AloeVeritas Review: Aloe vera pain relief, nutrition & personal care
AloeVeritas launched in the US in late 2017 and operates in the nutritional supplement and personal care MLM niches.
The company is based out of Texas and is headed up by AloeVeritas founder and CEO, Chris Hardy.
Hardy’s AloeVeritas’ corporate bio states he’s
an expert in global operations and aloe vera. He spent 8 years on the Board of Directors for the International Aloe Vera Science Council, was elected by his peers to be the President of the IASC in 2009, serving as the Chairman of the Board in 2011-2012.
As per Hardy’s LinkedIn profile, he’s also the CEO of HW&B Enterprises.
HW&B Enterprises seems to be an umbrella corp for AV Europe GmbH (Germany) and Aloe Veritas SE Asia.
AloeVeritas appears to have initially launched as a German MLM company in 2016. That doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere though.
I couldn’t find a record of AloeVeritas in south-east Asia, so either that also flopped or is still in the planning stages.
AloeVeritas’ 2017 entry into the US market caught the attention of Nerium International (now Neora).
In a lawsuit filed on October 30th, 2017, Nerium alleged
AloeVeritas has little, if any, name recognition in the United States. Nor does it have any track record of success selling cosmetic products.
So AloeVeritas instead decided to hijack Nerium’s product names, Nerium’s product packaging, and Nerium’s track record of success, stating on its website that it has launched a “New Nerium,” and that the “bestselling day and night creams” are “better than ever!”
Worse yet, AloeVeritas has even attempted to hijack the science that proves the effectiveness of Nerium’s products, copying the results of a clinical study from Nerium’s website and suggesting to consumers that its products yield the same results.
All of this is false.
As of June 2018 AloeVeritas was still defending the matter. The case however appears to have been confidentially settled between June and early August 2018.
On the surface AloeVeritas appears to have dropped any reference to Nerium in their products and marketing.
Before launching AloeVeritas in the US, Chris Hardy was Vice President of World Manufacturing at Forever Living Products (2005-2013).
Perhaps not so surprisingly, Forever Living Products is also an aloe vera focused company.
Read on for a full review of the AloeVeritas MLM opportunity.
AloeVeritas Products
As the company name suggests, AloeVeritas markets a range of aloe vera themed supplements and personal care products.
In his AloeVeritas corporate bio, Chris Hardy claims he has
come to learn of the incredible health benefits derived from drinking pure, natural aloe vera gel taken directly from the inner leaf of the plant.
I have witnessed remarkable examples of the power of the aloe plant, experiences that have virtually taken my breath away.
Our mission is to make aloe vera and all its healing powers accessible to everyone as nature intended.
Our gentle processing methods and carefully chosen packaging enable us to offer aloe vera in its purest natural form.
Aloe vera products featured on the AloeVeritas website include:
- Drink Gel (Pure & Natural and Berry Inspiration) – “Make AloeVeritas Pure & Natural your daily ritual and drink the light power from thousands of hours of sunshine”, retails at $39.90 for a two liter twin pack (33.8 fl. oz. each)
- Leaf Jelly – “offers perfect relief for sunburns, insect bites, skin rashes, wounds or dry skin”, retails at $19.95 for a 6 fl. oz. tube
- Thermal Lotion – “provides supportive care to ease stressed muscles and tensions by combining several effective, natural botanicals such as macadamia nut oil, menthol, and other valuable nutrients”, retails at $19.95 for a 6 fl. oz. tube
- Bee Propolis – “the optimum solution for dry, chapped and irritated skin”, retails at $22.95 for a 6 fl. oz. tube
- AloeMD – “provid(es) intense relief, supporting cell and matrix regeneration and advancing continual repair”, retails at $49.95 for a 2 fl. oz. bottle
- 90 Day Detox Challenge – “a natural detoxifier” made with “dark berries and pomegranate”, retails at $109.95 plus $89.95 for two additional months ($89.95 each month for a total cost of $289.95)
- Night Cream – “provides your skin with rich and effective anti-aging care for night time recovery”, retails at $126 for a 1 fl. oz. bottle
- Day Cream – “a powerful light weight anti-aging cream that awakens, hydrates, brightens and normalizes the appearance of dull and dehydrated skin”, retails at $82 for a 1 fl. oz. bottle
- Day Serum – essential oil daily drink, retails at $49.95 for a 0.67 fl. oz. bottle
- Night Serum – essential oil daily drink for night, retails at $49.95 for a 0.67 fl. oz. bottle
- NuDerma MD – “a patented formula created to eliminate scarring from cosmetic surgery”, retails at $79.95 for a 1. fl. oz tube
Some AloeVeritas products are also available in bundle packs.
The AloeVeritas Compensation Plan
AloeVeritas’ compensation combines retail commissions with a two-tier residual compensation system.
An Ambassador Bonus adds depth, with downline volume the primary requirement to advance.
AloeVeritas Affiliate Ranks
There are 12 affiliate ranks within the AloeVeritas compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Partner – sign up as an AloeVeritas affiliate
- Starter – generate 125 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Manager – generate 250 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Leader – generate 1250 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Director – generate 2500 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Senior Director – generate 5000 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Senior Executive Director – generate 12,500 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Ambassador – generate 25,000 GV a month in downline sales volume
- Senior Ambassador – generate 37,500 GV a month in downline sales volume
- 2* Ambassador – generate 62,500 GV a month in downline sales volume
- 3* Ambassador – generate 125,000 GV a month in downline sales volume
- 5* Ambassador – generate 250,000 GV a month in downline sales volume
GV stands for “Group Volume” and is PV generated by an AloeVeritas affiliate and their downline.
PV stands for “Personal Volume” and is sales volume generated by sales to retail customers and an affiliate’s own orders.
Each AloeVeritas product has an assigned PV, which is generated when products are sold or purchased.
Note that while commissions are calculated on PV, the actual amount paid out is 1 PV = $4.
MLM Commission Qualification
In order to qualify for MLM commissions, Leader and higher ranked AloeVeritas affiliates must generate at least 75 PV a month.
There are no commission qualifications for Partner, Starter or Manager ranks.
PV stands for “Personal Volume” and is sales volume generated by retail sales and an affiliate’s own orders.
Retail Commissions
AloeVeritas affiliates earn a 20% commission on the sale of products to retail customers.
This is a flat 20% on the actual retail cost of the products and is not calculated based on PV.
Differential Bonus
AloeVeritas pays a Differential Bonus on entire downline sales volume.
The Differential Bonus is tracked via a unilevel compensation structure.
A unilevel compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a unilevel team, with every personally recruited affiliate placed directly under them (level 1):
If any level 1 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 2 of the original affiliate’s unilevel team.
If any level 2 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 3 and so on and so forth down a theoretical infinite number of levels.
The way the Differential Bonus works is each AloeVeritas rank is paid a certain percentage of downline volume, up to 20% at the Director and higher ranks.
- Partners do not receive a Differential Bonus
- Starters receive a 5% Differential Bonus
- Managers receive a 10% Differential Bonus
- Leaders receive a 16% Differential Bonus
- Directors and higher receive a 20% Differential Bonus
The Differential Bonus limits residual commissions paid based on the rank of personally recruited affiliates and their GV.
E.g. You are a Senior Director that qualifies for a 20% Differential Bonus.
An affiliate you’ve personally recruited is at the Manager 10% rank.
Through the Differential Bonus, you will be paid 10% on that affiliate’s monthly GV.
Note that once downline affiliates reach the Director and higher ranks, the Differential Bonus rate drops to 0%.
I.e. no Differential Bonus is paid on Director and higher ranked personally recruited affiliates.
In place of Differential Bonus on Director and higher ranked affiliates is the Leadership Bonus (see below).
Leadership Bonus
For Director and higher ranked AloeVeritas affiliates, the Leadership Bonus replaced the Differential Bonus on volume generated by personally recruited Director and higher ranked affiliates.
Note that the minimum volume paid on downline Directors is 500 GV.
The Leadership Bonus is paid out using the same unilevel compensation structure as the Differential Bonus.
Whereas the Differential Bonus only takes into account personally recruited affiliate rank, the Leadership Bonus is payable on affiliates down seven unilevel team levels.
- Directors earn 5% on level 1 (personally recruited affiliates), 2% on level 2 and 1% on level 3
- Senior Directors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2 and 1.5% on level 3
- Senior Executive Directors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2 and 2% on level 3
- Ambassadors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2, 2% on level 3 and 1% on level 4
- Senior Ambassadors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2, 2% on level 3 and 1.5% on level 4
- 2* Ambassadors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2, 2% on level 3, 1% on level 4 and 0.5% on level 5
- 3* Ambassadors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2, 2% on level 3, 1% on level 4, 0.5% on level 5 and 0.3% on level 6
- 5* Ambassadors earn 5% on level 1, 2% on level 2, 2% on level 3, 1% on level 4, 0.5% on level 5, 0.3% on level 6 and 0.1% on level 7
Again, remember that the Leadership Bonus is only paid on Director and higher downline volume.
Ambassador Bonus
Ambassador and higher ranked AloeVeritas affiliates qualify for the Ambassador Bonus
The Ambassador Bonus is paid in addition to the Leadership Bonus, on Director and higher ranked volume generated on three unilevel team levels.
Note that the minimum volume paid on downline Directors is 500 GV.
Specific Ambassador Bonus amounts are calculated based on how many Directors there are on each of these three levels.
Level 1 Ambassador Bonus (personally recruited affiliates)
- 10 to 19 Directors on level 1 = 3% Ambassador Bonus on level 1
- 20 to 29 Directors on level 1 = 3.5% Ambassador Bonus on level 1
- 30 or more Directors on level 1 = 4% Ambassador Bonus on level 1
Level 2 Ambassador Bonus
- 10 to 19 Directors on level 2 = 2% Ambassador Bonus on level 2
- 20 to 29 Directors on level 2 = 2.5% Ambassador Bonus on level 2
- 30 or more Directors on level 2 = 3% Ambassador Bonus on level 2
Level 3 Ambassador Bonus
- 10 to 19 Directors on level 3 = 1% Ambassador Bonus on level 3
- 20 to 29 Directors on level 3 = 1.5% Ambassador Bonus on level 3
- 30 or more Directors on level 3 = 2% Ambassador Bonus on level 3
Joining AloeVeritas
AloeVeritas affiliate membership is $29.90 a month.
Conclusion
Although it might have started as a Nerium clone, AloeVeritas seems to have come into its own right as an MLM company.
As you might already be aware of, aloe vera products are widely available. Amazon alone returns over 7000 results for a simple “aloe vera gel” query.
Given this, you might be wondering how AloeVeritas sets itself apart from the competition.
In its own words, here’s AloeVeritas’ making a case for itself;
The sad fact is that most aloe vera products don’t actually contain any natural aloe.
It’s often added in the form of highly concentrated ground up leaves or powders – you couldn’t get much more unnatural than that!
For big box manufacturers and retailers, however, it is sufficient to add the statement “With aloe vera”, and add a pretty picture of the plant and the product is ready to be sold.
These very low-cost methods have turned the miraculous aloe vera plant into a mass-produced product that bears little resemblance to the effectiveness of natural aloe vera gel.
Obviously this can’t apply to every aloe vera competitor out there, so be sure to do your due-diligence. Quite a fair few aloe vera products on Amazon are marketed as organic with no added preservatives, so take AloeVeritas’ marketing claims with a grain of salt.
With respect to the effectiveness of the products, that’s up to the individual.
The only product I took slight issue with was AloeMD, solely for the way it’s marketed;
AloeVeritas patented AloeMD goes beyond relief to create therapeutic biochemical reactions that utilize cellular division, ultimately encouraging the natural intelligence of the body to restore itself.
AloeMD is a patented true aloe based, tissue compatible formulation composed of natural soothing botanicals, integrated with smart delivery technology that transports potent ingredients where needed most
It sounds like AloeVeritas got a member of Apple’s marketing department to write that for them.
To be clear I’m not doubting the effectiveness of AloeMD, I just think the marketing spiel attached to it is kind of off.
AloeVeritas seem to stand by the product though and claim AloeMD has been “clinically tested” and “doctor approved”.
Through PainSmarts, AloeVeritas also offer AloeMD with a thirty-day money back pain relief guarantee.
On the topic of marketing missing the mark, for some reason AloeVeritas compares running an MLM business to running a restaurant.
This comparison is one of the first things you see when going through AloeVeritas’ compensation plan.
The company places much emphasis on risk comparison versus reward, however it’s not really a fair comparison.
Aside from some marketing overlap, running a restaurant is nothing like running an MLM business. They’re completely different business models and environments.
Think someone trying to sell you on signing up as a firefighter by comparing it to becoming a brain surgeon.
I’m not making an argument that owning and running a restaurant is better or worse than running an AloeVeritas MLM business, just that I feel it’s an invalid comparison.
A far more useful comparison would be between two MLM companies (Nerium International perhaps?), although I’d imagine that’d probably invite another lawsuit.
The restaurant comparison also contains the chart on the right, which represents AloeVeritas 5* Ambassadors are only working 10.3 hours a week.
That’s just over 2 hours a day on a 5 day work week or an hour and a half on a seven days (as I full well know, the internet never sleeps).
Between managing large downlines, retail customers and overseeing the business, to me that doesn’t sound remotely reasonable or accurate for the highest rank in an MLM company.
Moving onto the compensation plan, AloeVeritas’ model is refreshingly simple.
Downline sales volume is key. And while I initially thought affiliates were getting punished for their downlines rising in rank, as I continued through the plan I realized the rest of the plan deals with that in a fair manner.
You’re not losing any payable volume, it just transitions into a different bonus.
Depth might be a problem for people who like bonuses and perks, although the lack thereof does give AloeVeritas more revenue to boost core commissions.
It also creates fewer distractions, allowing affiliates to focus on building sales volume, and growing downlines with the same focus.
Retail volume isn’t required, however there’s nothing inherently built into AloeVeras’ compensation plan that would encourage autoship recruitment.
Obviously those who focus on retail sales and building a team focused on the same, are going to find the business much more financially and mentally rewarding.
That brings us back to retail viability, which to be honest I’m still not entirely sold on.
AloeVertas do offer specialized aloe vera products, but to the average consumer is that going to matter when presented with cheaper generic alternatives?
As I have with the conclusion of this review, a smart approach for prospective and existing AloeVeritas affiliates would be to address this early on in their marketing efforts.
Good luck!
Aloe Vera is ridiculously easy to grow. It doesn’t need any special soil, feeds or fertiliser.
Watering can be done once a week at most in the summer months and not at all the rest of the year.
The plant will put up with a wide range of temperatures and doesn’t require lots of sunshine.
In short even the most cack-handed of gardeners can effortlessly grow aloe vera and, given that the likes of Ikea are selling potted plants for $4.99, why would anybody be daft enough to spend $19.95 on a tube of leaf jelly?