Nu Skin

Nu Skin was founded in 1984 in Provo, Utah by Blake Roney, Nedra Roney, Sandie Tillotson and Steve Lund. Canada was its first market outside the US in 1990, then Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific followed. The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1996 as Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS), bought the Pharmanex supplement business in 1998 and launched its ageLOC anti-aging platform in 2008. Headquarters are still in downtown Provo, and Ryan Napierski is president and CEO.

Where it stands now. Nu Skin is big, but it is getting smaller. Revenue for 2025 was $1.49 billion, down 14.3% on 2024. In the second quarter of 2026 revenue fell 17.1% to $320.1 million, paid affiliates dropped 8% to 120,291 and sales leaders fell 9% to 26,998, according to the company's results release of August 10, 2026. The same quarter carried $78.9 million in non-cash impairment charges, and the company cut its 2026 revenue guidance to $1.28 billion to $1.35 billion. It now operates in nearly 50 markets and is preparing a formal launch in India.

This past year was a pivotal year as we furthered our transformation toward becoming the world's leading intelligent beauty and wellness platform and laid the groundwork for our 2026 growth initiatives.

Ryan Napierski, President and CEO, Nu Skin Enterprises — fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results (SEC Form 8-K), February 2026

The Prysm iO bet. The company's big hope for growth is Prysm iO, a palm-sized scanner that reads carotenoid levels from a fingertip scan and turns them into a score. Nu Skin presents it as a way to see whether your diet and supplements are working, and it ties certain supplements to "Prysm Certified" levels. In February 2026 Napierski said more than 20,000 devices were already with sales leaders, ahead of a consumer launch in the second half of the year.

Products. The Nu Skin catalog has three main pillars. Beauty devices include the ageLOC LumiSpa iO facial cleansing device and RenuSpa iO, a skin toning device used with a conductive gel. Skin care runs from the ageLOC Tru Face Peptide Retinol Complex and Nutricentials basics to ageLOC Dermatic Effects body care. Wellness comes under the Pharmanex brand: LifePak multivitamins, Beauty Focus Collagen+, M-Smart, TR90 weight management and Mynd360. Makeup, hair care, Epoch and AP24 oral care round it out. Nu Skin backs product purchases with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Giving. Nu Skin's Force for Good Foundation funds children's health, literacy and hunger projects, and its Nourish the Children initiative lets customers buy VitaMeal meals to donate. The company says more than 850 million meals have been donated through the program. Nu Skin is clear that VitaMeal is a for-profit product: Brand Affiliates earn commissions on it, as with any other sale.

Nu Skin calls its pay plan the Sales Performance Plan. Joining as a Brand Affiliate is free, takes a few minutes and requires no personal purchase, according to the company's opportunity page. There is no starter kit you have to buy. Many new sellers still buy products or a business bundle so they can use them and talk about them, but that is a choice, not a fee.

How you earn. The plan has three layers. First, you keep the retail margin on products you sell through your links. Second, as your customer sales grow you unlock higher earning tiers. Third, you can earn bonuses on the sales of a team you help build. Nu Skin's plan documents have described the next step up as Brand Representative, which takes a Letter of Intent and 2,000 in group sales volume (including 500 of your own customer volume) during a qualification period. Brand Representatives earn a Building Bonus that starts at 5% of commissionable sales value and scales up as volume grows, and Brand Partners and Brand Directors can add a Leading Bonus on the teams they develop. Payouts are tracked weekly in the company's Velocity reports. The rules are detailed, so check the company's current compensation plan for exact rates and qualifications.

What people actually earn. Nu Skin publishes the numbers, and they are sobering. In 2025 the average monthly sales compensation paid to US Active Brand Affiliates was $178.75. In an average month only 26.67% of Active Brand Affiliates earned a payment, and Active Affiliates were 46.54% of all Brand Affiliates. About 1% of Active Brand Affiliates qualified for an incentive trip in 2024. Those figures are before expenses and do not include retail markup. Nu Skin itself says meaningful income "requires considerable time, effort, and commitment."

If you like the products and want a low-cost way to share them online, Nu Skin is easy to start. If you want to talk to a Nu Skin Brand Affiliate first, ask them what they earn and how long it took.

PROS

• Free to join, with no personal purchase or inventory required
• Four decades in business and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with audited results and a public income disclosure
• Distinctive products: beauty devices, ageLOC skin care, Pharmanex supplements and the new Prysm iO scanner
• Modern selling tools: shoppable links, the Stela business app and the Vera beauty app
• Recognisable brand with customers in nearly 50 markets

CONS

• Shrinking business: 2025 revenue fell 14.3% and paid affiliates were down again in mid-2026
• Low typical earnings: the average US Active Brand Affiliate was paid $178.75 a month in 2025, before expenses
• Complex pay plan with volume targets, ranks and qualification periods
• Premium prices, especially for devices, make for a harder sale
• Customers can buy directly from Nu Skin, so you compete with the company's own site and promotions