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How do you feel about Arbonne products?
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One of the posts that raises lots of conversation on the Beauty Brains is Arbonne. Some people swear that these are the greatest products and the best business opportunity a woman can be involved in. The Left Brain is skeptical of the claims and the Right Brain, well you know how the Right Brain is.
You can read our review of Arbonne products here
Arbonne Product first review
Did the Beauty Brains botch the Arbonne review
Arbonne Technology
But tell the rest of the community what you think.
Have you ever used Arbonne?
Do you think they are the best products you can buy?
Are they worth the money? -
I have always had trouble with colored eye shadows and eye pencils. Using anything other than neutral shades such as beige, brown, or taupe causes my eye lids to turn red and itchy after a few days of use. A dermatologist told me I was allergic to the dye pigments used to create color in the make-up. Enter Arbonne. My neighbor became a sales rep and believed that I was having a bad reaction to impurities. She told me that Arbonne was different than other make-up companies because their products were manufactured using the very purist of ingredients. She told me that I would be appalled to hear about all the extra ingredients (even bug parts!) that can end up in other companies' products during the manufacturing process and felt strongly that using Arbonne eye shadows and liners would make my problems go away. So...... I bought some shadow in a lovely heather color with a coordinating eye pencil. The outcome? Red, itchy eyes once again. I bought a few other products at the same time: face powder and moisturizer. I really didn't think they were anything special and so I haven't purchased anything since.
I really hate the in-home parties to purchase their make-up, too. They're just intended to make you feel like you have to buy something.
Bottom line for me: Thumbs down to Arbonne. -
As a marketing person, I agree with Karen about attending in-home parties. I really hate them but evidently they are very effective as a number of companies use this sales technique.
So why do I hate home parties so much? First of all, there is no way to monitor the sales pitch you are receiving. The FCC and FTC aren't sitting there taking notes; so the company rep can pretty much say anything about the amazing attributes of their products and get away with it. I don't know about Arbonne specifically, but I was privy to a sales rep. meeting once upon a time for an organization (who shall remain nameless) that sells bowls with tight seals. You remember...you used to have to "burp" them. They also sell other heavy duty plastic kitchen paraphenalia. For me, the meeting was a laugh riot. Grown women (and one guy) are running up on stage and screaming with joy over little trinkets they had won for sales achievement and the regional director (or whoever) was leading the audience in cheers. I was pretty sure I'd fallen through a time portal and was back in highschool at a pep rally. In other words, some of these in-home sales type companies really ramp up the reps. to sell their products.
Now, here's the way I see it...when you agree to go to a home party, check out the product line before hand if possible. You are very likely going to pay a heck of a lot more for something at the party when products of equal quality are available in stores for a much lower cost. Then be prepared to shield yourself against the full-on sales pitch you're going to receive. These reps are motivated because at the end of the day, they have commissions, vacations, jewelry or a pink car at stake.
Now after all of this, I have to admit I use Arbonne skin care products. I have a good friend with a salon who sells to me at cost without the constant sales pitch (though I did have to listen to it once) so it really doesn't cost me any more than the department store brand I'd used for years. However, it was becoming less effective because my skin has changed as I've aged. Arbonne's skin care line for "old ladies" (I can't remember the name but that's what it's for) works great for me and honestly I like the faint scent of "orange cremesicle" that the face wash has. Silly I know, but there you have it! I also buy their vitamins for my daughter because she's vegetarian and the capsules they use are not made from geletin which is an animal byproduct.
So that's my two-cents worth. In a nutshell...home-parties are annoying and the sales pitch can be highly exaggerated and untruthful at times but Arbonne works for me so I use it. -
Thanks for your perspective, Scatter Brain,. It was especially interesting hearing your comments on the marketing aspect of it, considering your professional background. I also liked your recent columns here at this website.
Another make-up line that is similar to Arbonne is Jafra Cosmetics. Exact same strategy for marketing. The sales reps are particularly enthusiastic about pushing Jafra's Royal Jelly for the skin but I'm leery of their claims on that one. All I can think of is Snake Oil!.....lol....but I would LOVE it if either of "The Brains" tackled the truth behind their claims of using it as an anti-aging skin remedy.
Please, oh please, Right Brain or Left Brain! Take this one on! -
Karen,
Thank you for your kind words and your compliment. Believe it or not, even after twenty years, I'm always still a little insecure about what I write so positive reinforcement makes me happy! In fact if you could see me right now, I'm doing a little happy dance jig.
I haven't heard of Jafra cosmetics, but I'll be on the lookout for any "party invitations" and brace myself for the onslaught of sales rhetoric should I decide I must attend. That's another thing about home parties...your best friends can really guilt you into attending them even if you don't want to. -
Scatter, you're so right about the lack of regulation about what people say about the products at parties. People will say anything. I don't think it's necessarily malicious. They repeat what the sales literature is telling them to say.
To knock other products because they have "bug parts" in them is just ridiculous. Arbonne products have the same amount of "bug parts" as any other product. We all buy our raw materials from the same industry suppliers! -
Oh I abosolutely agree that these party sales reps aren't intentionally trying to mislead. They are simply sold on the product they represent and the companies they work for do a lot to keep them highly motivated. It's just that particularly in an unmonitored sales environment, in the frenzy of the moment, things can be way overstated or things can be said (however unintentional) that are patently untrue.
Seriously, look how much misleading information makes it into the media that is monitored by governmental agencies and then think that this is an environment that is totally unmonitored. I've never checked on it and perhaps I could go do a little research, but I've never heard mention of a complaint of any notoriety against a home-party sales rep for misleading information. I think most of these companies cover their bases with a very liberal return policy.
If Karen still has her buggy eyeitchy heather colored eye shadow, I'm sure her Arbonne rep. would take back the product and refund her money without too much of a fuss.
In fact after reading this discussion thread, I'm seriously considering swearing off eyeshadow as well as hot-dogs. A fast food advertisement once said, "parts is parts" but I think bug parts are beyond gross. -
Arrestmered: Is this an anti-aging product? What proven ingredients does it contain that make it effective? Also, what is the cost of this product?
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Why anyone would want to contaminate their body with chemicals that absorb into their bodies and interfere with their natural biochemistry is beyond my understanding. Of course, I don't believe Arbonne products penetrate and interefer like Arrestmered suggests but if you believe what she says, why would you risk chemical exposure? Is the health of your liver and other internal organs worth it?
There is some research showing the benefits
of Vitamin C on skin. However, neither Arbonne nor any other cosmetic company has figured out a way to stabilize the Vitamin C in emulsion products. The chemical breaks down in the formula long before you get a chance to put it on your skin. So, the Vitamin C that Arbonne says is so great, isn't doing anything for you.
Arbonne has been saying "patent pending" for years but no patent ever emerges. This is just a complete scam. They have no special technology. I've only seen 1 patent application by Arbonne in the last 10 years and that wasn't granted. And this patent application was just another drop in a sea of thousands of meaningless patents that have no real world, practical application beyond creating something for their marketing people to talk about. The beauty industry is famous for worthless, marketing-speak patents.
Arbonne produces fine products (as evidenced by the glowing reviews of the customers who are strong armed into trying samples) but they are not any better than things you could buy at a store.
Also, admitting that they don't use mineral oil is just admitting that they don't use the best available skin moisturizing ingredient. An ingredient that doesn't absorb into your body and won't interfere with your body's natural biochemistry.
And if you're paying $80 for a night cream, you're spending at least $70 too much! No wonder they can buy their reps Mercedes. -
Arrestmered,
When people spend lots of money on skincare products of course they are going to say they work well. No one wants to believe that they were suckered into spending a lot more money for something than they should have.
I'm certain Arbonne produces fine products but not any finer than other companies like P&G, Unilever, etc. These companies sell the products for the prices that they really cost. Not inflated costs to cover car perks for the sales people.
Don't even get me started on companies that sell vitamin supplements. These are unregulated by the FDA and Arbonne has carte blanch to sell anything of any quality they want and make almost any claims they want. Supplements do not help your skin and they don't help you lose weight either. I know I could never feel good about myself pushing pills on unsuspecting friends and relatives. Pills should be subscribed by doctors. -
It's no doubt that dietary supplements like Vitamin A, B, C, etc. could help your overall health. And it's no doubt that when your health is in good condition, you will be look better, because that's your body at work. I myself take multi-vitamins everyday because I know I don't eat healthy enough, and guess what? All of my dietary supplements are OKed by my doctor. Yes, by my doctor.
The biggest problem I'm seeing with any type of at-home marketing is the huge amount of pseudo-science and pseudo-medical "facts" being spewed without a second thought. I believe that's why Left Brain is so offended too, because guess what? We're scientists.
This forum and its parent site is to help people get through all the pseudo-science and pseudo-medical crap cosmetic companies (NOT DOCTORS OR SCIENTISTS) are using to sell their products. That's the base of it all here. -
Well said, Gloria. We like the facts, not the fiction.
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Thanks, Left Brain. Your information was very helpful.
All of us at the Beauty Brains' community know we can count on you and Right Brain for "just the facts". -
I mean no personal offense arrestmered, but my sister-in-law and her mother got strong-armed into buying several Arbonne products and both have said they were ineffective and no better than what they had bought for a fraction of the price from her local drugstore.
I would never, ever waste my money on Arbonne- and have been skeptical of the claims they make from the get-go.
It's easy to believe in a product that you sell if you are reaping the benefits of being a representative of the company.
From someone who has personal knowledge of the disappointing results and feeling of being scammed- Thanks, but No thanks. -
Consumers don't need to substantiate displeasure with your products. That's why they are consumers. My relatives are not scientists who need to substantiate claims, they are patrons who were dissatisfied with the results of the products they purchased.
Science, however, is well-documented and substantiated in their clinical research on the effects of ingredients found in your products.
Refusing to see the logical reasoning in Left Brains explanation does not mean that what she said is not substantiated. It just means you are unwilling to accept what she has laid out for you.
And that's fine too. -
Yawn!
First, we have nothing against Arbonne products. They are fine products. Overpriced and not different than other products you can get for less, but fine products none-the-less. Arbonne products are not "banned". We don't "ban" anything except internet spam.
The fact that a local plastic surgeon is giving patients Arbonne products doesn't mean anything. Maybe her husband is an Arbonne rep who can then convert patients to customers. It says nothing about how well the products work. Some doctors will sell anything.
The fact that Pierre Botiglierri is involved with Arbonne doesn't speak to the quality of the products either. Who is he and why does he matter? In fact, you can read the comments in this post which suggest the whole Arbonne / Pierre connection is a fake But I digress. Even if the products were "formulated in Switzerland" they aren't made there. Contract manufacturers in the US follow US standards.
I could go on but I'll leave it at this.
The Beauty Brains community is a group of rational, open-minded people. But we're also not a bunch of rubes who believe every load of bunk that is spoon-fed to us by company reps and marketing mavens. Show us proof of your claims and we won't be negative. Show us proof that Arbonne products are better than anything you can buy. Don't give us anecdotal stories from your sister or mother or clients. Don't drop more names of doctors, make-up artists, or Swiss scientists. Give us some published scientific research to support your claims. Show us the patent application that Arbonne claims to have filed. Show us ANY proof that Arbonne is somehow better than something we could buy at the local grocery/drugstore.
Trying a product sample will only prove that the products work. We do not dispute this. We dispute that they are different from less expensive alternatives.
Incidentally, I've always thought it strange that Arbonne would avoid putting mineral oil in their products but they have no problems using a known carcinogen like Formaldehyde to preserve the products. Strange. -
I can show you the only US patent that comes up when you look up "Arbonne" that is related to cosmetics. Its only use of the word "Arbonne" Is in reference to some sort of baby care, so it may not even be related.
it's right here where it's been sitting since 2000 and is related to diaper rash I think?
No information comes up in the swiss patent database at www.swissreg.ch --Es wurden keine Daten gefunden. -
That patent is assigned to Kimberly Clark, not Arbonne. They are different companies.
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I think Elvis has left the building.
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My boss has a tube of Arbonne eye-creme hidden in a drawer beneath the microwave. I think she forgot she bought it. How can you forget spending large sums of money?
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If you spent a lot of money on something that didn't work, wouldn't you want to forget it? I've buried stuff that I didn't like in the back of my makeup drawer; it's hard to throw out something that was very expensive.
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This is exactly why I'm skeptical of anecdotal evidence. People who spend lots of money are products would have a hard time admitting they were duped when the product doesn't work for them.
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I notice they usually just convince themselves that the product is working even if it isn't.
Not my relatives though, they're part of the letter writing brigade. -
My mom's a letter writer. Don't mess with her.
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I can't say that I'm the type of person who will convince myself that something is great if it's not. I am definitely a returner and have found that almost anyone will take stuff back. All you have to do is bring it back and say it didn't work for you. Of course, that tactic doesn't really work for something that is supposed to work over time. It works well for makeup, though.
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pas71: I'm with you: I might be mad at myself ....but if it doesn't work, I admit it.
I also have no problem returning things when necessary. My husband jokingly calls me "the Return Queen" -
My Insta-friend just got invited to an Arbonne party. I think she is smart enough to not get dragged in, but I definitely want to forwarn her. She is also in Vet school...so she is ultra poor.
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You would hope that someone without a lot of money wouldn't spend it on over-priced cosmetics no matter how well they work.
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How true how true
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When you're at a party it's a lot harder to say "no thanks" then when you're standing at a cosmetics counter; they've got you cornered. Most women feel like they're being rude if they don't buy anything.
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Yeah, you would hope. :shamed::sad:
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Did you notice that Arrestmed deleted all her comments? Very strange. The higher ups at Arbonne must've gotten to her and were told not to engage in conversations with people who weren't pushovers.:cry:
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Left Brain--I did notice that a few days ago. Thought it was strange too. Oh well. I almost want my friend to invite me to the party she was invited too, just so that I can use my knowledge to not purchase...does that make me a :devil:? nah, just informed :tongue:
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I guess no one got it when I posted higher up on this thread that Elvis had left the building......but that's what I meant. Oh, well. I thought it was funny!
I think she realized she was NOT going to win when in comes down to facts on this website. And this was definitely not the place to sell her makeup. -
I noticed the deleted posts when Karen made her Elvis comment. I assumed everyone else did too. Cate, I think you should invite yourself along (just promise her you'll behave) and report back. I'd really like to know what the sales pitch is. I assume those affairs are tightly scripted and would be interested in knowing how they handle questions.
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Yeah, I guess I missed that.
Cate, if you do go, please give us a full report. And try to keep your wits about you. Some people can be relentless. -
I was tooling around on the web tonight and I came across this blog. I don't know if anyone has seen it, but it is from 2005....things may be different
http://www.joelcomm.com/to_arbonne_or_not_to_arbonne.html
I don't think I'll be going to the party :( It's the day after Thanksgiving and we are out of town -
Why would any salon owner use and sell Arbonne products?
In my salon, I only use what many would consider professional products. Not that that matters.
But for me to give a facial using Arbonne is ludicrous. Why would any client come to me to use on her the same products she has sitting on her vanity at home?
I want to use results oriented products. Arbonne is not giving me the results on my skin that I want.
I have yet to hear from an Arbonne rep what product I should use for my son with cystic acne. Any Arbonne rep want to let me know?
Two of the best, IMHO, exfoliants on the market today are Dermalogica's Exfoliant Excellerator and A Natural Difference Pumpkin Peel 20%.
But, to think that Arbonne is results oriented is crazy.
One client came to me and said her skin never "felt" so clean after using Arbonne. So I asked her HOW it felt clean. She said "the smell." That is the selling point for many people. If it smells good-if it smells clean, it must be working. Well, smell does NOT make clean skin. Aveda is the same way. The smell sells. Of course we do not want products that smell bad!
Oh well,... those MLM will always be around.
buenos dias,
Lynnette -
I really like Dermalogica products too! It's true that the fragrance really sells products, and I really like Dermalogica's scent. =D The feel of their product is great too.
I also heard that their research lab was awesomeeeeeeeee. Maybe we can take a tour of it one day. That would be so fun and totally worth the trip (20 miles for me actually). -
I just found out that my sister-in-law is selling Arbonne and has been for 2 years. She is just in it for the product and really doesn't sell it..i.e having one party every 2 months...(I did that with the Pampered Chef...shes not getting a Lexus) She is having a party soon and told me she would send me some samples. I used her face wash this weekend and I guess it was fine...but only using a product once or twice its hard to tell... She really likes them, but then again she gets them at a discount...
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Hi again guys! I have to say, I usually hate the "amway" type of marketing schemes. They always seem so shady to me. I ran across arbonne at a specialty skin store and bought their "intelligent" face wash . . . and I ABSOLUTELY love it. (I just ran out again!). Looking at the ingredients it doesn't look like anything dramatically different or "intelligent" but, I love it and this is my skin does too. I can say that my face wash routine is done (I use the arbonne intelligent face wash and then use aroma prescriptions rose salvation spray toner...spritz spritz and that is my daily cleansing ritual).
So that's my take on arbonne . . . gets my vote. I am getting around (slowly) to trying more of their products and will update you all! -
In what specialty store did you find it? I'd love to check out their stuff but I don't want to go to one of their parties.
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