What is Nerium International? Is Nerium International a Scam?

Today we will find out what is Nerium International and see if it is worth our time. Nerium is a pretty well-known multi-level marketing company in the anti-aging industry. 

The company is the subject of a lot of debates, with a lot of people saying the business opportunity (and products) are complete scams.

When you're done reading this Nerium review you'll know what to expect from the company. 

What is Nerium International? 

Founded in 2011, Nerium International is new to the multi-level marketing scene. They have a line of anti-aging and other wellness products they market, most of which are quite expensive.

Members can choose to become Brand Partners and participate in the multi-level marketing system, which is identical to every other MLM out there. Interestingly, in 2013 the actor Ray Liotta sued Nerium for saying he endorses the company and products, which he does not.

There have been several other lawsuits too, such as the most recent one by Kimberly Gerdo who claims the whole company is a pyramid scheme. So even though the company is new to the industry they have already had their fair share of lawsuits and complaints. Nerium International is very similar to Rodan and Fields, another MLM in the skin care industry. 

Let's take a closer look. 

How to Make Money With Nerium?

Chances are someone approached you trying to promote this company, making a whole lot of sketchy promises about wealth and freedom.

This section will cover making money with Nerium; their compensation plan, cost to join, and probability of success. Stick around. 

We'll start with the basics. When you first start with Nerium you'll have two goals: 

1. Sponsor 3 Customers
2. Earn a FSQ Bonus

As is tradition, the idea is to recruit three people right off the bat, and keep them active, in order to move to the next rank for more rewards.

You'll be making money by adding people to your down-line and retail sales. The retail sale commission rate is quite low, between 10 and 25% (depending on your rank). 

In Nerium, distributors are called Brand Partners.

The more Commissionable Volume you earn, the higher your commissions, the maximum is 25% (and that is still quite low, especially for affiliate marketers).

To earn Volume you need to either make more direct sales, or add more people to your team, which is called Customer Acquisition.

In other words, when someone registers under your link, and pays the fee, you'll receive a percentage of that fee, depending on your rank and the rank they enroll in. 

Overall, the whole compensation scheme is rather complicated. 

Take this "simple" description, for example:

Besides that, there are a few other prizes too, like a Lexus car bonus, new tablet, or a cash prize. Of course there's also the team bonus, which Nerium calls a Coaching Bonus, that allows you to earn a percent of your team's income, the maximum of which is 10% (and it takes awhile to get there). 

So the premise is simple; recruit, make sure the down line is active, and hustle the opportunity as hard as you can.

Income Potential with Nerium: 

This is what Nerium is about:

What are the chances you can make good money with Nerium?

Do you need to be a crazy-good marketer with millions of leads to make any sales? To answer these questions, we'll be taking a look at the Nerium income disclaimer. 

Heads up: I wasn't able to find an updated version of this income disclaimer, it seems to be a well-guarded secret. I'm not surprised.

This disclaimer, from Canada, says about 17,750 people joined as Brand Partners. Out of that number, a grand total of 706 remained active. There must be a reason so many people leave the company? 

Interesting numbers: 

• 24277 total members
• 4208 earned nothing from the system ($0). 
• 11,219 earned less than $1,000. 

The 2012 income reports reveal more: 

• 79.4% of members earned between $0 and $1,000 (average $370)
• 8% of members earned over $1,001. 
• 3% earned over $2000.

Taking the fact that 4208 people joined the system and earned zero dollars, that's $420,800 to the company with nothing in return, assuming everyone paid the required fee (some people probably spent a lot more too). 

So you're chances of making decent cash aren't great.

Of course, like the disclaimer says, the results entirely depend on your level of work and dedication, but you could be applying that work elsewhere, for much better results. 

Nerium Products: 

What about the products? Do they work? 

Nerium claims their products are made with Nerium Oleander extract. Normally plant-based products are great, but this one happens to be toxic. The oleander plant is toxic in all its parts.

More info: Check out the Nerium Oleander Extract Page on Wikipedia.

Yeah, probably not a good idea to make a cream from that plant. 

Though the mortality rate on humans is quite low, children and pets can have dangerous reactions to the plant, which can be lethal. 

This doesn't necessarily mean the company's products are toxic, but it's not a good sign. In fact, one customer sued Nerium claiming the cream burned her neck and shoulders. 

But some people swear by the anti-aging products, claiming they really do help clear wrinkles and other blemishes.

One discussion mentioned the cream does clear wrinkles, because the chemical is toxic, and it causes the skin to become inflamed and stretch, thus clearing the wrinkles. 

The overall opinion seems to be that the creams work as advertised, and most people don't experience negative side-effects. 

Is Nerium International a Scam? 

Having said all that, do I think Nerium is a scam? 

My opinion of Nerium is this: 

Nerium is in a grey-area. They have some sketchy marketing tactics, and the way the distributors force the company on their friends and family can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Overall, the compensation plan works, but it is not designed for your success, more for the company's success. You'll have to work really hard to make a few sales, and keeping people in your down-line is even more difficult. 

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Nerium. There are too many red-flags. 

What You Can Try Instead: 

Instead, consider avoiding all these multi-level marketing schemes that promise you an abundance of wealth.

Focus on yourself. Learn how to build a business yourself. No need for weird complicated reward plans. 

It's a popular multi-level marketing company, and most people swear by it, while avoiding talking about their income all together. 

Hopefully now you have a better idea of what is Nerium International and whether you think it's a scam or not. You can make the right decision for you.

Thanks for reading this Nerium International review. Leave a comment if you have any questions.