When I landed on the Scentsy website, my first impression was that it’s an online store and nothing like an MLM or multilevel marketing company. But upon navigating the site for some time, it turned out that I was wrong.
Scentsy is an MLM or multilevel marketing company like Maskcara beauty, Purium, Monat Global, My Daily Choice and 4Life. If you’re at the edge of considering whether to join or not, you might want to stick around to know what I discovered.
I will be covering their products, business opportunity and take a step further into what’s there for you.
If you intend to associate yourself with the company in any way, then you might want to have the information I’m about to share with you under your sleeve. Losing hard-earned money these days is a painful thing.
Let’s jump straight into it then!
Quick Navigation
- Scentsy Review
- What Is Scentsy About?
- What Makes Scentsy Unique? Product Line
- How Do You Make Money With Scentsy?
- Scentsy Compensation Plan
- The Ugly Facts And Truths About Scentsy
- The Good Things To Note About Scentsy
- Is Scentsy A Scam?
- Should You Join Scentsy Knowing It’s An MLM?
Scentsy Review
Name: Scentsy
Website: http://www.scentsy.com
Headquarters: Meridian, ID
Industry: Direct Selling/Multi-Level Marketing
Founder: Heidi & Orville Thompson
Founded: 2004
Product Type: Home and Personal Fragrance
Starting Cost: $99 + local tax + shipping
Summary: Scentsy is a legitimate company with a business opportunity that has been in operation for over 15 years. However, their income disclosure shows that most of their consultants are losing money rather than making a profit. With products, there seems to be positive feedback but some are hypes.
My Overall Rating: 4 out of 10
Remarks: If you’re in for business, it’s possible to succeed but it won’t be an easy road.
What is Scentsy About?
Scentsy is a direct selling company that uses network marketing or multilevel marketing (MLM) strategy to get its consumer goods to the public. And they do that through individual partners called an independent consultant.
Most of the time, you get their products only through these consultants or at their online store. What makes them unique in the MLM space is their specialization in scent-related products. That’s what got me curious about researching them.
So if you’re approached by any consultant, what you’re likely to be sold out on is a wickless candle that can change the fragrance of your home forever. They claim their wax is no like the traditional candles because you warm not burn.
In that regard, there’s no flame, no smoke, soot or lead to worry about. It’s totally safer than burning candles, that’s their message. In fact, every MLM company has this sort of message.
But how true is that? You’ll find out in a moment.
The good news is that there aren’t many lawsuits against this company and they have a positive rating for BBB investigation.
What Makes Scentsy Unique? Product Line
Apart from Scentsy being an MLM business model, their watchword is your traditional candles are not safe to use anymore. They release unfriendly chemicals and pose other burning hazards.
So their solution is providing you with their own warmers and scented bars that eliminate the side effects of alternative traditional candles. And more importantly, provides you with a long-lasting scent for your home.
They have a long list of products but their flagship product is wickless candle warmers and scented wax bars. The two together is referred to as the Scentsy system.
It works in this way……..
- Put your choice of Scentsy wax bars into the warmer
- Connects to the warmer to an electricity source
- You have your room filled with fragrance as the wax bars melt
The warmers use a low-watt light bulb that slowly melts the wax bars so you’re a bit safe. No flame, no smoke and no soot with this approach.
The Scentsy wax bars come in various fragrances which averagely cost $6. For the warmers, they have all kinds of designs and sizes.
Apart from the warmers and wax bars, Scentsy has expanded its product line to cover categories such as:
- Laundry: dryer disks, laundry liquid, Scentsy fresh fabric spray, scent soft fabric softener, wash whiffs, etc
- Cleaning: bathroom cleaner, counter cleaner, dish soap, all-purpose cleaner concentrate, etc
- Scentsy body care: body cream, body wash, hand cream, hand soap, lotion, fragrance mist, etc
- Scentsy kids collection: Scentsy blankie buddies, Scentsy buddies, Scentsy buddy clips, Scentsy friends, Scentsy sidekicks
- Scentsy pets: bud suds pet shampoo, no knot spot dog detangling spray, freshen up pup dog deodorizing spray
- Others: essential oils, essential oil blends, natural oil blends, diffusers, Scentsy pods, etc
How Do You Make Money With Scentsy?
Like most MLM companies, you make money in two major ways;
- Selling Scentsy products to make commissions
- Recruiting members into a team of consultants to earn various bonuses
It’s pretty much straightforward but it’s not as simple as that. You can’t make money with Scentsy until you’re registered with them as an Independent Consultant. So let’s look at how to get started.
How Do You Get Started With Scentsy
To become an independent consultant with Scentsy, you have to sign up through a sponsor. You have to hold in your hand $99 to purchase a starter kit before you can join Scentsy. That excludes local tax and shipping fee.
The starter kit contains resources you need to start your business as they put it. The contents may vary depending on where you’re. They include;
- Best-selling warmer
- Scented wax tester
- Catalogues
- Order forms
- Three months PWS
- Product samples
Before you join Scentsy, you’re required to be of legal age in your country, a resident and must have a valid personal identification number.
You don’t make money right away once you’ve joined as an independent consultant. Within any consecutive four-month period, you must purchase no less than 200 points of personal retail volume (PRV) product in at least one month.
That’s equivalent to about $200 which implies that you need a minimum of approximately $300 to actually start your business as Scentsy consultant. It’s quite a lot.
And that wouldn’t be the only cost if you’re going to really thrive in this business space. You need to possess the skills to generate leads to boost your income. Other than that you might want to check out lower-cost start-up online business.
So when you’ve done all these, what next? That brings me to their compensation plan.
Scentsy Compensation Plan
The compensation plan shows you how much you can theoretically make. In my experience with MLMs, it feels good to hear an associate rattle those big monies.
In reality, most people are not able to realize those dreams because of misinformation and not developing the capacity to succeed. There are basically two main categories of commission in this plan.
Retailing Commissions
You make this commission on Scentsy products you personally sell. You earn 20% for the first 1000 PRV products sold and 25% on all sales afterwards. Based on your rank, you can make an additional 9% on personal wholesale volume.
When you’re able to sell more than 2000 PRV, Scentsy rewards you with 5% bonus. These are encouraging commissions but it doesn’t come that easily.
You have to equip yourself with the skills of marketing, else you’ll end up with a pile of products that no one wants to buy. That’s the nightmare of most associates of MLM companies because you usually have to buy the products before you sell.
However, there are better online business options that you don’t have to even purchase any products.
Recruitment Commissions
Truth be told. For almost all MLM businesses, retailing products wouldn’t give you financial freedom as the system may preach. It’s building a team of consultants to leverage their effort to your advantage that brings the most profits.
That’s called recruitment. Scentsy has done well to summarize these commissions in a colourful table as below.
I’ve added a short video to provide you with a detailed explanation about everything here.
These commissions are amazing but are they realistic? Are people finding success? Let’s find out.
The Ugly Facts And Truths About Scentsy
Caution! Scentsy Bars Are Produced From Paraffin Wax
Like most MLM companies whose associates go about claiming their products are natural and have no side effects, Scentsy is no exception.
Think of it for a second…….
Their focus is to sell you the products and get commissions. Most have absolutely no idea about the constituents of the products. So you have to do your diligent check.
The Scentsy bars which are produced from paraffin wax are usually petroleum by-products. It can also be obtained from coal or shale oil. However, Scentsy is silent on their source which you should be curious to find out.
What am I driving at?
As a Chemical Engineer, I understand very well the unit operations product of such has to go through to arrive at a considerably safe product. Although, Scentsy puts it: “high-quality paraffin wax” which I presume their scientists are doing the good work to ensure your safety.
You and I can’t be 100% sure when there’s money intent behind. Although the paraffin wax may be tested for a certain level of safeness, people who have sensitive skin and other health conditions will have reactions.
Also, there’s been other studies of contrasting outcomes which makes the paraffin wax side effects not fully determined. This article goes more into it.
Relatively, High Start-up Cost
Although the starter kit of Scentsy is $99, you need more than that to qualify for commissions and bonuses. You need at least $300 to get started and this is high compared to others like Maskcara Beauty, QuiAri and 4Life.
This amount doesn’t even include other expenses you’ll incur to manage your business. In my experience, prospecting involves calling, following up in person, and sometimes dashing out products to earn trust.
They’re expenses you’ll not be told upfront. However, you can have other online businesses that will cost you literally $19 to start. And you don’t have to even buy products yourself.
Most Fail To Make Sustainable Income
Like most MLMs such as Qnet, Wellness Biosciences, and 4Life, most Scentsy consultants fail to make a sustainable or full-time income. In many cases, they lose money more than having a dime.
Scentsy’s 2015 income statement disclosure for the US region as shown below reveals how much consultants are earning. As you can see most are side income and not a full-time or sustainable one.
The average Director earned $15,590 annually which is $1299.17/month. Living in the US, this is not more than a side income. Those in the ranks of Start Director and SuperStar Director are the ones we can say are earning a full-time income.
But the question is how many people?
Fast forward to 2019, the latest income disclosure I could find. There hasn’t been any major difference. The only thing they’ve done is to simplify the summary to omit some details.
As you can see, the average annual commission was $1,769 which is $147.42/month. Apart from more than twice the number of active consultants quitting in a year, a major fraction of those activities aren’t making any good money.
If not failing, they’re losing money rather than making a profit. While it’s possible to be among the few who’re making a full-time income, you need to have these skills of unlimited lead generation both offline and online.
The Good Things To Note About Scentsy
Well Established Business
Scentsy has been around for over 15 years which makes it a bit relieving that they’re here to stay. They’ve been able to establish themselves in all those years. Only a few businesses are able to come this far.
While that’s a plus for marketing, it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to make a sustainable income. You have to develop the necessary skills.
BBB Accredited with A+ Rating
Scentsy got accredited with BBB in 2009 and have proven to deliver on their promises based on BBB’s investigation. If you’re a trustee of BBB’s work then that’s a green light for you.
While this is good, it doesn’t mean that the Scentsy is perfect. At least it shows that the company is willing to make things right in its business. Some people have terrible experiences with them though.
Wide Range of Products
Unlike Wellness BioSciences Scentsy has a long list of products which is good for business. Although the warmers and the scented wax bars are their flagship products, you have access to different products.
This is helpful in expanding your customer base. However since MLM products are usually expensive, you have to offer them a good reason to buy from you. You can learn from the experts in this business space to do that.
Satisfaction Guarantee
Scentsy doesn’t offer a cash refund but you can return any product you’re dissatisfied with within 30 days. You’re guaranteed to have it exchanged but it has to be in a resalable condition.
They also provide you with a limited lifetime warranty for Scentsy Go, Scentsy Go Solid, and Scentsy Diffusers if found to be defective or damaged under normal use. Scentsy guarantees to replace them for free if it’s within 30 days. After 30 days come with a processing fee.
Is Scentsy A Scam?
Scentsy is not a scam neither is it an outright pyramid scheme. Although their commission structure is a typical textbook pyramid scheme, they deal with real products. For a company to be in operation for over 15 years means they’re doing something right.
However, most Scentsy consultants are failing and many are even losing money. Some also have bad experiences – this is a story you will like to read from a consultant.
If you’re being sold on the stories of rags to riches then you’re likely to end up quitting with that kind of bait.
You have to understand what it takes to succeed in this business space which brings me to the next section.
[Discover An Evergreen Alternate That Several People Are Using To Make Money From Their Passion]
Should You Join Scentsy Knowing It’s An MLM?
YES and NO!
If you’re interested only in the sweet-scented products of Scentsy, then you can explore. However, you have to do your diligent check on its ingredients depending on your health conditions.
Because these scents being in air medium can diffuse quickly into your immune system. It will be problematic if your system is reactive to paraffin wax or other components. Other than that you’re good to go.
It’s also possible to make good money with Scentsy like other MLMs but many fail and even lose money in the end. Why?
Mostly, those people are sold on false hopes like you don’t have to sell products, the products sell themselves, you make money quick, you just have to bring two people and so on.
They’re far from the truth. In reality…….
- You need more than your family and friends to build a team that can help boost your income. So it’s important to develop the skill of generating unlimited leads both offline and online.
- Only those who equip themselves with marketing skills and sales strategies get products sold. Products never sell themselves that’s why many end up with a pile of products.
- Be prepared to give yourself at least 2 years if you mean business. According to Scentsy 2015 income disclosure, it took averagely 5.4 years to make Director income which is not even a sustainable one. So that will not even guarantee your success.
- Above all, you should be a product of their products. Without you using the product, you can’t have a personal experience to share with others to make sales. Using the product for at least a month before deciding to enrol for business is better.
And you should be prepared to face rejection over and over again without losing enthusiasm. That’s how you toughen yourself to move on. If not then the business is not for you.
What if at this point you’ve realized that Scentsy is not for you? What else can you do to make money online? Read on……
Scentsy Best Alternative
If you’re really determined to build a business even at the comfort of your home to support yourself and your family, then I can guide you through an online program to write your own success.
I found this program when I was struggling to support myself financially and it’s helping me make passive income working part-time while I do my graduate studies.
Several people are making a full-time income doing what they’re passionate about with the program and I believe they’re not better than you. The best part is, you can give it a try without committing any financial details of yours.
Final Words – Over To You!
You deserve a pat on the back for following through the review to this point and I hope that whatever confusion or answer you were looking for has been addressed.
If you find this review helpful then you can share it with anyone who is caught between two minds on whether Scentsy is an MLM company or not and I’ll appreciate it so much.
Furthermore, should you consider creating an online business out of your passion, there’s a FREE ultimate guide below that you can sign-up to get started.
Until then, feel free to share your experience with Scentsy or ask any questions you have and I’ll be more than glad to reply.
Your friend
Derrick