What is Younique? Is Younique a pyramid scheme? Can you make money with Younique?
Youngique has gained popularity in the beauty niche, but is it really the best way to create a successful online business in this industry?
We’ll do our best to answer these questions – and more – in this detailed Younique review!
Younique Review
Product Name: Younique
Product Type: Multi-level Marketing Beauty Products
Price: See below.
Rating: 50/100
Best For: Nobody in my opinion.
Summary: Younique is not a scam. The products are of high quality with some complaints associated with them (see below).
The Younique business opportunity isn’t expensive, so that’s a plus, but come with a steep learning curve that fails most new students.
If you can’t sell the minimum requirement in products, this could get expensive. Plus the fact that you’re using the same materials to market the product make this a poor business strategy.
Recommended: No. If you really love the health and beauty niche, there’s much better training to build a successful long term online business available.
If you’re looking into Younique for the money making opportunity, you should check out my top recommended training instead. It has all the tools, training and support you need to build a successful online business. Plus 10 free classes to get started!
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What is Younique?
To start off, Younique is a cosmetics company with a wide range of products, ranging from eye-lashes, to mascara, to skin-care creams.
The products are quite decent, though more on the expensive side, but still there are not many complaints.
What makes this company different (and this reason is popular online) is because of the business opportunity.
Younique’s multi-level marketing system is a little different from most multi-level marketing opportunities because distributors are called Presenters.
The core reason this company is growing is because of the independent sales force, marketing the products across the globe.
To join, enter your sponsor’s name, and purchase one of the starter kits.
Are Younique Products Too Expensive?
This is one of the most commonly asked questions regarding this company; and the answer is a definite Yes.
It goes without saying that same make-up brands are expensive, especially the popular and well-known brands.
The problem is Younique is not a popular brand but it charges the same as popular brands.
Are Younique’s products inferior?
I can’t really say! If the value is there, then so’s the price.
But one thing you need to know is they’re a bit expensive!
Other Younique Complaints:
Another common complaint regarding the make-up is it does not properly cover skin blemishes.
A lot of clients also complain it doesn’t stay on for long enough and they have to constantly re-apply it.
Other than these couple downsides, it seems like most people do like the products.
What about the business opportunity?
Becoming a Younique Presenter:
Though the names for distributors are different, the core multi-level marketing principles are still there.
In other words – once again – your task is to build a team and encourage them to make sales or recruit new people so you can earn a cut.
Everyone under you, and everyone under them, will send a percentage up the ladder to you.
So – yes – it does sound like a pyramid scheme.
And one could argue that most multi-level marketing systems ARE pyramid schemes.
The way the business opportunity works is each presenter earns a commission on retails sales, new recruits, and down-line sales (as well as some milestone bonuses).
Younique’s Compensation Plan:
So as you can see, there are four main memberships, and each is divided into two sections.
You move up the ladder based on your accumulated points (points can be earned by making sales and recruiting new people).
You’ll start from White (earn 20% on retail sales) and slowly earn more as you progress with the ladder.
The most popular product, 3D Fiber Lashes, costs $29 each.
So at the White level, make one sale, and you will earn $5.8!
The commissions are not too bad.
To make even more money, the idea is to progress to the higher levels, where you can start earning passive commissions from your team.
Is Younique Fair to It’s Presenters?
As you can see from the compensation plan above, at the Pink level you can start earning 3.00% Circle Royalties.
Similarly, at Green level you can start earning royalties from your First Generation.
This is one aspect of the business plan I thought was cool but also a little unfair.
See, at Green and higher levels you can earn from your down-line.
So this means most of the people making decent cash have been with the program since it started.
In other words, the people at the top are sitting back cashing out and not doing any work, while the people at the bottom struggle to make sales.
It is a bit unfair, especially now since there are so many people competing!
Basically, everyone is rushing to move up the ladder, and this leads to some overly-aggressive marketing that scares people away.
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How Much Does Younique Cost?
Getting started with Younique is not expensive.
To become a Presenter you need to pay for the Starter kit, which costs $99 – one time fee.
So this was one thing I liked about the company; there are no monthly fees.
BUT…
To remain active, you need to make a certain amount of sales each month ($125 worth every 3 months, at White level).
The higher levels, the more sales are required to maintain your rank.
Fail to reach the limit and your account will be closed.
Thus forcing you to buy the required product to stay active.
Still, a one-time fee of $99 for a kit that contains some marketing materials and samples is not too bad.
Younique is Not Newbie Friendly:
One thing to keep in mind is this opportunity is not very newbie-friendly.
Most people will quit after the first month because they can’t figure out how it works and how to make sales.
Even successful Younique presenters said their first few months were awful.
It is cheap to join but there is also a pretty steep learning curve.
Additionally, there are thousands of other presenters sharing the same pictures and advertisements across social media, so it might be hard to earn sales.
In short, I liked that Younique’s starter costs are not that high.
Conclusion: Is Younique a Pyramid Scheme?
By definition, a pyramid scheme promises cash to everyone, without any product or services.
I can’t say Younique is a pyramid scheme because they do have decent products – physical products – not digital ones!
The company is well established – and though not everyone loves it – it is legitimate and not a scam.
So you can feel free to take a look at the company, but I recommend something different.
I recommend learning how to build a platform for yourself, a platform you can use to market any opportunity or course.
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Of course, I’m talking about learning how to build a site and drive free traffic to any product online.
It’s not as hard as you may think, especially with the right tools and guidance. Thanks for taking the time to read this Is Younique a Pyramid Scheme Review!
Until next time.
I actually know someone who is a presenter for Younique and makes a pretty good living with it & I don’t think they’ve been in very long.
This presenter does a lot of videos on social media so this person is very influential.
However! The compensation plan looks very much like that of Amway & many other MLM’S l’ve been involved in.
Very good review. I thought you discussed the topic well and gave both positives and negatives of this product.
Awesome Rick, thanks for your feedback on Younique. So maybe they’re not a pyramid scheme in your opinion, but at least something that’s not for you.
Thanks
Great Younique review. I a, getting to know this program for the first time. It seems to be a good one in as much as you have a product that you can buy and use mode especiallly for Ladies.
My questions are. Is this product restricted to some countries or region? How do I cash out my money I.e. The payment method?
Kindly Revert.
John.
Hey John,
Thanks for your feedback on Younique. They are not in every country but are expanding as much as they can. Just saw that they’ve expanded into Mexico and Germany.
Payments can be done by bank wire or PayPal from what I’ve researched.
Best
Personally, I think Younique products are expensive and what makes them so expensive is because of the commissions their presenters have to receive.
The company had to figure out a way to pay all those presenters and what better way to do it but to make their products very expensive.
I have a friend who uses the product and she seem to like how it make her look. So, as long as they can keep making their products good, then it’s okay. what i do know is that Younique is definitely not for me.
Thanks Stella for your feedback on Younique. I wonder if your hesitation is because you think they’re a pyramid scheme or rather that you don’t like to do direct sales.
This opportunity seems to be one that would require some sales skills.
Hi Tim,
Loved your review on Younique products. I know a little about them as I have used them and one of my friends is a presenter.
She struggled for months with it in the beginning and now through sheer perseverance and hard work it is finally paid off and she makes an income (not much though) BUT most people do give up on this as it is so hard and not user friendly.
Plus her whole life has to revolve around Younique in order for her to make a bit of cash.
The products are definitely over priced but they are all natural and chemical free so they do have that going for them.
I bought a kit myself and tried to become a presenter, but truth be told I gave up after a couple of weeks as I just don’t like the whole concept of multi level marketing. Too many fat cats at the top.
I would much rather make my money online using a good hosting platform like Wealthy Affiliate which teaches you to build a business and a brand from scratch with its fantastic training and support.
Really awesome feedback Stefanie, thanks so much. I met a gal a year ago who was selling something similar but in the supplements/health industry.
We had a nice meeting and when I taught her about putting a website together and driving targeted traffic to her product (plus showed her how easy it is to rank long tail keyword phrases) she was blown away.
How much easier to drive traffic that’s already looking for your products versus network marketing and holding parties to try to convince people of the opportunity.
Instead, sell the products and let whoever wants part of Younique’s business opportunity do that on their own.
That’s what I prefer too. Create content that ranks in Google and put in that initial work to get your post on top, then let the sales make themselves.
Best,
Todd
Hi Tim,
I’ve seen this line of products advertised at my local YMCA before on their ad board. I figured that it was something of an MLM for women when I saw it the first time. I don’t think Younique is a scam necessarily but more of a product price rip-off.
Not saying that the products are bad but it’s one of those buy low and sell extremely high. With a claim of excellent quality. When the truth is that the customer can probably get the same if not, comparable product at their local retail store.
People that start these businesses, want to stay in business so they stay on the legal boundaries all the time for fear of getting shut down.
As far as Younique being a pyramid scheme, I think people with regular everyday jobs are part of the biggest scheme. The owners of companies are at the top while the workers at the bottom make the least amount of money for a bum paycheck.
So in my mind MLMs aren’t as bad as what they seem. At least MLMs sell you a dream to look forward to. A job will just promise your next check as long as you follow their rules.
Sorry for the long comment, I just have strong feelings on the matter 🙂
This is a great review I’m glad I came across it. Cheers
Thanks for your feedback on our Younique review David and I think a lot of our readers feel the same way.
I have this same thought process on College education and wrote a piece that describes something similar.
At least in the States, over 50% of college grads end up getting jobs that don’t require a college degree yet they’re paying an average of over 100K for a piece of paper.
I guess it’s all one’s perspective. Thanks for yours.