Pink Papaya Review and Profile

Pink Papaya no longer appears to be active as a direct sales company.

Pink Papaya is no longer active. The home-spa and cosmetics party-plan company closed abruptly in mid-February 2017, and PinkPapayaParties.com is no longer a functioning company website. Former consultants reported the shutdown on February 14–15, 2017, although no formal corporate announcement explaining the closure was ever posted.

Original Npros business profile for Pink Papaya, preserved below for archival purposes:

Pink Papaya was founded by sisters Susan Huneke and Karen Woller. Development of the business began in 2004, when the sisters set out to create a line of home-spa products intended to help women add relaxation and personal care to their daily routines. Pink Papaya officially launched in 2006 with more than 80 beauty products and approximately 60 independent consultants. The company was headquartered in Los Gatos, California, and later reported that its consultant organization had grown to more than 1,000 representatives while its product catalog had tripled in size.

The company sold botanical skincare, cosmetics, aromatherapy products, bath and body treatments, foot-care products, massage oils, candles and spa accessories. Its products were promoted as made in the United States, not tested on animals and formulated with botanical extracts, essential oils and paraben-free options. Pink Papaya eventually added color cosmetics and a men's personal-care collection called the Murray Hill Collection.

Pink Papaya also incorporated charitable programs into its brand. Its initiatives included Mother's Day donations to homeless and domestic-abuse shelters, educational recognition for women who had grown up in foster care, support for girls' villages in Zimbabwe and a partnership with Baby Buggy, the nonprofit founded by Jessica Seinfeld. In 2011, the company donated Tinytinis personal-care products for mothers and babies served by Baby Buggy's community partners.

Pink Papaya sold its products through independent consultants who conducted home-based spa parties, made person-to-person sales and operated replicated online stores. The company used a multilevel party-plan compensation structure with 11 career levels. Consultants received a permanent 35% product discount and earned a 35% commission on personal retail sales. Higher levels paid sponsorship bonuses of 4% or 5% on qualifying sales from personally sponsored consultants, along with group-volume and leadership bonuses extending through multiple generations.

Consultants were considered active for bonus purposes after submitting at least $100 in monthly retail orders. The plan also charged a $25 annual renewal fee, while an optional replicated website cost $60 per year. Historical opportunity listings advertised starter kits priced at $99 and $199, with no general inventory-purchase requirement. At its later size, industry directories estimated approximately 1,500 consultants.