Should You Become an Oriflame Consultant?

With nearly two-thirds of the country being covered in forest and home to hundreds of thousands of moose, it makes sense that a beauty and wellness company such as Oriflame would look to Sweden’s vast natural beauty for product inspiration.

And clearly something’s working, because they’re one of the most well-known multi-level marketing companies internationally. 

Maybe that’s why you’re considering whether or not to become an Oriflame consultant.

In this article, we’ll cover all the details about the company, the products they sell, how much their consultants can expect to earn, and more!

Oriflame Overview

Oriflame is a direct sales company that was founded in 1967 in Sweden. What started out as two brothers and an idea has now turned into a company with approximately 3 million consultants in over 60 markets and a €1.3 billion revenue for 2018. 

All of their beauty and wellness products are created in Sweden and are geared towards “helping people around the world to fulfill their dreams.”

They also strive to make a positive change in the environment, specifically by focusing on sustainability and reducing their GHG emissions and packaging waste.

In fact, their long-term goal is to become completely sustainable while respecting both the environment and society.

They hold to strong environmental policies that ensure they will do their best to not harm the environment, which is the basis for all of their products.

Something that sets them apart from other beauty and wellness companies with the same business model isn’t just their balance of nature and science, it’s also that they’re (openly and strongly) trend-driven.

But it’s not all positive. In 2016, the total number of Oriflame consultants decreased by 7%, which means that more people are leaving than joining. 

And since there is a focus on building a downline in order to make money and rise up in the ranks, that’s not a good statistic to see.

In fact, their CEO said in 2018 that the year was “turbulent,” with sales in countries that were once doing well now not doing so great, and vice versa.

The sales of their cosmetics and accessories has been on a downward trend (as of 2018), with personal care and fragrance-related products staying about the same. 

The only significant growth seen was in the wellness category, which may show how the company’s bent towards trends positively impacts them.

What Do They Sell

Oriflame sells a variety of trendy beauty, health, and wellness products that are safe, reliable, and effective.

If you’ve been on their website, you’ll see that nature is a big inspiration for them. In fact, they look to the plants that can withstand the harsh Swedish climate to help them create natural, powerful products. 

Their love of nature has also fueled them to become one of the first companies in the world to create cosmetics from specific natural extracts, like birch sap.

In fact, all of the extracts used in their products are natural. And all ingredients must undergo a strict test to check their quality, safety, and even their source.

They sell over a thousand products, which can be broken down into eight main categories:

• Skincare: Things like moisturizers and facial cleansers
• Make-Up: Items like foundation, mascara and lipstick
• Fragrance: Various perfumes and deodorants
• Bath and Body: Things like shower gel and body scrubs
• Hair: Shampoos, conditioners, and more
• Accessories: Items like bags and sunglasses
• Wellness: Supplements and foods
• Men: Products relating to shaving and grooming

They also hold their products to high standards, such as:

• Eco ethical screening
• Natural extracts and exfoliants
• Strict European standards
• Non-GMO
• Rigorous safety testing

To increase your chances of becoming a successful consultant, you’ll want to actually believe in both the products and their mission behind it.

How To Become a Consultant

Becoming a consultant with Oriflame follows the standard three-step process:

1. Apply online
2. Get starter items
3. Sell products

It’s that simple. The first thing you have to do is apply online on Oriflame’s website. The application requires standard information, things like:

• Name
• Address
• Email
• Phone Number

After you apply, you’ll have to wait for your application to be reviewed and accepted. 

After that, you’ll begin working with a consultant (either the one who signed you up, or one you get assigned) and a coach. They’ll help guide you through the beginning of the process, helping you get acquainted and offering you tips on how to start driving sales.

You’ll probably want to order some starter items to help increase your chances of success. You can order a catalogue, a few sample items, and some demonstration products to help get you started – although you are not required to purchase anything.

After you’ve gotten all your prep work done and have talked with your consultant, you can start selling, and there are a few ways to go about that.

One would be the stereotypical route by throwing parties, including a beauty demonstration, and hoping your friends will purchase some of the products.

Another, less conventional method would be going door-to-door with your catalog, hoping to score a few sales.

If you’re feeling really motivated, you could dive in with both methods, giving you more chances for success. 

If you want to rise up in the ranks, you’ll want to start recruiting people under you. This takes some persuasion and a great sales pitch, but this really is a company where you would need to build a strong downline in order to make any significant amount of cash.

How Much Can You Make?

How much money you can earn is, of course, directly dependent upon how much you sell.   Oriflame doesn’t give an exact correlation between products sold and percentage made – meaning it’s not a strict commission percentage, per se.

Essentially, you earn money by purchasing products at a discount, selling them at full retail price, and pocketing the difference.

As a standard consultant, according to the Oriflame Success Plan, you can earn a 23%-30% discount. 

So, for example, if you purchased an item that was $50, you would only pay $35 (assuming you got the 30% discount). Then, you would turn around and sell it to your customer for the full retail value, $50, and make a $15 profit.

Really, this doesn’t come across as a bad amount, especially if you were selling a lot. And Oriflame, like most multi-level marketing companies – promises you the opportunity to make upwards of a couple thousand Euros a month. 

But is that really the case? Let’s turn to Oriflame’s 2016 Annual Report to find out.

Because Oriflame is a publicly traded company, they (legally) have to release an audited annual financial report. And on page 40 of their 2016 report, there’s a section titled “Sales per active consultants.” And the average annual income per consultant was around €411.90, or $456.46.

The good news is it’s 2020 as of writing this, so maybe this has changed for the better. And while that number is lower than what most people would expect – Oriflame certainly doesn’t paint the picture of earning less than $2 per day – it’s more than nothing.

Granted, you should take into account how much you had to spend and how much time you had to put in to get there.

Conclusion

So, the question remains: should you become an Oriflame consultant?

That answer ultimately depends on you. It is an international, publicly traded company that’s been around for over 50 years.

With that being said, the average consultant makes less than $2 per day. And while that’s more than zero, when you account for your time and effort, you’ll probably realize there are better business ventures out there where you could be more successful.