Someone introduced you to SeneGence and the business plan. So, you want to know, “Is SeneGence A Pyramid Scheme?”
If yes, you’ve come to the right place. In my SeneGence review, I will cover the below topics to help you make up your mind.
- What Is SeneGence?
- SeneGence Product Lines
- How To Make Money With SeneGence?
- SeneGence Compensation Plan
- SeneGence Pros & Cons
- Is SeneGence A Pyramid Scheme?
- My Alternative to Make Money Online
You surely can make better decisions once you read this review to the end. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Disclaimer: As the owner of Smileaffiliatesuccess.com, I have tracked down special deals for products, tools, and services mentioned herein. When you click my affiliate links on this page to make a purchase, I may get a small commission, and you will definitely get a great bargain. This is a win-win advantage for both of us.
What Is SeneGence?
-Summary of SeneGence–
Product Name: SeneGence
Founders: founded by Joni Rogers-Kante in 1999
Product Type: Beauty and Cosmetics MLM(multi-level-marketing)
Price: $65 signup Fee + $395 demo kit+ $400 minimum requirement for a year
Recommend: No
SeneGence is an MLM company that sells beauty & cosmetics products. You can also join its business plan to promote its products to make money as a distributor.
After becoming a top-level consultant with Mary Kay, Joni Rogers-Kante decided to create her own company with the same business model. She built SeneGence in 1999.
SeneGence has skincare, makeup products, accessories, and boutique products. They also do their best to be eco-friendly by using naturally-reoccurring ingredients, refraining from animal testing, and omitting external product packaging.
SeneGence has existed for more than two decades, and it runs the business in the United States, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.
What’s Inside SeneGence?
The products and the business plan. Let’s start with the SeneGence product lines first.
Product Lines
SeneGence has skincare, makeup, and products for men. Here are the product lines:
- Skincare: Cleanser, Moisturizer, eye cream, eye luminator, etc.
- Face: Concealer, blush, foundation, makeup remover, etc.
- Eyes: Eyeliner, eye shadow, brow gel, waterproof mascara, lashExtend, etc.
- Lips: Lipstick, lip liner, lip gloss, lip balm, etc.
- Body: body wash, lotion, scrub, hand cream, mask, etc.
- SeneGence for Men: Gentle purifying cleanser and soothing shave cream
Does SeneGence Product Work?
I don’t use SeneGence products myself, so I cannot tell you my first-hand experience. But, based on my research, their most popular product – Lipsense, gets the most positive feedback on the internet.
I also found other negative reviews on Lipsense, so let’s read what happy and unhappy customers have to say.
How To Make Money With SeneGence?
Like other MLMs, there are two ways to make money with SeneGence. The first is selling SeneGence products to earn retail commissions, and the second is recruiting people to hit group sales to get extra bonuses.
Getting Started
First, you must sign up with SeneGence as a distributor, which costs you $65.
You must assign your sponsor, meaning you will become someone’s downline inevitably.
Besides a $65 sign-up cost, SeneGence also offers you five demo packs:
- Lips Pack $75(over $200 value)
- Glamour Demo PACK $395($1000 Retail value)
- Qualified Distributor PACK $345($830 value)
- $ignificant $ene$eller PACK $795($1,830 value)
- FAST START PACK $1,195($3,500 value)
To stay active with SeneGence, you need at least 100PV($200) in 6 months, meaning $400 a year. Now, let’s calculate the total cost of becoming a SeneGence distributor.
- $65 signup fee
- $75-$1,195 starter kits
- $400 yearly requirement to stay active
The best you can get is $540, while the worst is $1,660. I know it’s far less than a brick-and-mortar business, but it’s still a sweet burden for most of us.
Other costs, such as additional training, travel, gas, food, or miscellaneous expenses, are not included, so the total cost must be higher than my calculation here.
SeneGence Compensation Plan
MLM companies tend to create fancy terms and acronyms to make people see loads of ways to make money, making people sleepy. Don’t worry today, and I’ve made things easier for you.
–Retail Commissions–
You sell customers at retail prices, but you only pay SeneGence the wholesale prices. The gap is your commission.
For example, if you have 0 to 99.5 PV in one month, you can get a 20% discount on the retail price. If you can sell more than 750+ PV in your home parties, you can get up to 50% of commissions.
-Downline Commissions-
This is the multi-level marketing aspect in the SeneGence compensation plan, based on the uni-level downline system.
Once you join SeneGence, you will be the head of an organization. And you are eligible to earn five levels deep and infinitely wide.
Commissions are calculated by the total PV you or your team sold, which is capped at the first 100 PV per distributor in your downline.
- 1st level: you can earn 10% commissions
- 2nd level: you can earn 20% commissions
- 3rd level: you can earn 30% commissions
- 4th & 5th level: you can earn 5% commissions
There are some requirements needed for downline commissions.
- You must place a $200 PV order in the same calendar month.
- Have at least five 1st distributors that place a $100 PV order under you.
- Your downlines from level 1 to 3 must have an accumulative order volume of $15,000 PV+.
-Group Sales Volume Bonuses-
Besides Downline Commissions, SeneGene offers Group Sales Volume Bonuses, calculated from 101 PV onward.
- Level 1: Place a $100 PV order each month to earn 10% commissions from recruits in the first level of your downline.
- Level 2: Place a $300 PV order each month and have at least five level 1 and level 2 distributors who place a $300 PV order to earn 6% commissions.
- Level 3: Same as above, you must have five level 3 distributors who place a $300 PV order to earn 4% commissions.
- Level 4: Same as above, except five level 4 distributors who place a $300 PV order to earn 3% commissions.
- Level 5: Same as above, except five level 5 distributors who place a $300 PV order to earn 2% commissions.
How Much Do You Need to Sell to Stay Active?
To keep active with SeneGence, you need to purchase 100PV($200 retail value) in 6 months.
If you cannot sell SeneGence products to anyone, you probably purchase the products for yourself to be eligible for commissions. This is why people have a stockpiling issue after joining an MLM business.
What I Liked About Senegence
TOP#1 A 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
I often see MLMs that offer a 30-day or 60-day money-back guarantee, but SeneGence provides a 90-day money-back guarantee!
SeneGence is proud of the product quality, and they are not afraid of a refund or replacement, so you will gain more confidence to promote the products and the business plan.
TOP#2 Unique Formulas
When Joni first started her SeneGence business, she went to the other side of the world with a team of scientists and botanists to find unique ingredients.
This is why the most famous SeneGence – Lipsense product could last longer than other lipsticks, and the unique formulas make SeneGence stand out from other MLMs.
TOP#3 Make Sense Foundation
Make Sense Foundation is a non-profit organization created in 2002 by Joni Rogers-Kante, founder and CEO of SeneGence International.
It aims to help women and kids suffering from hunger, poverty, domestic violence, abuse, homelessness, etc. They also provide training and educational opportunities to help them on the right track.
Ugly Truth About Senegence
TOP#1 No Income Disclosure
I can’t find the official income disclosure from SeneGence. An income disclosure with low numbers speaks louder, and I believe people need to see the results before joining this promising business opportunity.
The income disclosure is the most convincing proof that contributors make money, and the absence of the income disclosure is the biggest letdown for potential distributors.
TOP#2 Home Parties
Like Tupperware and Norwex, you are encouraged to host home parties to maximize your earnings by demonstrating SeneGence’s products.
But wouldn’t you feel awkward when you take out SeneGence products and start your demonstrations in the middle of the parties? I blushed when I imagined the scene, so this is not my thing.
TOP#3 Recruit, Recruit, and Recruit
Based on the SeneGence compensation plan, the more distributors under your team, the more commissions you will earn eventually. Meaning you cannot rely on selling SeneGence products to maximize your earnings. You need to do lots of recruitment.
Who Is SeneGence For?
People love SeneGence makeup and skincare products and cannot wait to share them with anyone. If you also like meeting new people, SeneGence could be a good fit.
For people like me, shy & introverted, I believe there are other ways to make money online. I will reveal my alternative in one minute. Read on!
Can You Make Money Selling SeneGence?
SeneGence has run the business for two decades and still survives in the MLM industry.
I believe there must be someone who makes a good living through the compensation plan. This is what I found on YouTube.
Is SeneGence A Pyramid Scheme?
No, SeneGence is not a pyramid scheme. It has legitimate products and a detailed compensation plan, so we cannot call it a pyramid scheme.
If they were a pyramid scheme, they couldn’t survive this long and keep growing for the next decade.
Before you join SeneGence, I hope my review gives you everything you need to know before starting. Think about the letdown:
- There is no income disclosure from SeneGence, so it’s hard to evaluate your earnings for the first few years.
- Second, you might host home parties to demonstrate SeneGence’s products to boost your sales.
- The last is endless recruitment.
When it comes to making money online, there are plenty of options on the internet, such as freelancing, dropshipping, GPT sites, drop services, or affiliate marketing. Wanna know my top pick? Feel free to check it right below.
My Alternative Way to Make Money Online
My alternative way to make money online is through affiliate marketing instead of promoting SeneGence products in person.
Imagine you sell SeneGence to your friends, family, or anyone you know. Don’t you feel embarrassed or blushed? They might avoid you ever since. Doing affiliate marketing will save you from that:
- It’s free to start your affiliate marketing business.
- You don’t need to buy physical products and sell them face to face.
- There is no monthly minimum sales quota in affiliate marketing.
- You don’t recruit people to become your downlines to build a team.
- You are not restricted to promoting one product. You can promote anything you like!
- Work on your schedules & you are your OWN BOSS!
You only need to start a blog running an affiliate marketing business with quality content.
So every time people land on your site to read your product reviews or other articles, they will find insight and value. They may purchase the products or services via your links if they like it. Here come your earning potentials.
The platform I am using currently is Wealthy Affiliate. You will find all the proven-to-work training courses, every Friday night LIVE training courses, one keyword research tool called Jaaxy, 24/7 site support, and the most friendly community.
You are more than welcome to check my full Wealthy Affiliate review HERE, or click the button right below to start your online journey with us.
Wealthy Affiliate Income Proof
Here are some of the most active members from Wealthy Affiliate. Each of them did succeed in generating a sustainable income to replace their 9-5 jobs. You are more than welcome to check their stories HERE.
- I Made Over $1 Million With Affiliate Marketing.
- Can someone make a full time income promoting WA? You bet they can!
- What Does $1000 Per Day Look Like?$
- 40,000 In One Weekend
- A Very Humbling $12,803.26 Month – August Progress Report
- It’s Getting Better: $500+ in 2 Days
- Newbies Pay Attention! $5,195.20 Affiliate Check for June: Thanks WA!
- Joined the 10K Per Month Club. January Earnings $13,481.39
- New Record: $1,300+ Per DAY! Affiliate Marketing Works & Rocks!
- Made $7,395 in a WEEK: First Black Friday Results!
I hope you enjoy this review, and you are more than welcome to share ideas or leave your comments below. I will reply as soon as I can, thanks.
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Although SeneGence has a great product line, the minimum requirement would put me off. However, I like the fact natural ingredients are used as well as no testing on animals. I also think the start-up fee is reasonable compared to other MLM companies. Also, you can just start with the Glamour Demo Kit which is the least expensive. As an introverted, shy person, I would find recruiting hard. Also, I’d hate the idea of hosting parties! I’m sure, there are some who’d do really well at building a business with SeneGence. However, most MLM recruits barely make any money. Your recommendation is a far better option with very low start-up costs. As a member of Wealthy Affiliate, I can testify to the excellent training and support.
Hi Kathy,
Yes, the start-up cost of SeneGence is much lower than MLMs like Jeunesse, Park Lane Jewelry, or Monat. But nature is the same. They all require you to do lots of home/virtual parties for recruitment so that you can maximize your earning potentials. This is very hard for people who are shy and introverted.
Starting a blog running an affiliate marketing business is better to make money online. I’ve leveraged Wealthy Affiliate‘s training and support to create a stable online income and will keep recommending people to try it. I also love to connect to other Wealthy Affiliate members here on my website, so if you have some questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line inside WA. I am happy to help. 🙂
Matt
I’ve experienced in another company that also emphasizes a lot on its compensation plans and the bigger portion of passive income – ‘growing your team’.
That company and Senegence would prefer the term network marketing, understandably. Their brand is substantial enough to make their products be sold at a higher price.
It is not as easy as it sounds, because you have to love to talk to new people and truly love using the products. I would say it’s a lucrative business if you know your way around.
Nonetheless, affiliate marketing is something that both extroverts and introverts can excel in. I would prefer that more!
Thanks for sharing this, very insightful and honest review of Senegence.
Cheers,
SAM
Hi SAM,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. I hope this review helps you well. 🙂
Making money with MLM opportunities is difficult than starting a blog running an affiliate marketing business. I am introverted and shy talking to new people, let alone promote products in the middle of home parties, so MLM is not my thing.
If people like to make extra money, I don’t suggest trying MLM but affiliate marketing. I’ve leveraged this platform to make a stable online income, so I know it’s possible!
Matt
You always seem to get to the bottom of every MLM job out there that makes it in the world recruiting everyone and anyone. With SeneGence, we do not like to join party pyramids like this one.
This can lead someone the wrong way, with your alternative we all can learn the right way of making income with WA.
Valuable information given in this article of if is ScenGence a scam, so thanks a lot.
Cheers,
Matthew & Deloris
Hi Matthew & Deloris,
It’s good to see you back on my website again, and I hope this review helps you well. 🙂 I am sure that people don’t like the nature of an MLM, such as recruitment, home parties, and selling. That’s why the success rate is so low, and most people fail to make money with MLMs.
For me, the best way to make money online is through affiliate marketing. You are more than welcome to check HERE to know more.
Cheers,
Matt
Hi Matt, thank you for your sharing these insights into the SeneGence. You did the hard work, so we can have all the info on one hand. I see the benefits in the products being unique. Outside of that, there are too many WARNING SIGNS.
Like for instance the bad reviews of their Lipstick. Additionally, the organization of the parties( I am like you here, and couldn’t imagine hosting such a party).
But mostly due to the LOCKED IN schema and making $400 a year to be able to stay in.
That’s just ridiculous. Your option looks like a much better choice. I think it is the most sustainable way out there when it comes to earning money online. I like your graphic below the review. Well done!
Hi Julius,
Yes, I like to create quality content for people to understand how it looks like to join a business opportunity, and I hope this review helps you well. The negative review, the home parties, and the yearly requirement of $400 are things that push me away from it, so I don’t recommend people to try this program to make money.
On the other hand, I do suggest people try affiliate marketing. It’s affordable, easy-to-follow, and no experience is required before starting. I’ve leveraged this educational platform to make a stable online income. TRUST ME. If I can do this, people can do it too.
Matt
Hi Matt.
I belonged to Mary Kay for a few years when I was home raising my children. I eventually left Mary Kay because I wasn’t making any money.
SeneGence sounds extremely similar to the other platform, and it’s no wonder since the founder originally began at Mary Kay. It is very expensive to keep up with the program and you do end up having more products than you can sell.
I would not join anything like this again. It is difficult to sell and have parties and it is very discouraging when you have parties and no-one buys anything! Also, the idea of recruiting along the way to really earn a viable living is not an easy task. I am not an extrovert and I do not like pressuring people to buy things. If you are like me, you will not like this platform.
I joined Wealthy Affiliate 10 months ago and do not regret it. It taught me how to have a passive income without having to pressure others to purchase things. I highly recommend WA.
Thanks for this post. I also would not recommend this platform.
Nina
Hi Nina,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Mary Kay is another beauty and cosmetics MLM that works just like SeneGence. While less than 1% of distributors make decent money, the rest lose money. I don’t recommend people to try SeneGence to make money. To succeed in MLM, you need to be very extroverted, good at recruiting, and love meeting new people every weekend. I know I am not this type of person, so I made money online through affiliate marketing.
Cheers,
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thank you for this article, I haven’t heard before about SeneGence and I learned a lot of useful things from this.
I remember till these days when I was first introduced to one MLM opportunity back in 2013, I was invited to a home party exactly how you are describing here in your article.
I knew from the start that this is definitely not something that I would like to do myself.
Pitty enough, almost all of my friends and acquaintances who used to be part of one MLM company or another (with the exception of one lady), are no longer doing this anymore.
I admit that MLM as a business opportunity will die sooner or later in the future, what do you think about this?
I appreciate your feedback.
Best Wishes,
Natalie
Hi Natalie,
I agree with you that hosting home parties is something I want to avoid, so any MLMs that encourage its distributors to do this will be ignored by me. It’s just not my thing, but I am not saying it doesn’t work for everyone. I believe some could make lots of sales by hosting home parties.
As for the future, I believe every MLM should take online marketing very seriously to avoid being eliminated. Scentsy, Shaklee, Mary Kay are giving its distributors a replicate website to generate more sales, so they are trying to leverage the power of the Internet. Love to see that!
Cheers,
Matt
Hi Matt,
As soon as I see the price of a starter pack that says $XXX (Real value $XXX+++) I am turned off.
That is deceptive and I walk away from any product where that sort of thing is published.
The thing that troubles me with network marketing businesses is the lock-in that forces participants to continue buying product in order to avoid disqualification.
In Network Marketing businesses that I’ve been part of in the past I don’t mind buying the product for my personal use, if it’s benefitting me, but to be locked into having to generate a fixed amount of revenue per month/per quarter/per year is not my thing – particularly if the product is less than top class.
I may as well go and join a sales organisation.
And, in my experience, many Network Marketing products are expensive for what they deliver.
Cheers,
Martin.
Hi Martin,
You got my point of view in this article! I believe that you suffered from an MLM in the past, so you can easily tell the biggest drawback from their wordings on their website. I don’t like to purchase lots of products that I don’t really use or sell just to maintain my status in the MLM system to be eligible for the earnings.
For me, I think doing affiliate marketing is the key to avoid this situation, and you are welcome to check THIS POST to know more about it.
As for the platform I am using to make money through affiliate marketing, please have a read on this ONE.
Cheers,
Matt