you should also set up a business account and maybe even get a business credit card. Keeping your business expenses separate from your personal expenses will make it easier for you to compartmentalize and focus on the business.

Plus, your accountant will thank you.

2. Don’t Dilly Dally

Right after you get started, you’ll be very excited and energized.

You’ll fly through all the training and you’ll be developing internal visions of what you’re going to do with your newfound freedom when your business takes off.

But don’t kid yourself…

This will not last.

The excitement wears off, especially if you don’t experience some small successes right out of the gate. This is why it’s going to be very important for you to take action immediately.

Get customers as fast as you can so that you can get a small amount of residual monthly income coming in.

Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by spending too much time learning and going through courses and training webinars. That stuff’s important, but it will not directly make you money.

Acquiring customers WILL make you money. And you have to start taking action quickly before that initial enthusiasm wears off and you risk becoming discouraged.

3. Build Your Personal Network

In order for you to have unlimited prospects to talk to about your business, your personal network or “list” of prospects should always be growing.

Get out there. Meet new people. Get to know them. And get their contact information.

Don’t be weird about it. Don’t push your business on them right out of the gate. Your intention should ultimately be altruistic… provide value to the folks in your network by being a wonderful friend.

And when the opportunity arises, you can bring up your business.

Be sure to check out this article on personal networking.

4. Learn Recruiting

Recruiting will ultimately be the lifeblood of your business, especially if you’re thinking long term. You need to build a team of Arbonne consultants that will grow their own teams and build their own customer base.

This is the real power of network marketing… being able to earn income from the efforts of a large group of people… not just your own.

Check out this article on recruiting for MLM.

5. Duplication

In order to build a wide, deep team that will grow itself over time and allow your income to increase without your constant effort, you need to focus on duplication.

The best way to do this is to simply follow the duplicable system that you’ll be taught when you get started. The system you’ll be taught has been specifically designed with a balance of simplicity and effectiveness in mind.

This will allow the most possible number of people to emulate the system.

It’s very important for you to follow the system exactly. Because the people that you recruit are going to be watching you. And when they see that you’re simply following the same system that they’re being taught, they’ll be inclined to follow the system too.

And you can (over time) build that dream network marketing team you’ve been hearing about.

Be sure to check out this article where we do a deep dive on duplication.

Arbonne | How To Make Money Online

When you get started with the Arbonne business, you’ll likely be taught to make a list of 100 people or more. Your parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, friends, acquaintances, etc.

Then you’ll need to introduce them to your new business.

This is an excellent place to start and you should absolutely do what you’re taught.

However, once you’ve built a decent team that’s starting to duplicate, you might consider taking your business online so that you can have a wider reach.

This will allow you to sell Arbonne without parties or home meetings.

You’ll need to learn internet marketing in order to do this… but don’t worry. You don’t need to be a techie to learn internet marketing. There are many tools available now that allow you to build a profitable online business as long as you know how to click and drag a compeer mouse.

There are 3 basic steps to internet marketing:

1. Build An Audience

In order for people to trust you enough to buy things you recommend, you will need to become a thought leader in your niche.

So when a future customer is asking herself a question about a problem that your products can solve, you need to be the first person that comes to her mind.

You do this by building an audience online. Choose a platform, and then start creating content that addresses concerns that your perfect customer would have.

You can do this using:

• Social media
• YouTube
• Podcasts
• Blogs
• Forums

Over time, you will develop a fan base that reads or watches everything you put out. They will start to trust you.

2. Collect Leads

In your content creation efforts we talked about above, you shouldn’t ever mention your products. Instead, just provide value. Make the content informative and entertaining.

But you should make an effort to collect your readers’ contact information. You do this by offering some type of free gift, such as:

• A video course
• eBook
• Audiobook

The free gift should be a quality piece of content that provides (if possible) even more value than your regular content creation efforts.

In order for people to access the free gift, they will need to enter their email address into a form on your website. They will then be added to your email list and you can keep in contact with them on a regular basis.

3. Sell & Recruit

Once people are on your email list, you can begin marketing to them. But you should also continue to provide a ton value.

You really want your email subscribers to look forward to every email that you send.

But you gotta make money too…

So every now and then, you should invite them to have a look at one of your products or even your business opportunity.

Invite them to reply to your emails. Be willing to get on the phone or video chat with them if they have detailed questions.

If you’ve done this correctly, there will be many people that will learn to trust you enough to start making purchases (and even join businesses) based on your recommendations.

And you’re going to earn commissions.

Now to honest, this was a very simplified explanation internet marketing. You may want to read our article where we did a deep dive on how to do MLM on the internet.

Arbonne FAQ

Before we wrap up this Arbonne business review, let’s cover some of the most frequently asked questions that people tend to have about this business and the products.

Arbonne Business Review | Summarized

Ultimately, what you’re trying to figure out from reading this Arbonne review is whether or not this could a good business opportunity for you.

Right?

I can’t make that decision for you.

But what I can say is that the Arbonne business is legitimate. Many people are earning full time incomes with this business.

And the products are great.

So here’s what you really need to ask yourself:

Do you have a passion for health and wellness and/or beauty products?

Because if you don’t, then you’re very unlikely to succeed with this company. You need to love the products you’re selling in order to approach potential customers with enough conviction to be able to sell it.

The very first network marketing company I ever joined was also a health and wellness company.

It was a very good company. They have a strong business model, powerful compensation plan, wonderful people, and high quality products.

In fact, I use the products to this very day, over 10 years later.

But I was unable to to succeed with the business and never made more than $500.

And it was because I just couldn’t get excited enough to sell the products to other people with excitement and enthusiasm.

So here’s the deal:

If you find yourself getting excited about this business and the products, then this could be a good fit for you.

If that’s the case, I encourage you to reach out to an existing Arbonne consultant and get started.

And hopefully after reading this, you can now move forward, no matter what you decide, with confidence and conviction.

If there’s anything you think I missed, feel free to leave it down in the comments section below.