Scent-Sations launched in 2002 and is based out of Pennsylvania in the US.

Scent-Sations operates in the personal care MLM niche. The company is headed up by owner and CEO Robert Scocozzo.

According to Scocozzo’s Scent-Sations corporate bio, he started his MLM career in 1989.

No company names are provided. I ran a search on “Scocozzo” prior to 2002 and turned up nothing.

In any event, Scent-Sations was founded in 2002. As retold by Scocozzo (right);

I was doing a fundraiser for my son’s basketball team selling paraffin scented candles manufactured by a local candle-maker.

The kids sold about 1,400 candles, they smelled incredible, and everyone was commenting on how great they were.

When the candles were delivered the “candle-makers” Lynn and Carmen Milazzo asked me if I was still involved in marketing.

When I answered “yes” Carmen told me that they had developed a new candle made of alternative ingredients and he was looking for some advice on the best way to market the product.

The “Entrepreneur” in me got extremely excited and I called my partner, Charlie and told him that we were going into the “candle business!”

Scent-sations was founded by Frank Scocozzo, Charlie Umphred and Carmen Milazzo.

Umphred is Scent-Sations’ Vice-President of Marketing. Milazzo is cited as the company’s Master Candlemaker.

To their credit, Scent-Sations appears to have a clean regulatory run since launch.

Read on for a full review of Scent-Sations’ MLM opportunity.

Scent-Sations’ Products

Scent-Sations’ began marketing Mia Bella scented candles.

Again, as retold by Frank Scocozzo in his Scent-Sations corporate bio;

I asked Carmen what was so special about his new “alternative” candle and he started telling me about his desire to make a candle that had all of the positive benefits of scented candles and none of the negatives of scented candles.

His main focus was to create a candle using materials that addressed soot damage in homes.

He told me about a candle made from natural wax that was practically soot free, burned longer than most paraffin candles and could be cleaned up with hot soapy water…

Today, in addition to Mia Bella scented candles, Scent-Sations markets soaps, hand and body lotions, room sprays, potpourri, wax melts, reed diffuser kits and refresher oils.

Retail pricing for Mia Bella candles varies from $8.95 to $24.95. The candles themselves are available stand-alone or in a 16 oz jar.

There are far too many Mia Bella scents to go through here individually. Scent-Sations do however provide a full retail catalog with pricing on their website.

Scent-Sations’ Compensation Plan

Scent-Sations’ compensation plan combines retail and recruitment commissions.

Residual commissions are paid out via a unilevel team. Rank-based bonuses are also available.

Scent-Sations Affiliate Ranks

There are fifteen affiliate ranks within Scent-Sations’ compensation plan.

Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:

  • Gold – recruit and maintain one MLM commission qualified affiliate
  • Ruby – recruit and maintain two MLM commission qualified affiliates
  • Emerald – recruit and maintain three MLM commission qualified affiliates
  • Sapphire – recruit and maintain four MLM commission qualified affiliates
  • Diamond – recruit and maintain five MLM commission qualified affiliates
  • 2K Diamond – maintain five personally recruited MLM commission qualified affiliates and generate $2000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $2000 GV from any one leg)
  • 5K Diamond – recruit and maintain six MLM commission qualified affiliates and generate $5000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $3000 GV from any one leg)
  • 10K Diamond – recruit and maintain six MLM commission qualified affiliates and generate $10,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $5000 GV from any one leg)
  • Double Diamond – recruit and maintain eight MLM commission qualified affiliates (one 2K Diamond), and generate $18,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $9000 GV from any one leg)
  • Triple Diamond – recruit and maintain nine MLM commission qualified affiliates (two 2K Diamonds), and generate $28,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $14,000 GV from any one leg)
  • Director – recruit and maintain ten MLM commission qualified affiliates (three 2K Diamonds), and generate $40,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $20,000 GV from any one leg)
  • Senior Director – maintain ten personally recruited MLM commission qualified affiliates (three 2K Diamonds and one Director), and generate $80,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $40,000 GV from any one leg)
  • Platinum Director – recruit and maintain fifteen MLM commission qualified affiliates (three Directors), and generate $200,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $70,000 GV from any one leg)
  • Senior Platinum Director – maintain fifteen personally recruited MLM commission qualified affiliates (three Directors), and generate $300,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $100,000 GV from any one leg)
  • Ambassador Director – recruit and maintain twenty MLM commission qualified affiliates (four Directors), and generate $500,000 GV across six unilevel team levels (no more than $150,000 GV from any one leg)

GV stands for “Group Volume” and is sales volume generated across a Scent-Sations’ affiliate’s first six unilevel team legs.

MLM commission qualification is provided below.

MLM Commission Qualification

To qualify for MLM commissions, each Scent-Sations affiliate must generate $100 PV a month.

A minimum $39.95 PV monthly autoship order must also be maintained.

PV stands for “Personal Volume” and is sales volume generated via retail sales and an affiliate’s own orders.

Retail Commissions

Scent-Sations’ compensation plan makes no mention of retail sales commissions.

Given retail pricing is provided on Scent-Sations’ website however, we assume retail commissions are paid as the wholesale/retail price difference paid on retail customer orders (non-affiliates).

Recruitment Commissions

When a Scent-Sations affiliate opts to sign up with a Show Pack ($134.59), Sample Pack ($199.95) or Fast Start Pack ($499.95), the affiliate who recruitment is paid a commission.

  • recruit a Show Pack affiliate and receive a $10 commission
  • recruit a Sample Pack affiliate and receive a $20 commission
  • recruit a Fast Start Pack affiliate and receive a $125 commission

Residual Commissions

Scent-Sations pays residual commissions 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.

Scent-Sations caps payable unilevel team levels at eight.

Residual commissions are paid out as a percentage across these eight levels based on rank:

  • Golds generating less than $100 PV a month receive 5% on level 1 (personally recruited affiliates), capped at $100 per unilevel team leg
  • Golds generating $100 PV or more a month receive 9% on level 1, capped at $200 per unilevel team leg
  • Rubys generating less than $100 PV a month receive 5% on level 1 and 2.5% on level 2, capped at $100 per unilevel team leg
  • Rubys generating $100 PV or more a month receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on level 2, capped at $200 per unilevel team leg
  • Emeralds generating less than $100 PV a month receive 5% on level 1 and 2.5% on levels 2 and 3, capped at $100 per unilevel team leg
  • Emeralds generating $100 PV or more a month receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on levels 2 and 3, capped at $200 per unilevel team leg
  • Sapphires generating less than $100 PV a month receive 5% on level 1 and 2.5% on levels 2 to 4, capped at $100 per unilevel team leg
  • Sapphires generating $100 PV or more a month receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on levels 2 to 4, capped at $200 per unilevel team leg
  • Diamonds generating less than $100 PV a month receive 5% on level 1 and 2.5% on levels 2 to 5, capped at $100 per unilevel team leg
  • Diamonds generating $100 PV or more a month receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on levels 2 to 5, capped at $300 per unilevel team leg
  • 2K Diamonds receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on levels 2 to 5, capped at $350 per unilevel team leg
  • 5K Diamonds receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on levels 2 to 5, capped at $400 per unilevel team leg
  • 10K Diamonds receive 9% on level 1 and 4% on levels 2 to 6, capped at $500 per unilevel team leg
  • Double Diamonds receive 9% on level 1, 4% on levels 2 to 5, 9% on level 6 and 2.5% on level 7, capped at $600 per unilevel team leg
  • Triple Diamonds receive 9% on level 1, 4% on levels 2 to 5, 9% on level 6 and 2.5% on levels 7 and 8, capped at $1000 per unilevel team leg
  • Senior Directors receive 9% on level 1, 4% on levels 2 to 5, 9% on level 6 and 2.5% on levels 7 and 8, capped at $5000 per unilevel team leg
  • Platinum Directors receive 9% on level 1, 4% on levels 2 to 5, 9% on level 6 and 2.5% on levels 7 and 8, capped at $8000 per unilevel team leg
  • Senior Platinum Directors receive 9% on level 1, 4% on levels 2 to 5, 9% on level 6 and 2.5% on levels 7 and 8, capped at $12,000 per unilevel team leg
  • Ambassador Directors receive 9% on level 1, 4% on levels 2 to 5, 9% on level 6 and 2.5% on levels 7 and 8 (no leg cap)

Rank Achievement Bonuses

Scent-Sations rewards affiliates for qualifying at 2K Diamond and higher with the following one-time bonuses:

  • qualify at 2K Diamond and receive $50
  • qualify at 5K Diamond and receive $100
  • qualify at 10K Diamond and receive $200
  • qualify at Double Diamond and receive $300
  • qualify at Triple Diamond and receive $400
  • qualify at Director and receive $500
  • qualify at Senior Director and receive $700
  • qualify at Platinum Director and receive $800
  • qualify at Senior Platinum Director and receive $900
  • qualify at Ambassador Director and receive $5000

Car Bonus

Director and higher ranked Scent-Sations affiliates qualify for a monthly Car Bonus.

  • Directors receive $300 a month
  • Senior Directors receive $400 a month
  • Platinum Directors receive $500 a month
  • Senior Platinum Directors receive $750 a month
  • Ambassador Directors receive $1000 a month

Leadership Pool

Scent-Sations’ compensation plan references a “Leadership Pool”.

The pool appears to be points based, with points awarded corresponding to rank.

No further details are provided.

Joining Scent-Sations

Scent-Sations affiliate membership options are slightly confusing.

Before we get into the actual membership options, there are optional packs that can be purchased with both options:

  • Show Pack – $134.59
  • Sample Pack – $199.95
  • Fast Start Pack – $499.95

Details of these packs aren’t provided but it’s assumed the primary difference is bundled Scent-Sations products.

Scent-Sations’ has two MLM related affiliate membership options; associate and distributor.

Associates pay $9.95 and then $14.95 a month (if they want a replicated web store).

Associates can participate in Scent-Sations’ compensation plan up until the Diamond rank.

Distributor membership is required for full participation in Scent-Sations’ MLM opportunity.

Distributor membership is split into two tiers:

  1. $100 a month for $110 monthly product credit
  2. $39.95 a month for $25 monthly product credit

As per Scent-Sations’ website; Distributors

are put onto an autoship program and must maintain a $39.95 USD (or greater) autoship volume to remain active.

“Active” means you qualify for MLM commissions.

Conclusion

Upon beginning my research into Scent-Sations, Robert Scocozzo’s corporate bio was promising.

I was never able to reconcile the fact that, although most good network marketing programs have excellent products, their wholesale pricing never really allowed distributors to make enough money by simply selling products to customers!

In other words, if the distributors in my organization were not sponsoring other distributors into their respective program, they were unable to put badly needed money in their pockets daily.

Although the above sounds like Scent-Sations’ primary focus is retail sales, the compensation plan is a big let down.

After having gone through it, Scent-Sations’ compensation plan feels like it was written prior to the FTC’s Herbalife lawsuit. This was when pyramid schemes tried to pass off affiliate “ultimate consumers” as retail customers.

Herbalife settling with the FTC put a stop to that. The FTC went on to clarify that MLM companies that don’t generate significant retail sales are illegal.

Scent-Sations hasn’t gotten with the times.

The first give-away is the use of “ultimate consumers” in their terms and conditions;

I agree that as a Distributor, I shall place primary emphasis upon the selling of company products and services to ultimate consumers.

Post Herbalife and Vemma settlements, the above is meaningless without specification of retail consumers.

The second give-away is mandatory autoship.

Forcing affiliates to purchase products to qualify for commissions is the foundation of an MLM pyramid scheme. There’s absolutely no place for it in the modern MLM landscape.

It’s pay to play and a major regulatory red flag.

The third give-away the lack of retail commission information in Scent-Sations’ compensation plan. As in there is none.

Although there’s a *winkwink nudgenudge* $39.95 minimum autoship, I have a feeling a large number of Scent-Sations affiliates will be going with the $100 autoship option 4 (as per Scent-Sations’ affiliate autoship form above).

For no other reason than to qualify on commissions, primarily paid on recruited affiliates also on $100 a month autoship.

Again, there’s no excuse for justification for mandatory autoship in a modern MLM company. You’re just asking for an FTC investigation.

As part of Scent-Sations’ terms and conditions, affiliates must agree to

use or distribute at least 70% of my wholesale product orders to non distributor consumers prior to my reordering product.

Any automatic product purchase authorization which I have selected or may provide Company, will be canceled by me if I am unable to comply with this provision.

Retail sales records shall be maintained and subject to review upon Company request.

The “use” clause makes this provision meaningless. It’s not hard to set up some candles and burn them 24/7 if it means maintaining autoship to qualify for commissions.

And anyway, how closely is this policy monitored? At a guess probably at a pre-FTC Vemma level (read: virtually non-existent).

Another aspect of Scent-Sations’ compensation plan I didn’t like was the commission capping per unilevel leg. This stands out particularly between the Gold and Diamond ranks.

Across Gold to Diamond your payable unilevel team levels expand from one to five – but you’re still capped per unilevel at $100 a leg – unless you generate $100 PV a month (which brings us back to $100 a month autoship).

And even if you opt for $100 a month autoship (or make retail sales), you’re still capped at $200 per leg unless you recruit five affiliates.

Capping both unilevel team levels commissions are earned on as well as the amount earned per leg seems excessive.

One leg could generate a ton of volume in a month and you’d still only earn $100/$200 on it.

The cynic in me might point out that a low monthly leg cap is to encourage affiliates to build wider (recruit more).

In light of Scent-Sations’ glaring regulatory issues, evaluating Scent-Sations’ products seems kind of pointless.

That said, on the surface prices seem reasonable for premium US manufactured fragrance products. And there’s certainly a large range to choose from.

By all means evaluate Scent-Sations’ products as a retail customer. But if you’re interested in the MLM opportunity I’d hold off until at the very least mandatory autoship is addressed.

Ideally Scent-Sations would tie commission qualification to $39.95 or $100 in retail sales volume each month. One step at a time though.

What disappoints me is Scent-Sations’ compensation plan is a far cry from Scocozzo’s corporate bio vision.

In other words, if the distributors in my organization were not sponsoring other distributors into their respective program, they were unable to put badly needed money in their pockets daily.

Scent-Sation is presented as an alternative to this problem, yet its comp plan doesn’t live up to the vision.

Approach with caution.