Herbalife is a global nutrition and wellness company founded in 1980. The company sells weight-management products, meal-replacement shakes, protein products, vitamins, dietary supplements, sports nutrition, skincare, body-care products, and related wellness items through independent distributors. Herbalife has long promoted its mission around improving personal nutrition while offering a business opportunity in the direct-selling industry.
Herbalife operates as a multilevel direct-selling company, with distributors earning retail profit on customer sales and additional compensation tied to organization volume, rank advancement, and distributor sales activity. The company has reported millions of members and distributors across its global markets, with products sold in countries around the world. Herbalife products are manufactured using quality-controlled procedures and developed to comply with applicable government regulations in the markets where they are sold.
Herbalife has also been one of the most closely scrutinized companies in the MLM industry. In 2016, the company settled FTC charges by agreeing to restructure its U.S. business operations and pay $200 million in consumer redress. The FTC alleged that Herbalife misled consumers about the income they could earn from selling its products, and the settlement required changes intended to tie compensation more directly to verified retail sales.
Herbalife offers an extensive line of botanical and herb-based nutritional supplements that specialize in improving health in a number of ways. The company offers weight-loss aids, cardiovascular supplements designed to improve heart and circulation, multi-vitamins, energy supplements in the form of shakes and tablets, protein shakes and bars, joint support, anti-oxidants, sun protection and many other health and nutritional aids. Like other similar companies, Herbalife offers a business opportunity to distribute its products in exchange for commissions, representative benefits and participation in a compensation plan.
Herbalife was founded in 1980 and recorded retail sales of $4.3 billion in 2010.