Is Isagenix a Scam? Science-Based MLM or Pyramid Scheme?

Welcome to our Isagenix Review!

Have you seen someone posting on social media that they have had great weight-loss results with a company called Isagenix?  Or, has someone shared an opportunity where you can lose weight, have more energy and make money at the same time.

Who wouldn’t want an opportunity where you could be slimmer and earn more money?  But is that really the case?  

That is what we will reveal in our Isagenix review.

First off, it is great to see that you are doing your research before buying into any “seemingly good” product or business opportunity.

It is the best way to avoid scams and find legitimate ways to make money online!

To be completely transparent with you, we are not associated with Isagenix is any way.

So, we are not here to pitch or sell anything to you.

Instead, we just want to ensure you get all the information you need to now, including why so many people are calling it a scam when there are a lot of people supporting it like crazy.

Isagenix Review Summary

Product Name: Isagenix

Founder: John Anderson, Jim Coover, Kathy Coover, in 2002

Product Type: Health & Wellness (Weight Loss) MLM Company

Price: $29/year + Initial Product Order & Monthly Autoship

Best For: People who are good at Networking/Recruiting

is isagenix a scam

Summary:  Isagenix is a legitimate MLM company and it is possible to make money with their business opportunity, if it is done correctly.  In fact, there are 250 people in the world that have become millionaires because of Isagenix. 

However, the harsh truth is that over 97% of Isagenix Associates FAILED in making a sustainable income and follow the usual route with MLM of losing money with their business opportunity.  We will show you the proof of this in our full review…

Rating: 40/100

Recommended? No

Table of Contents

What is Isagenix?

Isagenix International LLC is an MLM or Multi-Level Marketing company based in Arizona.  The company sells dietary supplements and personal care products, but primarily focus on weight loss.

Isagenix’s mission is to help ordinary people “Take Control of Their Lives”.

That is why they chose the MLM business model whilst selling nutritional products so that people have the opportunity to get healthy and wealthy at the same time through using and sharing their products.

Our review will put this missions statement to the test and see if that is the reality for their Associates (distributors).

Before we go any further into the review, we have something to mention that we found our about two of their owners.

Jim Coover and John Anderson were both involved with a dangerous diet MLM called The Cambridge Diet which went bankrupt.

Whilst it may not be relevant to Isagenix, it is always important to get to know everything you can about the people and the company that you are considering getting involved with.

The Isagenix Product Line

Considering that Isagenix’s main focus in on helping people lose weight, their flagship product is their 9-day and 30-day weight loss system.

Is Isagenix a scam - 30 day weight loss product

The package includes various protein shakes, bars, herbal supplements all meant to help lose weight and a sports drink.

The package does not come cheap though, it will cost $269 – $378.50!

Isagenix’s main goal is to help you cleanse your body, support detoxification and metabolism so that you can eliminate body waste and stubborn fat to lose weight.

Leading to better overall health and well-being at the same time.

They also have a range of other products too:

  • Other Weight Loss Solutions – Snacks and mini meals to curb the hunger while essential nutrition.
  • Performance Solutions – These include protein shakes, bars and other products that can fuel training or help in recovery. These are all based around helping you with your exercise and your recovery.
  • Vitality & Well-Being – A range of supplements for your daily nutrition requirements or targeted areas like joint health or brain support.
  • Essential Oils – A range of Essential Oils & Accessories like diffusers (For better Essential Oils, check out Young Living and doTERRA)
  • Personal Care & Beauty – “Age defying” skincare products like serums, creams, toners, etc. (This is similar to Jeunesse).

If you want to see the full product list, click here.

When we think about it, Isagenix’s product line is very similar to companies like Plexus or Shaklee.

The only difference with the Isagenix’s products is the inclusion of the herbal components in their supplements.

However, there are studies that show that there is little evidence these herbal products actually assist with weight loss.

Do the Isagenix Products Work?

This is a common question.

To be totally transparent, we haven’t tried the products our self.  But here is what we have found from my research…

The feedback about their products from our customers is split.  There are people who love them and people who hate them.

Some common positive comments include quality products that generate real effective results in weight loss and health.  Whilst the major complaint is their ineffectiveness and the high prices.

It is a really mixed bag with people claiming they can feel a huge difference after using the products, then there are others who say they do not feel anything at all or have even experienced some side effects.

But this is understandable as we are all different and will have different experiences with these natural or herbal products.

The only way you will know if the product works for you is to invest some time and money in testing them out.

Have a look at this feedback:

is isagenix a scam- positive feedback
is isagenix a scam - second positive feedback

There are reviews showing people really love the products and totally recommend them.  But you do have to take into account that these may be Isagenix Associates trying to make money and don’t want you to think the products are not a good quality.

Then there are also people who have shared their negative experiences with Isagenix:

is isagenix a scam - side effect
is isagenix a scam - second side effect

I personally feel that these products are totally subjective.  It will all depend on how you get on with these products.  There are too many dieting products that use the terms ‘detox’ and ‘cleanse’ as a reason why you should buy their products.

But our bodies are already cleansing every day anyway.  These supplements may or may not help an individual lose weight.  But then again, a good diet and regular exercise will too.

My point is that these products will not work for everyone, it is totally subjective.  This could also hamper your chances of being able to sell these products as they will not work for everyone.

How to Make Money with Isagenix

As Isagenix is an MLM company, they offer the two usual ways of making money that MLM businesses offer:

  1. Retail Commission – Sell their products to their customer and earn retail commissions
  2. Recruitment Commissions – recruit people and build your downline teams to earn various bonuses and incentives based on their compensation plan.

Isagenix mainly focuses on two types of marketing that are common with Network Marketing.

These are:

  1. Word of Mouth Marketing
  2. Social Media Marketing

They will basically get you sharing these products with your family, friends and other people you may know.  This may be how you got to hear about Isagenix in the first place.

But before you can get started with sharing their products to your friends, we need to first understand how to get started and what it takes to actually qualify for commissions…

There is also the question of whether Isagenix is a pyramid scheme or not too…

Haven't Made Your First $1 Yet?

Studies have shown that more than 70% of the people who want to make money online have not made their first dollar yet. So, you’re not alone!

Is Isagenix a Pyramid Scheme?

Look, every legitimate MLM company often gets labelled as a pyramid scheme.  It is very common, even though they may be legit their compensation plans do tend to look like a pyramid, so it is only natural for people to assume they are the same thing.

Let’s clear this all up.  An illegal Pyramid scheme will offer only recruitment as a way of making money.  A legit MLM will offer recruitment as an option, but it also has a range of products that you can sell to make money too.

Isagenix is not a pyramid scheme as they offer a range of real products that you can sell to others for a profit.  You can also choose to recruit a team, and this is the part that looks like a pyramid and gives people the wrong impression.

Look at this image that resembles the recruitment side of any MLM, including Isagenix:

pyramid-scheme-graphic

The way to make good money with any MLM is in recruiting an effective team under you that can generate sales and recruit others into your downline.  It is often the case that there are those that are really good at networking and can climb to the top and earn the big money.  There are also those who remain near the bottom and really struggle to get any sales.

In the case, we know there are millionaires from Isagenix that have got to the top, then there are 97% of others that have ended up losing money.

Success will be rare at Isagenix, because of the difficulty that MLM brings with it.

MLM has not kept up with modern marketing and the way people shop online.  Why are people going to buy direct from you, when they can get cheaper and better products online?

This is just one problem you will need to overcome with MLM.

So, whilst Isagenix is not a Pyramid Scheme, this does not improve the success rate.  When studies show that 73%-99% of people leave MLM having made no money or even lost money and 65% of people leave because of the awkwardness of selling to family and friends, MLM is a tough direction for a newbie who lacks sales and recruitment experience.

Recommended: Why Affiliate Marketing is 100x Better than Any MLM!

Now, let’s look into what it would take to get started with Isagenix.

Getting Started with Isagenix

If you went onto the Isagenix’s website, you will find no information about how to get started or even what it costs.

All they tell you is to get back in touch with the person who introduced this opportunity to you.  This is very typical of MLM’s.

It is also a minor reason why I would not recommend Isagenix because there are a lot of companies out there that allow you to register online, without the hassle of contacting your friend.

Anyway, to become an Isagenix Associate, you will first have to become their Preferred Customer:

They will recommend that you sign up for the $29/year membership because you are eligible for additional discounts and rewards.

Once you have purchased this membership, you are then required to place a “Qualifying Product Order”.

Basically, they have a selection of Starter Packs for you to choose from which all have different products and prices.  They typically cost a few hundred dollars, and you can check out the prices here.

Then there is a requirement that you need to remain active and qualify for commissions.  This will mean you need to generate at least 100 PV (Personal Volume) per month.  This is equivalent to around $150/month.

This means that you either need to sell $150 worth of product every month, or you will be required to buy that much product to earn any commissions…

Isagenix Compensation Plan Explained...

Isagenix uses the binary compensation plan, which is where you need to recruit at least 2 people.  One on your left (leg) and one on your right (leg) to build 2 downline teams:

mlm-binary-structure

There are a total of 5 different ranks:

  1. Associate
  2. Consultant
  3. Manager
  4. Director
  5. Executive

The higher your rank, the more commissions and bonuses you can earn.

But recruitment is the key to advancing your rank.  You have to recruit more people; the ranking is based on the number of people you recruit and the sales volume your downline teams can generate.

On the other hand, there are 6 ways for you to get paid by Isagenix based on their compensation plan:

  1. Retail Profits – Associates buy Isagenix products at wholesale prices and resell them to customers at their retail price, you earn the difference
  2. Retail Direct Profits – same as the retail profits, but these are sales made when customers buy retail products through the Associates website
  3. Product Introduction Bonuses – Commissions earned from the sales of new members “Qualifying Product Order” (These are the starter packs)
  4. Team Bonuses – Residual income earned based on the sales performance of your binary downline teams
  5. Executive Matching Team Bonuses – additional 10% matching bonus based on the sales volume of your direct referrals.
  6. Special Incentives & Promotions – Rank advancement bonuses, leadership pool bonuses, etc.

It doesn’t matter which MLM it is, they all have over-complicated compensation plans.  This is just a quick overview of the thing. (Another reason why we don’t recommend MLM).

We are not going to get into any more detail, but this video does a good job of making it much clearer for you:

What We Liked About Isagenix

Here is what we liked about Isagenix:

#1 Easy Payment Process

Isagenix has their own payment processor and debit card.  This means you can get your commissions directly without waiting for a bank transfer.

That can also reduce extra processing fees.

#2 Yes, You Could Become a Millionaire

Based on the 2017 income disclosure statement (the latest information we have) there were 254 Isagenix Millionaires globally.

These are Associates who have earned more than $1 million in cumulative gross earnings since joining Isagenix, with 180 of those being from the US.

This shows it is possible for you to make money and possibly become rich with their business opportunity.  These people prove it can happen.

But it is going to take a lot of time and effort to achieve it.

More importantly, you will need to keep on learning and adapting to acquire the right skills and techniques too.

The reason I say this is that their income disclosure also shows that over 50% of their Associates are earning less than $337 too.

It took an average of 6 years for these associates to achieve the million mark, with some taking 15 years.

This is definitely not a get rich quick scheme or any easy money scheme.

Recommended: How to Increase MLM Sales

What We Didn't Like About Isagenix

Here is what we didn’t like about Isagenix:

#1 Is It a Placebo Effect???

There are a lot of people who have doubted the effectiveness of the health and weight loss supplements available at Isagenix.

Take a moment to think about it…

The Isagenix weight loss solutions are mostly about reducing your calories intake.  This is by replacing your food with shakes, bars, meal replacements and other nutritional supplements.

It is also about changing your diet and keeping yourself to a healthy eating plan.

But to be completely honest, even if you didn’t take any Isagenix products, you could still lose weight by sticking to a controlled diet and weight loss plan.

If you kept to a disciplined plan, you wouldn’t need to buy any of these “so-called” weight loss products, and you would lose weight.

To me, this looks like you are paying more for the “commitment” instead of the actual products.

But you could get better results by paying for a gym membership and committing to going so many times a week and thinking about what you are eating, then with expensive products from an MLM.

#2 Fake “Health Experts”

We see this quite often with health and wellness MLM companies and their distributors will consider themselves as some sort of “health expert”, going around trying to give their friends and family “health advice”

I am not saying all of them are not qualified to give others health advice, you don’t need a degree to help others improve their health.

But the difference is when people are giving advice to get you to buy something, rather than promoting something because it will actually work.  There is a massive difference and the one is just to make you buy something, regardless of whether it will work or not.

Most of the distributors will simple want to sell you the products and that is why they’re trying to offer unqualified and dodgy health advice.

If you are seriously interested in Isagenix, make sure you do your own thorough research like what you are doing here.

#3 Potential Side Effects

These weight loss and nutritional products are unfortunately NOT all safe and free from hazards.

There are reports of people reporting side effects such as diarrhoea and a weakened immune system after using the products. 

It is important that you consult with your doctor before taking any new supplements, especially if you are suffering from an existing health condition, or you are taking medication for the first time.

#4 The Majority of People FAILED!

Now, this is the stuff you really need to pay attention to.

The latest income disclosure statement we could find talks about the 2017 year.  It shows that 50% of their distributors (39,000) made more than $337 and the other half made less that that (over a year).  But this is only based on US distributors.  Those who earned more averaged earnings of $985.

Even if you were able to hustle your way into that top 50%, you would then need to work even harder to get to the point where you are covering your costs.

Here are some figures to show that the majority of people are not earning enough to cover costs:

isagenix income disclosure

$2,101 over the year will not even cover your costs of staying qualified…

I am not saying it is impossible to succeed with Isagenix.

The income disclosure statement does show that there are people who are becoming rich with their business opportunity, but the percentage is extremely small.

The reality is that the majority of their distributors are struggling to make money.

Haven't Made Your First $1 Yet?

Studies have shown that more than 70% of the people who want to make money online have not made their first dollar yet. So, you’re not alone!

Can You Make Money with Isagenix

The honest answer is that, yes you could make money with Isagenix.  Their income disclosure statement proves that. But like all MLM opportunities, you need to understand the hard work and effort you are going to need to put in to make that a reality.  

If you are quite insular and don’t have a huge circle of friends and family that you could promote these products too, then you need to really think about whether this opportunity is for you or not.  Sharing products on social media and hiding away is not a reality with MLM, you need to get out there and put these products in front of people you don’t know and show them how it works to get sales.

That is why so many people fail at MLM, selling to friends and family feels awkward, yet these MLM companies do not train you properly on other methods of promoting products, such as Internet Marketing.

My Isagenix Review - Final Conclusion

Isagenix is not a scam and it is very clear that it can make you money and they also have many satisfied customers.

If you want to lose weight and get healthy, then you may want to try their products out to see if they work for you.

But, for the business opportunity we would not recommend this opportunity to you, simply because the success rate is so small.  This is shown with their income disclosure showing that the majority of Associates are not making a profit.  That is a serious fact to consider.

But there is also a very loyal base to Isagenix, that may or may not be their associates.   But it does seem like you either love Isagenix or hate it.

But this comment is quite balanced and honest, and it feels like the ideal way to summarise Isagenix:

is isagenix a scam - level comment

MLM is a tough old business for the newbie, so if you want a better option, keep on reading…

How We Make Money Online

We are not a fan of MLM, not because it is illegal or that it isn’t profitable, but because it is really restrictive, and the expensive costs involved.

That is why we recommend Affiliate Marketing.  It is our top recommended business model for anyone wanting to make money online.

The reasons are simple…

  • You don’t have to recruit anyone to make money
  • You have the freedom to promote any products or services you want and not get restricted by only promoting products from one MLM company
  • NO face-to-face Selling is involved
  • It is FREE to get started

In fact, with affiliate marketing we are close to earning a 4-figure monthly passive income stream.  With the right help and guidance, you can too. 

Click here to find out about our top recommended training platform for learning affiliate marketing

Thanks for checking out our Isagenix Review.  If you have any questions or comments to add, then please write them in the comments section below. 😉

Isagenix

$29/year + Initial Product Order + Monthly Autoship
4

Overall Rating

4.0/10

Pros

  • Easy Payment Process
  • Yes, You Could Become a Millionaire

Cons

  • Is it a Placebo Effect???
  • Fake "Health Experts"
  • Potential Side Effects
  • The Majority of People FAILED!

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