Should you start your own NYR organic business?

Elizabeth asks…Hi! I’m new to this site, but was impressed by the thorough analysis done on other products.

My daughter is selling NYR Organic bodycare products and I was wondering if any here have tried it, and would be interested in hearing an analysis from the brains of the group! I’m not a hardcore organic person, but was impressed at how quickly a small 3rd degree burn healed when I used their lavender oil on it, and then I went to a “practice party” that my daughter did, I was able to check out a few more products. As a good mom would, I am scheduled to host a party, but I am more interested in the analysis of the product before I make any kind of investment in it.

Left Brain launches:

So sorry about the delay in answering, Liz, we are working hard on meeting our deadline for our new Beauty Brains book. But I thought I’d take time out to answer this one since enlightening people to the realities of multi-level marketing (e.g. Arbonne) is one of my favorite things to do.

So, your question is basically….Should you invest in NYR Organic?

NYR Organic products

I’ve never used NYR Organic products but you can learn a lot about a product by reviewing the ingredient list. It turns out that they use the same ingredients that everyone else uses. In the cosmetic industry, nearly everyone has access to the same ingredients and ingredient suppliers. Bigger companies will sometimes get exclusive deals, but it’s rare that anyone can gain an advantage by the source of their raw materials. NYR Organic is no different.

As a quick example, look at their Rose Body Cream

You can click the link for the full list but basically the formula is water, emulsifier (glyceryl stearate) and an oil phase (cetearyl alcohol, Lanolin alcohol, Shea butter, etc). It’s probably a fine formula as they no doubt work with some excellent cosmetic chemists. But this formula isn’t any better than something like Burt’s Bees body butter. And at $36 for 5.2 ounces, NYR Organic doesn’t even compare in value to Burt’s Bees product at $13 for 6.6 ounces.

Of course, even Burt’s isn’t even as good a value as something like Neutrogena Body Cream at $7.70 for 6 ounces.

But the point is, there is nothing about NYR Organic formulas that makes them superior to other, less expensive products you can buy. And if you find the natural / organic story compelling, then Burt’s Bees, JASON, or any of the other host of “natural / organic” products you can buy at regular stores will be a better value.

NYR Organic Sales System

I do not know any more about this company than what I’ve read on their website. However, from your description of hosting parties and “investing” in the products, it sounds very much like a system of distribution called Network Marketing or Multi-Level Marketing. In this system, they get “consultants” to buy products, sell them to their friends & family, and then try to get the “consultants” to convert their friends into consultants who will then give them a kickback on every sale.

The whole system is very much like a pyramid scheme in which no one (except the people who started the company) really makes any significant money. Of course, it’s not an illegal pyramid scheme because product is actually produced and sold.

Before you invest any money in this company or any other, be sure to read this information about Multi-level Marketing.

And if the guy at Skeptoid doesn’t make you think twice, read what the FTC has to say about Multilevel Marketing.

Beauty Brains Bottom line

Should you buy into the NYR Organic system and become a consultant? Ultimately, you have to decide this for yourself. But if the reasons are because the products are something special (they aren’t) or that you’ll make a lot of money (you won’t), then you’ll be best served by skipping this “opportunity”.

What do you think about multilevel marketing opportunities? Have you joined and made money? Leave a comment below and let the other Beauty Brains community members know.