Welcome to our Rodan and Fields Review!
There are many reports that Rodan and Fields could actually be a pyramid scheme, so I’m guessing your here to get the truth about this skincare MLM, right?
First off, it’s great to see that your doing your research before buying into any “seemingly good” product.
That is how you avoid scams and find only legitimate ways to make money online!
To be completely transparent with you, we’re not associated with Rodan and Fields in any way. We’re not here to pitch or sell you anything.
Instead, we want to ensure you get all the details you need to know, so that you can make an informed decision before deciding if Rodan and Fields business opportunity is right for you.
Saves you waiting for an answer, Rodan and Fields isn’t a scam. But the question about whether it is the ideal way for you to work from home and make a living is not as easy to answer.
Our unbiased review will get you all the answers, including the pros and cons, and everything else in between.
Let’s get started with a quick product overview…
Rodan and Fields Review Summary
Product Name: Rodan and Fields
Founder: Dr. Katie Rodan & Dr. Kathy Fields, in 2002
Product Type: Skincare MLM
Price: $75 to start + $395-$995 for starter kit + $100/month to remain active
Best For: Ladies, Moms
Pros
- Proven History
- Credible Founders
- Positive Product Reviews
- Money Back Guarantee
Cons
- Expensive Products
- Hidden Monthly Expenses
- Pyramid Scheme in Disguise?
- Most People Failed!
Summary: Rodan and Fields is a Personal Care MLM, selling a range of skincare products with the aim of reducing acne.
My big concern with this MLM is their business opportunity. Due to the expensive products prices and monthly sales quota, their distributors have to achieve. This works more like a pyramid scheme in disguise, where recruitment is your only real way of making a decent income.
That is where the bad news keeps going, as more than 95% of their members fail at this business, and only 2% of their Consultants are earning more than the minimum wage.
Rating: 38/100
Recommended? No
Table of Contents
What is Rodan and Fields?
Rodan and Fields is a Personal Care MLM or Multi-Level Marketing company. It sells anti-aging skincare products (like Jeunesse) and products that help with acne.
It was founded by Dr. Katie Rodan & Dr. Kathy Fields in 2002. They are best friends, who are also qualified dermatologists. They have a lot of experience in the skincare industry.
They do have some credible plaudits in their background too. They also founded ProActiv, which is a company with skincare products specialising in fighting acne.
Alongside their product line, they also offer a way of everyday people making money working from home selling these products through the “direct sales” business model.
It’s the same business model as MLM, although due to so many negative stories about MLM, they try and keep the Direct Selling tag as it is seen as better, even though it’s the same thing.
Anyways, it this business opportunity we are reviewing today, to see if it’s really as worthwhile as the company makes out.
If you want to learn a little more about the company, and the two ladies behind it, you can check out this 4-minute video below…
Well, that video made it out to be a legit opportunity, right?
But you’re smart enough to know that this is just a clever marketing video to make you think it’s the best opportunity out there…
So, you may still be wondering…
Is Rodan and Fields a Pyramid Scheme
A lot of people think all MLM’s are a pyramid scheme, when that isn’t strictly the case. As far as Rodan and Fields goes… No, It’s not a pyramid scheme.
They sell a range of legitimate products and consultants can make money just from selling these products, without the need to recruit…
However, when you review as many MLMs as we do, you start to realise that there is a better question to ask of an MLM… Is Rodan and Fields a pyramid scheme in disguise?
What’s a Pyramid Scheme?
A pyramid scheme is a company that promise payment in return for you recruiting new members. They have no products or services to speak of, so the only way you earn money is through recruiting people.
The problem with that business model is that, it’s not sustainable and not everyone in a model like that can earn an income. That is why they have been made illegal in most of the world. This diagram from Wikipedia shows you they are not sustainable…
Now, Rodan and Fields have a legit product line. So, their consultants don’t technically need to recruit. They can just sell these products.
But many MLM use these products as a way of hiding their true intentions, which is the fact that the only way consultants can make a decent income is by recruiting new members into their downline.
Expensive Products and a Sales Quota are just two red flags that an MLM is operating more like one of these pyramid schemes in disguise… We’ll get into whether or not Rodan and Fields could be one, later…
For now, you may find this 5-minute video useful in being able to spot these pyramid schemes in disguise…
Success is Rare at Rodan and Fields
Success isn’t just rare at Rodan and Fields, it’s rare in all MLM opportunities…
Did you know that between 72.5% and 99% of MLM representatives are losing money?
As far as Rodan and Fields goes… They clearly sit in the camp where about 95% of their members are losing money in 2020. It also shows that the select few who are earning a decent income are those that have recruited a fair few under them.
Their Income Disclosure statement for 2020 shows that the average income for their members was $462 before any expenses were taken into account. So the average member spent a lot of money to stay active to take home $462.
I’m not saying it’s impossible to make this work for you, but the figures shows that the odds are against you and you’ll need to work really hard to make it work.
How Does Rodan and Fields Work?
Rodan and Fields produces a range of skincare products.
Instead of marketing these products in the usual retail way, they rely on everyday people becoming a consultant and selling them to friends and family, etc.
The company saves millions of dollars on advertising costs and everyday people think they can make an income this way as they earn a commission on every sale.
It sounds like a good deal for both parties, but the reality is that these consultants become the MLM’s biggest customer…
Anyways, let’s take a look a their product line…
Rodan and Fields Product Line
If you’re serious about joining an MLM company, you will need to get a good understanding of the products they are offering, if you want to see any success.
You’ll need to try them and become the expert, so your customers can trust you enough to buy them.
Rodan and Fields offers a selection of skincare regimens, the main ones are:
- Redefine ($20 ~$384) – For smoother, younger-looking skin, including products like cleaning mask, toner, eye cream, serum, etc.
- Reverse ($42~$376) – Address skin discolouration to help you either brighten dull skin or lighten dark spots. (e.g. sunscreen, exfoliating wash, brightening/lightening toner, skin treatment, etc.)
- Unblemish ($30~$320) – Reduce existing acne and prevent new blemishes (e.g Acne treatment, clarifying toner)
- Soothe ($42~$311) – Reduce visible redness and calm sensitive skin (e.g. Sensitive skin treatment, replenishing cream, gentle cream wash)
- Essentials – Daily skincare essentials (e.g. Body moisturiser, sunscreen, Vitamin D supplement)
- Enhancements – Optimise results of all the regimens listed above
They offer a wide range of products, but all based around skincare, both anti-aging and removing acne.
Whilst they all sound great, you should know that there are hundreds, if not thousands of other MLMs in the health and wellness industry.
Here are just some of the MLMs that offer a very similar product line:
There is a lot of competition in the skincare, and health and wellness sector… So, is there anything that makes Rodan and Fields stand out from the crowd?
Rodan and Fields Flagship Product – Redefine
Their main product appears to be their Redefine range.
It contains:
- Cleansing mask
- Toner
- Sunscreen 30 SPF
- Restorative cream
- Rejuvenation mask
- Face mask brush
- Tool to apply face mask
We’ll get into the price of these products later, as it is definitely something that you need to take into consideration in your decision making process. But for now, let’s take a look at their unique selling point (USP):
These products help your skin feel:
- More hydrated
- Refreshed
- Smoother skin
- Plumper
- Healthier looking
You can check out more about their products and their benefits here.
There are a really mixed bag of reviews online about their products. The most common complaint is about the price of their products. Their products, like most MLMs, are really expensive. The retail price for their Redefine regime is $220!!
But if you want to learn a little more about their products, you can watch this 4-minute video below…
Haven't Made Your First $1 Yet?
Can You Make Money with Rodan and Fields?
The answer is, yes you can but it’s going to be really hard.
Their income disclosure statement shows that most of their members are losing money. It appears as though only 2% are earning enough after expenses to earn more than the minimum wage and the average consultant only earned $462 for the year…
Like with most MLM opportunities, you are going to have to recruit a huge downline team to make this worthwhile… Those that are earning a decent income will be acting like full-time sales managers…
How To Make Money with Rodan and Fields?
Rodan and Fields is your typical MLM opportunity, so there are the usual 2 ways for you to earn money form their compensation plan:
- Sell their products for a retail commission
- Recruit members in to your downline and earn bonuses from their sales
Please note, you don’t acutally earn from recruiting people. That would make it an outright pyramid scheme.
You only earn bonuses and commissions based on their sales, so it’s as much about how you train and support your downline team to sell their products
Getting Started with Rodan and Fields
To get started you are required to buy a Business Starter Kit. I’ve seen many reviews quoting $45, but this has now been increased to $75.
This gives you the basics to get started, but it doesn’t include any products to showcase to potential customers. So, you’ll be encouraged to buy a “business kit”, which include some products to get you going…
The 3 different product packages are:
- Personal Results Kit – $395
- Big Business Launch Kit – $695
- RFx Express Business Kit – $995
They are claimed to be optional, but you really cannot run a business like this without them.
You can find all the information for these business kits here…
Also, don’t think that the costs stop there…
Rodan and Fields Monthly Costs
This is the biggest surprise to most MLM consultants. They often don’t realise this part until they are already committed and and started with the business. But they company has a monthly sales quota for you to work to.
To remain active, and therefore eligible for commissions, you need to sell 100 SV worth of product each month. If you are unable to sell $100 worth of product, you will not be considered active.
So, if you sold $50 worth of product, you wouldn’t earn the commission on it. You only earn it if you reach $100 worth of sales.
But that isn’t the worst part, if you don’t reach $100, you are expected to buy the shortfall to keep yourself active.
This is the biggest reason why so many MLM members are losing money. They are constantly buying these overpriced products to keep themselves active and in the game.
Those costs soon start addingup. Here’s the expenses you need to consider for the first year…
- $75
- $395 – $995
- $100 x 12 ($1,200)
Minimum Costs for Year 1 = $1,670 – $2,270
That is before you factor in any other costs associated with your business, like travel, marketing, training, food, and anything else that goes with running your business.
It costs a lot more than the $75 it is touted as being…
P.S. This program enabled us to Create a 4-Figure Monthly Passive Income Stream. It’s Free to get started and costs only $49/month to go full-time!
Rodan and Fields Compensation Plan
MLM companies have over-complicated compensation plans and Rodan and Fields is no different.
We’ll do our best to keep our explanation as simple as we can…
The Rodan and Fields compensation plan offers 5 ways to get paid…
- Retail Profits – Buy products at wholesale prices, sell them at retail price and earn the difference
- Consultant Commissions – Commissions made from selling startup packages to consultants (e.g. The $45 business portfolio that is required to become a consultant)
- Personal Team Commissions – Commissions made from the sales your team (aka your downline) makes
- Generation Commissions – Additional commissions made when both you and your downline advance to the rank of Level 1 Executive Consultant and beyond
- Performance Bonuses – Bonuses for achieving higher ranks or certain achievements. This can include holiday rewards, cars rewards, etc.
I know, that doesn’t make it sound any simpler really. But there are just the 2 ways, like we described earlier to make money here:
- Sel their products
- Recruit a team
But take another look at the 5 ways, and you’ll notice 4 of them are all related to recruiting and not selling…
If you want to learn more about their compensation plan, then you can watch the following 5-minute video…
Is Rodan and Fields a Scam?
No, Rodan and Fields is not a scam.
They sell a range of legitimate products and they pay their members on time, just like they say they do.
But what happens is that when you have so many people losing money, they end up leaving these MLMs and call it out a scam. MLM companies could do more to be open and transparent about the monthly costs, etc and the difficulty. But they are not all scams.
But a lot of out more focus on recruitment, as that way they have more consultants all buying products. Most MLM’s don’t want you to know that their biggest customer base will be their own consultants.
Is this business opportunity right for you? Well, the remainder of our review will provide you with all of the other details you need to know to make an informed decision.
Just to be completely transparent with you, I’m not a distributor of Rodan and Fields, nor do I endorse Rodan and Fields in any way. I have researched the website, testimonials, and information available on the internet to get the details about what this program genuinely does. I do this, as I have been caught out by a scam in the past, and am trying to help others avoid a similar fate…
Tired of MLMs? Check How We Make Money Online Here!
What We Liked About Rodan and Fields
Here’s what we liked about Rodan and Fields:
#1 Proven History
MLMs don’t usually last long, with only 1 in 3 MLM companies lasting longer than 10 years.
So, it’s a good sign that Rodan and Fields has been going since 2002, that is almost 20 years in the business. It’s shows they are clearly not a scam, as the FTC would have closed them down long ago if they were.
#2 Credible Founders
They are both qualified dermatologists, so they know what they are on about when it comes to skincare…
Dr. Rodan & Dr. Fields are real dermatologists who are well-known and well-respected in their industry.
Not only that, they also have experience in building a company and creating skincare products prior to founding Rodan and Fields.
#3 Positive Product Reviews
MLM consultants have been guilty of posting their own spam reviews to try and help them with their sales, so sites like Consumer Affairs are a good place to find some unbiased reviews.
You can tell that some reviews are honest and there are many 4-star reviews, which suggest people aren’t being overly biased.
This is a great sign as it shows that real people are using Rodan and Fields products.
Also, many of the negative reviews were actually to do with the MLM itself and the “pyramid style” commission structure rather than poor products.
What We Didn't Like About Rodan and Fields
Here’s what we didn’t like about Rodan and Fields:
#1 Expensive Products
It’s the first thing you should check when seeing if an MLM is any good. Expensive products is part of a sign that they could be operating like a pyramid scheme in disguise…
When you compare their skincare products to the retail alternatives, you start to realise there is between a 25% and 1500% difference in the prices.
You can get a lot more value by buying cheaper alternatives online, and most of the complaints about their products are about the price and not the quality.
But how many people do you know that are going to pay over the odds for these products, when they can get retail products that are cheaper and do just as good of a job?
I’m no expert when it comes down to skincare products, but when you find hundreds of similar products with many more reviews on them, all of them positive, then you have to question an MLM product with only a handful of reviews…
Then there is this review which kind of says it all…
There are many other 1 star reviews, which are of a similar vein to this one…
So, I said earlier that overpriced products is part of a worrying sign for an MLM, especially when you couple it with the next concern we have…
#2 Hidden Monthly Expenses
The second concern we have is the monthly sales quota to remain active…
If you aren’t able to sell $100 worth of product each month (and let’s face it most people won’t), then you have to buy it yourself.
That means you have to keep on buying products just in the hope that you earn a commission at some point. You end up with a garage full of stock, that you can’t use (all of it).
This is another huge red flag that the MLM is operating like a pyramid scheme in disguise…
Very few people are able to hit the ground running and start selling $100+ worth of products straightaway. The only way you can hope to avoid paying these prices is to get recruiting and make them sell that amount (or keep on buying), which isn’t very ethical.
It also leads us to this conclusion…
#3 Is Rodan and Fields a Pyramid Scheme in Disguise?
When you combine overpriced products with a monthly sales quota, you find that Rodan and Fields operates like a pyramid scheme in disguise…
Take a look at this screenshot taken from their own compensation plan
Now, take a look at this image… Notice anything?
This proves the only way you have to make a decent income with Rodan and Fields is to recruit, and then recruit some more.
Remember 4 out of the 5 ways you can earn money with their compensation plan is to recruit. Then there is the fact that most of their consultants are losing money.
#4 Most Consultants Fail
Ultimately, most of their consultants are not even earning enough to cover their costs. These income figures will not take into account that they are all having to spend at least $100 a month to stay active, unless they are selling enough, whihc will not be the majority of their members.
You can read their full income disclosure statement here for yourself if you prefer.
Only those that are recruiting a downline team are those that are earning a more reasonable amount, but that is still not something realistic in the first year of operation.
Just look at the median column and the number of customers they have, and you can see why it could be consider a pyramid scheme in disguise…
Haven't Made Your First $1 Yet?
My Rodan and Fields Review - Final Conclusion
Look, there is no getting away from them having a good lineup of products. They have two great dermatologists behind them, so I’m sure they are great. But with expensive price tages and a monthly sales quota, their business opportunity leaves much to be desired.
Their income disclosure staement shows that most of their members are not earning enough to cover their costs, and that those who are earning more than the minimum wage are doing so, by recruiting a huge downline team. Which stinks of a pyramid scheme in disguise, if you ask me…
If you’re a beauty influencer, with experience of using online marketing, you might find that it’s possible to make some money with Rodan and Fields. But it’s not the most ethical way of making money, and the stats don’t lie…
How We Make Money Online
I’m not a fan of MLM, not because it’s illegal or not profitable, but because of all the restrictions and expensive costs involved.
Instead, Affiliate Marketing is our top recommended business model for anyone looking to make money online
The reasons are simple…
- You can promote anything you want and aren’t restricted to only promote products from one MLM company
- You don’t have to recruit anyone to make money
- You never need to sell to your friends and family
- It’s free to get started
In fact, with affiliate marketing we’ve been able to Create a 4-Figure Monthly Passive Income Stream. If you want to learn more, click here.
Thanks for checking out our Rodan and Fields Review! If you have any questions or comments to add, then please write them in the comments section below. 😉
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Rodan and Fields
$75 + $395-$995 + $100/monthly
Pros
- Proven History
- Credible Founders
- Positive Reviews
Cons
- Expensive Products
- Hidden Monthly Expenses
- Pyramid Scheme in Disguise
- Most Consultants Fail!
