Natura4Ever Review: Pay to play blue-green algae supplements
Natura4Ever operates in the nutritional supplement and personal care MLM niches.
The company names Eric Masson as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Despite its website natively loading in French and the vast majority of Natura4Ever marketing material being distributed in French, the company provides a corporate address in Luxembourg on its website.
This is odd, considering Alexa pegs France as the primary source of traffic to Natura4Ever’s website (90%).
I initially pegged Natura4Ever SA as a shell incorporation, however Eric Masson (right) claims he lives in Luxembourg on his personal Facebook profile.
Natura4Ever’s Executive Director General, Jean-Michel Larré, is also based out of Luxembourg.
Not sure what the story is but beyond having an office there, Natura4Ever doesn’t appear to actually do any business in Luxembourg.
Neither Eric Masson’s or Jean-Michel Larré’s Natura4Ever corporate bios detail any specific MLM related history.
Masson is credited with 24 years experience in “relational marketing”.
As a distributor, he broke all speed and efficiency records.
As a company founder in our business, he has helped others generate the highest incomes in several countries.
Larré is simply credited with
participated in the creation of new companies in the field of wellness and network marketing.
I did try to independently verify either of their past MLM ventures but came up blank. This might be due to French language barriers.
Read on for a full review of the Natura4Ever MLM opportunity.
Natura4Ever Products
Natura4Ever’s flagship product is NaturaBlue, which comes in several varieties.
NaturaBlue is a spirulina (blue-green algae) supplement. Natura4Ever represent they grow spirulina in their own labs.
The advanced, currently unrivaled phycocyanin extraction techniques used by our laboratory help release Phycocyanin completely from the membrane to which it is attached in Spirulina.
This extraction method makes the Phycocyanin (Spirulina Extract) contained in NaturaBlue Original 7,000 times more active than when it is bound to certain other pigments, especially chlorophyll, and to its protein membrane.
Thus released, Phycocyanin, a very powerful antioxidant, obtains perfect cellular bioavailability.
NaturaBlue is available in three varieties; original, exotic and sport.
- NaturaBlue Original – blended with vitamin C from camu camu
- NaturaBlue Exotic – blended with cinnamon, ginger and reishi
- NaturaBlue Sport – blended with “albumin, arginine and vitamin B9”
Other supplements marketed by Natura4Ever include:
- NaturaGreen Original – “the first dietary supplement to liquid spirulina that contains 100% of micronutrients and 100% of spirulina proteins”
- NaturaGold Original – a “a food supplement with water-soluble curcumin”
- NaturaKrill Original – “rich in Omega-3, Phospholipids, Choline and Astaxanthin”
- N4E Animals – “contains many bioactive elements: vitamins, trace elements and minerals, amino acids, enzymes, pigments, first and foremost Phycocyanin, which help optimize the energy, performance, recovery and resistance of your pet”
Natura4Ever’s personal care range includes:
- Phyalg Lotion – a spirulina acid based lotion Natura4Ever claims has “immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory properties”
- Phyalg Serum – a spirulina acid based serum Natura4Ever claims has anti-aging properties
- Phyalg Cream – a spirulina acid based cream Natura4Ever claims can “fight effectively against the visible signs of aging and to protect the skin from external aggressions”
- Phyalg Bath and Shower Oil – “this shower oil is a cocoon of well-being for your skin”
- Natura Patch – “Pain patches to specifically answer each of your problems following contusions, wrinkles, sprains, strokes, hematomas, torticollis, aches, backache”
Natura4Ever also sell a water filter systems and essential oils.
Note that Natura4Ever do not provide retail pricing for any of their products on their website.
Natura4Ever’s Compensation Plan
Natura4Ever do not provide a copy of their compensation plan on their website.
Furthermore despite offering their website in English, I was unable to obtain a copy of their compensation plan in English.
The following analysis is based on a recent French language copy of Natura4Ever’s compensation plan.
Natura4Ever Affiliate Ranks
There are eleven affiliate ranks within Natura4Ever’s compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Member – sign up as a Natura4Ever affiliate and maintain commission qualification
- Consultant – maintain commission qualification and recruit and maintain at least two commission qualified affiliates
- Bronze – purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, maintain two personally recruited commission qualified affiliates and generate at least 500 GV a month
- Bronze Executive – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, maintain two personally recruited commission qualified affiliates and generate at least 1000 GV a month
- Silver – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least one Consultant ranked affiliate and two Bronzes, and generate at least 2500 GV a month
- Gold – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least one Consultant ranked affiliate, two Bronzes and one Bronze Executive, and generate at least 5000 GV a month
- Sapphire – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least two Consultant ranked affiliates, two Bronzes and two Bronze Executives, and generate at least 10,000 GV a month
- Ruby – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least two Consultant ranked affiliates, two Bronzes and three Bronze Executives, and generate at least 20,000 GV a month
- Diamond – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least two Consultant ranked affiliates, four Bronze Executives and two Silvers, and generate at least 50,000 GV a month
- Double Diamond – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least two Consultant ranked affiliates, four Bronze Executives and three Golds, and generate at least 100,000 GV a month
- Ambassador Diamond – continue to purchase 100 PV a month worth of product, recruit and maintain at least two Consultant ranked affiliates, four Bronze Executives and four Sapphires, and generate at least 200,000 GV a month
Commission Qualification
As per Natura4Ever’s compensation plan, affiliates must purchase a Starting Pack and generate 50 or 100 PV a month to qualify for commissions.
The purchase of a Starting Pack is in addition to paying the €20 EUR Natura4Ever affiliate membership fee.
Note that Starting Pack costs are not disclosed on Natura4Ever’s website.
Based on the representation that 50% of Starting Pack PV is counted as binary volume however, we can surmise:
- a Discovery Starting Pack is at least €75 EUR
- an Evolution Starting Pack is at least €150 EUR
- a Silver Starting Pack is at least €300 EUR
- a Gold Starting Pack is at least €600 EUR
The uncertainty on specific pricing lies in the fact that PV generated by the purchase of a Starting Pack might not be a 1:1 ratio.
E.g. A Gold Starting Pack might cost €900 EUR but only generate 600 PV.
PV stands for “Personal Volume” and is sales volume generated by a Natura4Ever affiliate’s product orders.
Recruitment Commissions
Natura4Ever affiliates are paid to recruit new affiliates.
When these newly recruited affiliates purchase a Starting Pack, the affiliate who recruited them is paid
- a 12.5% recruitment commission rate if they purchased 50 PV over a rolling five-week period; or
- a 25% recruitment commission rate if they’ve purchased 100 PV over a rolling five-week period
Residual Commissions
Natura4Ever pays residual commissions via a binary compensation structure.
A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):
The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).
Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.
At the end of each week Natura4Ever tallies up new sales volume on both sides of the binary team.
Natura4Ever pays residual commissions based as a percentage of sales volume generated on the weaker binary team side.
Paid sales volume is grouped per 250 GV, and paid out based on monthly PV:
- affiliates who maintain a 50 PV order every five weeks are paid an 8% residual commission rate
- affiliates who maintain a 100 PV order every five weeks are paid a 12% residual commission rate
GV stands for “Group Volume” and is PV generated by an affiliate and their downline.
One 250 GV match on both sides of the binary team is referred to as a “cycle”.
Natura4Ever cap payable cycles per affiliate each week based on rank:
- Consultants through to Silvers can earn up to 50 cycles
- Golds can earn up to 100 cycles
- Sapphires can earn up to 150 cycles
- Rubies can earn up to 200 cycles
- Diamonds and higher can earn up to 500 cycles
After residual commissions have been paid out for the week, volume on the weaker binary team side is matched against the stronger side and flushed.
Leftover volume on the stronger binary team side is carried over into the following week.
Startup Bonus
New Natura4Ever affiliates can receive an additional 8% residual commission rate bonus if they commit to purchasing 100 PV of product when they sign up.
The 8% Start Up Bonus is paid on binary volume generated for up to thirteen weeks from the date a new Natura4Ever affiliate signs up.
Matching Bonus
Silver and higher ranked Natura4Ever affiliates qualify for a Matching Bonus on residual commissions earned by their downline.
Natura4Ever pays the Matching Bonus out 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.
Natura4Ever pays the Matching Bonus on up to seven unilevel team levels based on rank:
- Silvers earn a 20% match on level 1 (personally recruited affiliates)
- Gold earn a 25% match on level 1 and 10% on level 2
- Sapphires earn a 25% match on level 1 and 10% on levels 2 and 3
- Rubies earn a 25% match on level 1 and 10% on levels 2 to 4
- Diamonds earn a 25% match on level 1, 10% on levels 2 to 4 and 15% on level 5
- Double Diamonds earn a 25% match on level 1, 10% on levels 2 to 4 and 15% on levels 5 and 6
- Ambassador Diamonds earn a 25% match on level 1, 10% on levels 2 to 4 and 15% on levels 5 to 7
Joining Natura4Ever
Basic Natura4Ever affiliate membership costs €20 EUR a year.
To qualify for MLM commissions, a Natura4Ever affiliate must also purchase a Starting Pack.
Estimated Starting Pack costs are as follows:
- Discovery Starting Pack – at least €75 EUR
- Evolution Starting Pack – at least €150 EUR
- Silver Starting Pack – at least €300 EUR
- Gold Starting Pack – at least €600 EUR
Conclusion
Natura4Ever fails to provide several crucial information points for anyone doing their due-diligence on the company.
Retail sales, affiliate membership costs and compensation plan documentation.
Considering Natura4Ever has been around for a few years, there’s no excuse.
With respect to the company’s products, blue-green algae supplements have been around for ages and there’s plenty of competition – both online and offline.
Natura4Ever claim their lab cultivation approach “guarantees a permanent quality control”.
The product is thus consistent, rapid and protected from all contamination that is sometimes found in open-air crops.
Considering the potential ramifications of selling contaminated blue-green algae supplements, I don’t think there’s much of a risk of that happening.
That’s not to say there aren’t potentially dodgy suppliers. But if you buy from a reputable brand it’s not something I’d be worried about.
There’s also some noticeable overlap in Natura4Ever’s products, particularly in the personal care range.
Natura4Ever’s Phyalg products all seem to do the same thing (based on shared product descriptions), with the only difference being the delivery (serum, lotion or cream).
Not really sure if that’s necessary. Pricing between the products might come into play but again, isn’t provided.
The pain patch is also a bit strange. The name is self-explanatory but no information about how the product works or its active ingredients are provided.
In order to make an informed choice, potential Natura4Ever customers need to know how much their products cost.
Retail pricing is conspicuously absent from Natura4Ever’s website.
And that appears to be by design, as genuine retail sales don’t appear to be possible.
As defined in Natura4Ever’s compensation plan, the company incorrectly identifies affiliate purchases as potential retail sales.
From the moment you become a Member of N4E, you have the option of purchasing N4E products at Member rates to resell to customers at the recommended price.
You benefit from the margin which is the difference between your purchase price inclusive of tax and the suggested retail price TTC. Your selling price to the individual is set freely.
As above, Natura4Ever can resell their purchases at whatever price they decide to make up.
From a regulatory perspective however, what an affiliate does with purchased product after they’ve purchased it is irrelevant.
The product still counts as an affiliate purchase, which needs to be counter-balanced by genuine retail sales.
The exception to this is if retail reselling sales are diligently tracked for each affiliate, however Natura4Ever provides no indication they track what affiliates do with purchased product.
This leads us into Natura4Ever’s compensation plan, which is your classic pay to play autoship recruitment model.
New Natura4Ever affiliates sign up, pay a fee and are then required to purchase a Starting Pack to participate in the attached MLM opportunity.
The mere fact of being registered does not qualify you for the bonuses and commissions related to the development of a team of distributors and described in the lines below.
At your convenience, you can proceed at the same time to your registration and with the purchase of one of the Starting Packs which allow you to benefit from various gratuities and all the possibilities of Bonus and Commissions offered by the Natura4Ever Compensation Plan.
After purchasing a Starting Pack, Natura4Ever affiliates must then qualify and remain active to receive commissions.
As defined in Natura4Ever’s compensation plan;
“active” status
This status is validated by the order of at least 50 PV in the last 5 weeks.
This can be a manual order or autoship. Natura4Ever however do state that autoship “is recommended to eliminate the risk of missing a qualifying period to be active.”
Put all of this together and you have a classic autoship recruitment MLM opportunity – otherwise known as a pyramid scheme.
New Natura4Ever affiliates sign up, are forced to purchase products each month (50 PV to start with and then 100 PV from the Silver rank).
Given genuine retail is not possible (resell retail has nothing to do with the MLM opportunity anyway), 100% of commissions paid out through Natura4Ever are thus tied to recruitment.
No doubt some Natura4Ever affiliates will maintain they just joined for the product.
That’s fair enough but the onus is on Natura4Ever to have true retail customer classes within their compensation plan (one-time and preferred customers).
Without these classes everyone is an affiliate. With no genuine retail customers, regardless of why an affiliate signed up, any MLM company operating as such is a pyramid scheme.
Under the autoship recruitment model, commissions are tied to recruitment.
This means that those new to the company need to find recruits in order to get paid.
When recruitment slows down, so too do commissions.
This will see new recruits eventually stop paying for autoship. Meaning those who recruited them stop getting paid.
The collapse of an autoship recruitment scheme occurs when enough affiliates have stopped paying for a monthly product order.
Regardless of how long this takes to occur, the majority of participants in such schemes inevitably lose money.
Update 26th February 2021 – In mid 2020 Natura4Ever rebranded as Xelliss.
BehindMLM published our Xelliss review on February 26th, 2021.
I just received the Limitless order a few days ago and the first dosage upset my stomach really bad so I would like a refund.
Actually I would like to request a refund for the fee I paid to join as a customer, the total was $97.22 I don’t think these products are going to work for me and also I got laid off my job so I can’t afford these products going forward.
I don’t know if I was set up for an auto-ship but if I was please delete that.
Please let me know if I need to do anything on my end.
Thank you,
Rachel Perez
(Ozedit: ph removed)
You need to actually contact Natura4Ever about a refund.
Why would you put in a refund request on a review by a third party?