BehindMLM reviewed Shaklee back in 2020 which, for a legacy MLM company that’s been around for decades, wasn’t that long ago.

Nevertheless following news Shaklee acquired Modere after it collapsed a few months back, a BehindMLM reader requested a review update.

You will want to go back and update your 5-year-old review of Shaklee.

Since that time they have completely revamped their compensation plan, with an expanded sales commission system, minimum customer volume requirement for business leaders, and no “forced affiliate purchases” (i.e. required minimum personal purchases).

Today BehindMLM is revisiting Shakleee for a review update.

The Company

Shaklee’s roots date back to founder Forest C. Shaklee and Shaklee’s Vitalized Minerals in 1915.

Forest Shaklee passed away in 1985 at the age of 91. Four years later Shaklee was sold off to the Japanese company Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical.

Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical in turn sold Shaklee to Roger Barnett (right) in 2004.

The sale was conducted through venture capital firm Activated Holdings LLC and returned ownership to the US.

As of 2020 Barnett was CEO of Shaklee. Today Barnett is cited as Shaklee’s Chairman and CEO.

Other than the Modere acquisition earlier this year, Shaklee hasn’t had any newsworthy moments since 2020. This isn’t a bad thing.

Of note in Shaklee’s history is John William Cranney, aka Jack Cranney (right).

Cranney joined Shaklee in 1967 and was one of the company’s top earners.

In 2018, Cranney was convicted of running a $10.4 million Ponzi scheme and sentenced to five years in prison. Cranney targeted Shaklee distributors for eleven years and defrauded them out of over $12 million.

Shaklee terminated Cranney when news of a regulatory investigation in Massachusetts broke in 2012. The company maintains it had no knowledge of Cranney’s fraud.

Cranney was 79 at time of sentencing and due for release in 2023. Cranney died in custody on July 18th, 2021.

Shaklee’s Products

As was the case in 2020, there are far too many Shaklee products to list here individually.

A full catalog is available on Shaklee’s website, spanning the following product categories; Meology (personalized nutrition), nutrition, protein, beauty and green home.

In 2020 Shaklee’s flagship marketing campaign was a “Prove It Challenge”.

The “challenge” wasn’t so much a challenge as it was excuse to sell “Prove It Challenge” product packs.

Today Shaklee’s Prove It Challenge has been replaced with its Meology range.

Meology sees Shaklee ask “some questions about your health goals and lifestyle” and provide an algorithm determined “personalized plan in just a few seconds”.

Once you have your plan, you

choose your plan (Essentials or Essentials Plus) and receive your personalized supplements in convenient daily-dose packs every 30 days.

Accessing Shaklee’s Meology program costs $70.80. Ongoing supplement subscription costs are not disclosed.

The other change to Shaklee’s products from 2020 is the addition of various Modere products.

This includes BioCell Collagen, Trim “and other Modere favorites”. Complete retail pricing is available on Shaklee’s website.

Shaklee’s Compensation Plan

Shaklee’s compensation plan pays on the sale of products to retail customers and recruited promoters.

There are two retail customer classes within Shaklee’s compensation plan, regular retail customers and “members”.

Member retail customers either pay $19.95 or purchase $175 or more of Shaklee’s products in a single order. This is done to qualify for a 15% discount on future orders, discounted shipping and loyalty rewards.

Shaklee Promoter Ranks

There are thirteen promoter ranks within Shaklee’s compensation plan.

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

  1. Ambassador I – sign up as a Shaklee promoter
  2. Ambassador II – generate 75 PV a month
  3. Ambassador III – maintain 75 PV a month and generate 500 PTV a month
  4. Director – maintain 75 PV a month and generate 500 CV and 2000 PTV a month
  5. Senior Director – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least one Ambassador I or higher and generate 2500 PTV a month
  6. Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least two Ambassador Is or higher and generate 2500 PTV a month
  7. Senior Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, maintain two personally recruited Ambassador Is or higher and generate 3000 PTV and 10,000 GV a month
  8. Executive Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least three Ambassador Is or higher and generate 3500 PTV and 20,000 GV a month
  9. Senior Executive Coordinator – maintain 75 PV, 500 CV and 3500 PTV a month, maintain three personally recruited Ambassador Is or higher and generate 30,000 GV a month
  10. Key Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least four Ambassador Is or higher and generate 4000 PTV and 50,000 GV a month
  11. Senior Key Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least five Ambassador Is or higher and generate 4500 PTV and 75,000 GV a month
  12. Master Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least six Ambassador Is or higher and generate 5000 PTV and 100,000 GV a month
  13. Senior Master Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least eight Ambassador Is or higher and generate 6000 PTV and 200,000 GV a month
  14. Presidential Master Coordinator – maintain 75 PV and 500 CV a month, recruit at least ten Ambassador Is or higher (two recruitment legs must have a Master Coordinator or higher in them), and generate 7000 PTV and 250,000 GV a month

PV stands for “Personal Volume”. PV is sales volume generated by a Shaklee promoter and their personal retail customers.

CV stands for “Customer Volume”. CV is a Shaklee promoters personal retail customer sales volume.

PTV stands for “Personal Team Volume”. PTV is PV generated by a Shaklee promoter and their personally recruited promoters.

GV stands for “Group Volume”. GV is PV generated by a Shaklee promoter and their entire downline.

Note that from Key Coordinator, no more than 50% of required GV can come from any one recruitment leg.

Also note that from Key Coordinator, rank must be held for three consecutive months first before promotion is awarded.

30 For 30 Bonus

Shaklee’s 30 For 30 Bonus rewards promoters for referring retail customers.

The 30 For 30 Bonus pays “a minimum 30% commission” on orders placed by retail customers within 30 days of their initial order:

  • generate up to $7499 in monthly retail customer sales and receive a 30% 30 For 30 Bonus rate
  • generate $7500 to $9999 in monthly retail customer sales from at least 20 retail customers and receive a 35% 30 For 30 Bonus rate
  • generate $10,000 or more in monthly retail customer sales from at least 30 retail customers and receive a 40% 30 For 30 Bonus rate

Note that while the 30 For 30 Bonus is calculated from a retail customer’s first order (which could be any day of the month), the above rates are paid on orders made month to month.

Retail Commissions

After the 30 For 30 Bonus (initial 30 days for each retail customer), Shaklee pays a 10% to 40% commission on retail product sales:

  • generate up to $499 in monthly retail customer sales with one active retail customer = 10% retail commission rate
  • generate $500 to $999 in monthly retail customer sales with three active retail customers = 15% retail commission rate
  • generate $1000 to $2999 in monthly retail customer sales with five active retail customers = 20% retail commission rate
  • generate $3000 to $4999 in monthly retail customer sales with ten active retail customers = 25% retail commission rate
  • generate $5000 to $7499 in monthly retail customer sales with fifteen active retail customers = 30% retail commission rate
  • generate $7500 to $9999 in monthly retail customer sales with twenty active retail customers = 35% retail commission rate
  • generate $10,000 or more in monthly retail customer sales with thirty active retail customers = 40% retail commission rate

An “active retail customer” is a retail customer who has made at least one product order that month.

Note that if a Shaklee promoter fails to generate 75 PV a month, their retail commission are passed upline to the first qualified promoter.

Residual Commissions

Starting at Ambassador II, Shaklee pays residual commissions down two levels of recruitment (unilevel):

  • Ambassador II ranked promoters receive 6% on level 1 (personally recruited promoters)
  • Ambassador III ranked promoters receive 8% on level 1
  • Director and higher ranked promoters receive 10% on level 1 and 2% on level 2

Director Team Bonus

Shaklee’s Director Team Bonus pays Directors 6% on PV generated from each personally recruited promoter, down to the first Director in that recruitment leg.

Generation Bonus

Shaklee pays a Generation Bonus 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.

Shaklee defines a generation when a Director or higher ranked promoter is found in a recruitment leg.

This Director begins the first generation for that leg. The first generation extends down the depth of the leg, until another Director or higher ranked promoter is found deeper in the leg.

If there’s a Director or higher ranked promoter deeper in the leg, the first generation extends down the full depth of the leg.

If one does exist, they cap off the first generation and the second generation for that leg begins directly under them.

Using this generational structure, Senior Director and higher ranked Shaklee promoters can earn on up to six generations per unilevel team leg.

  • Senior Directors earn 6% on the first generation and 3% on the second
  • Coordinators earn 6% on the first generation and 4% on the second
  • Senior Coordinators earn 6% on the first generation and 5% on the second
  • Executive Coordinators earn 6% on the first generation, 6% on the second and 4% on the third
  • Senior Executive Coordinators earn 6% on the first and second generations, 4% on the third and 2% on the fourth
  • Key Coordinators and Senior Key Coordinators earn 6% on the first and second generations and 4% on the third and fourth
  • Master Coordinators earn 6% on the first and second generations, 4% on the third and fourth and 3% on the fifth
  • Senior Master Coordinators and Presidential Master Coordinators earn 6% on the first and second generations, 4% on the third and fourth and 3% on the fifth and sixth

Infinity Bonus

The Infinity Bonus pays on sales volume generated across the entire unilevel team.

  • Key Coordinators receive a 2% Infinity Bonus
  • Senior Key Coordinators receive a 2.5% Infinity Bonus
  • Master Coordinators receive a 3% Infinity Bonus
  • Senior Master Coordinators receive a 3.5% Infinity Bonus
  • Presidential Master Coordinators receive a 4% Infinity Bonus

Note that the Infinity Bonus is coded. This means higher ranked Shaklee promoters receive the difference between their Infinity Bonus rate and lower ranked promoters.

Infinity Matching Bonus

Senior Key Coordinator and higher ranked Shaklee promoters qualify for the Infinity Matching Bonus.

The Infinity Matching Bonus is paid as a percentage match of the Infinity Bonus earned by the first same-ranked promoter in each recruitment leg.

  • Senior Key Coordinators receive a 10% Infinity Matching Bonus
  • Master Coordinators receive a 15% Infinity Matching Bonus
  • Senior Master Coordinators receive a 20% Infinity Matching Bonus
  • Presidential Master Coordinators receive a 25% Infinity Matching Bonus

Presidential Master Organization Bonus

The Presidential Master Organization Bonus is another Infinity Bonus, available to Presidential Master Coordinator ranked promoters.

The Presidential Master Organization Bonus is paid on up to three generations of Presidential Master Coordinators in each recruitment leg:

  • 0.5% is paid on downline sales volume of the first Presidential Master Coordinator in a recruitment leg
  • 0.25% is paid on downline sales volume of a second Presidential Master Coordinator in a recruitment leg
  • 0.125% is paid on downline sales volume of a third Presidential Master Coordinator in a recruitment leg
  • half of the previous percentage (0.125% and so on) is paid on each subsequent Presidential Master Coordinator in a recruitment leg (no depth cap)

Joining Shaklee

Shaklee promoter membership starts at $49.95 annually;

  • Business Starter Kit – $49.95 annually
  • Ready Set Wellness Bundle – $228.95 and then $49.95 annually
  • Ready Set Reset Bundle – $375 and then $49.95 annually
  • Ready Set Glow Bundle – $275 and then $49.95 annually
  • Well-being Beauty Bundle – $899 and then $49.95 annually

The primary difference between the above options is bundled Shaklee products.

Note that there’s also some possible confusion regarding annual promoter fees. This is from Shaklee’s website Terms and Conditions;

Shaklee membership requires an annual renewal. However, Shaklee may from time to time suspend or waive the requirement to renew.

Currently, Shaklee membership renewal has been suspended.

Shaklee’s website Terms and Conditions hasn’t been updated since August 2022. There’s no indication if the $49.95 annual fee is still being waived.

All new Shaklee promoters receive a free online storefront for three months. After that storefront access can either be access or continued for $14.95 a month.

Shaklee Conclusion

One of the key criticisms in BehindMLM’s 2020 Shaklee review was an overall lack of retail focus.

In going through Shaklee’s compensation plan, I didn’t really get a sense of any particular retail focus.

The most obvious tell is retail commissions aren’t detailed in any of Shaklee’s current compensation documentation. I had to dig up the 2013 document to confirm retail commissions were even paid.

Forced promoter purchases were also a thing and, generally speaking, are an integral component of MLM pyramid schemes.

Today Shaklee has a simple PV requirement. This can be a promoter’s own order but, starting at the Director rank, customer volume comes into play.

This means that any Director or higher ranked Shaklee promoters without retail customers are going to have a hard time. The bad news is, as per Shaklee’s 2022 Average Annual Earnings Statement, 74% of promoters are spread out across its lower ranks.

I should note here that Shaklee’s provided Average Annual Earnings Statement is three years out of date and counting. The ranks detailed in the document don’t match up with Shaklee’s current compensation plan.

This means the percentage of Shaklee promoters not subject to retail customer volume requirements could actually be worse.

Still, it’s a step in the right direction. I don’t see why Shaklee’s lower ranks can’t have a retail volume requirement, so hopefully that’s addressed at some point.

Shaklee’s retail customer membership options seems like decent value – assuming you find value in the products.

For $19.95 retail customers gain access to an auto 15% discount, an $8.99 flat-rate shipping fee (free if the order is over $15) and an “up to 15%” product loyalty program.

Those are some pretty solid retail incentives for an MLM company.

Where things fall apart is retail marketing on the promoter side. Shaklee should be doing everything possible to enable its promoters to market and sell its products to retail customers.

$14.99 a month for a replicated storefront? Yeah, that’s obviously a rort. Development aside, it’d probably cost Shaklee less than a dollar a month to provide each promoter with a replicated storefront. Probably less than fifty cents.

In an age of widespread ecommerce, providing your promoters with a digital storefront should be seen as a basic requirement. Any costs should be eaten by Shaklee.

Promoters sell products through their online storefronts to retail customers. This makes Shaklee money and contributes legal compliance – why on Earth is it paywalled?

If a Shaklee promoter doesn’t pay for a replicated online storefront, how are they taking online retail customer orders online? If the answer is “they aren’t”; that is not only a giant red flag, it’s something that should be addressed immediately.

My thoughts on Shaklee’s product range itself remains mostly the same;

Not to take anything away from Forrest C. Shaklee back in 1915, but we’ve come a long way since then. These days multivitamins are pretty much everywhere.

Beyond multivitamins Shaklee do sell a sizable range of products in other niches, so in some ways they’ve adapted with the times.

Meology seems more of a marketing gimmick to me but there could be something to it.

In initially thought Meology’s “algorithm” test was just a simple questionnaire but it does go a bit deeper. A blood test, blood pressure reading and DNA data are required to fully take advantage of the process.

Marketing wise one might run into roadblocks as your average consumer probably isn’t going to rush out and get a blood test and blood pressure reading for some vitamins.

How recent should the blood test results I use for my Meology assessment be?

In order to deliver the most precise recommendations, the blood test results you provide should be from the previous 12 months. However, if your blood test results remain relatively consistent from year to year, older blood test results can be used.

I mean that’s something you’d probably go to the doctor for at that point anyway, right?

The DNA data requirement is also problematic.

I have DNA results, but they aren’t from 23andme or Ancestry. Can this information be uploaded to the Meology assessment?

For now, only DNA results from 23andme or Ancestry can be uploaded to the Meology assessment.

As of March 2025, 23andMe isn’t doing so well. And as the company’s data breach settlement proved, DNA testing companies are a honeypot for private personal information.

Ancestry seems to be doing OK business wise but there’s still privacy concerns regarding your DNA data for any DNA test company.

Another thing I didn’t like about Meology was the dancing around diagnosis.

Will I receive an explanation of my DNA data? Blood test results? Blood pressure?

No. Because Meology is not intended to diagnose, you will not receive an explanation of your DNA data, blood test results, or blood pressure.

This information will help to inform your recommendations and you will see this reflected in the explanations paired with each product recommended to you.

Shaklee might not provide customers with explanations, but they are clearly using provided data to identify potential health conditions and prescribe supplements from their range.

Why does the Meology assessment only ask about certain health conditions?

We have focused on health conditions for which we have relevant and science-based nutrition solutions.

Calling a treatment a “solution” and dancing around the fact that you are diagnosing people to prescribe supplements doesn’t change what’s going on here.

Provided FDA regulations are being adhered to, I don’t have a problem with this but transparency is key.

We’re talking about recommending supplements here. The only reason for that process to be sealed in a black box of mystery is if there’s something dodgy going on.

The lack of transparency gets particularly concerning on consideration of Meology’s prenatal and kid variants.

I feel an unaddressed question is whether a consumer willing to organize a DNA test, blood test and blood pressure test to address dietary issues, might be better off seeing a doctor, and/or dietician, and/or nutritionist.

That’s what Meology is essentially competing against. Be honest about it and go about offering it legally. Don’t pretend Meology isn’t doing something it clearly is.

And speaking of transparency, Meology costs? One could make the argument that Meology costs are not provided due to customization, but I’d still argue that a range guideline should be provided.

On the acquisition of Modere, I think limited value would have been gained on the promoter database side of things (if that wasn’t an issue, Modere wouldn’t have collapsed).

Rolling Modere’s products into Shaklee has definitely created some overlap, so watch out for that.

All in all Shaklee’s MLM offering in 2024 is an improvement over what BehindMLM reviewed in 2020. There’s still plenty of room for improvement however, particularly with respect to fine-tuning retail focus and Meology transparency.

None of these are deal breakers in and of themselves but they do drag down an otherwise promising offering.