Scentsy

Scentsy began in 2003, when Kara Egan and Colette Gunnell started selling wickless candles at home shows in Salt Lake City, Utah. Orville Thompson met them at a show, took a sample home to his wife Heidi, and the Thompsons bought the company. They relaunched it as a direct sales company on July 1, 2004 from a 40-foot shipping container on a sheep farm in Meridian, Idaho. Today Scentsy is still family-owned, still headquartered in Meridian, and sells in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and New Zealand through a network of Independent Scentsy Consultants.

When we launched our direct selling opportunity in an ocean shipping container, we had very little infrastructure. We had no money, no credit and no chance of an investor. We had no catalog, no software and no experience. We did have a great product and a few passionate consultants.

Orville Thompson, co-owner and co-founder, Scentsy — Chief Executive magazine, January 2014

How it works. The core product is simple: an electric warmer melts a cube of scented wax with a low-watt bulb or a heating element, so fragrance fills the room without a flame, soot or smoke. The wax never burns away, so a Scentsy Bar lasts longer than a candle of the same size, and customers swap scents as often as they like. Scentsy makes its wax bars, warmers, diffusers, candles and laundry and cleaning products itself in Meridian, and says its return and replacement rate is just 0.42% of sales.

The product range. At the heart of the line are the warmers, from plug-in minis to full-size ceramic designs, and more than 100 Scentsy Bar fragrances at any one time. Around them sit diffusers and oils, including a line of natural and essential oils; Scentsy Pods that snap into tabletop fan diffusers, wall fans and car fans; a Scentsy air purifier that scents a room while it filters it; Fragrance Flowers and room sprays for places without an outlet; Scentsy Buddies, plush animals with a pocket for a Scent Pak; laundry and cleaning products such as Washer Whiffs and the Isle of Clover cleaning range; and body care in the same fragrances. In 2025 the company added traditional candles, a notable turn for a brand built on being wickless.

Licensed collections. Scentsy is the Official Home Fragrance of Walt Disney World Resort and sells licensed Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC, Looney Tunes, NHL and NFL warmers, Buddies and scents. These limited runs sell quickly and are a big part of why customers follow a Consultant's page.

Where it stands now. Scentsy ranked No. 21 on the 2026 Direct Selling News Global 100 and has been recognised by the Direct Selling Association for 14 straight years. The company says it has donated more than $19.3 million to charities. It is also in a period of adjustment: after pandemic-era growth, it cut 116 jobs in April 2025 and about 11% of its workforce in March 2026, saying the changes were meant to match its structure to current priorities. Heidi and Orville Thompson remain co-owners; Dan Orchard is President and CEO. The official site is scentsy.com.

Scentsy sells four ways in. The Signature Starter Kit ($99) is the full kit: two warmers, wax bars, fragrance testers for the current catalog, felt sample strips, catalogs, brochures, three digital customer coupons for $20 off a $100 order, and more than $450 in value by the company's count. The Essential Starter Kit ($49) trims the products but keeps the testers and paperwork. The Host-Exclusive Starter Kit ($59) is for people who host a party and then decide to join. The Smart Start ($9) is the no-product option for someone who already owns Scentsy and just wants the business tools.

Every kit comes with a shoppable personal website free for three months; after that it is $15 a month, and most active Consultants keep it because that is where online party orders land. Kit contents change with each catalog, so check the current join page before you buy.

Scentsy pays on Personal Retail Volume (PRV), which is roughly a point per dollar of product sold. A new Consultant earns 20% on their first 1,000 points of lifetime PRV; once they pass that mark they become a Certified Consultant and earn 25% on standard sales in each month they reach Active status (250 PRV), dropping back to 20% in any month they don't. Sales through Scentsy Club subscription referrals pay 10% to 15%. There is a 5% bonus on all personal sales in any month you sell more than 2,000 PRV, and a Personal Wholesale Volume bonus of 2% to 9% that depends on rank. Staying Active takes 250 PRV in a month, and you need Active status to be paid team bonuses.

Build a team and the plan opens up. The ranks run Partner (new Consultant), Certified Partner, Coach, Senior Coach, Associate Mentor, Mentor, Senior Mentor and Executive Mentor. Team bonuses pay 2% to 9% on your first-level sellers' wholesale volume and smaller percentages down to the third generation at the Mentor ranks. Scentsy also runs incentive trips and recognition awards for its leaders. The current plan took effect on September 1, 2026 and the company publishes an income disclosure alongside it: in 2025 the average full-year Consultant earned $1,492.55 and the median was $439.07, so treat this as a product business first and a team business second. Check the company's current compensation plan for exact rates and rank requirements.

PROS

• A consumable core product: wax bars run out, so repeat sales come naturally
• Low, tiered buy-in from $9 to $99, with a free website for three months
• Makes its own products in Idaho and backs them with a very low return rate
• Licensed Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and sports collections give customers a reason to keep looking
• Established, family-owned company with a long record of industry recognition

CONS

• Hundreds of thousands of Consultants worldwide means plenty of competition, especially online
• Income disclosure shows the typical full-year Consultant earns a few hundred dollars a year
• The $15 monthly website fee adds up for part-time sellers
• Two rounds of corporate layoffs in 2025 and 2026 and a move into wick candles suggest a company still finding its next chapter
• Warmers are bulky to carry and to ship, which matters if you sell at markets or vendor events