Sisel: They could be as shady as they sound [Review]

A well-designed website and feel-good brand story don’t always give you the full picture. And Sisel is a great example of that.

So if you’re looking for an MLM you can trust, you might want to keep looking.

Sisel (pronounced “sizzle”) is a network marketing company that sells health and wellness products that are described with a few trending keywords: green, scientific, and chemical-free to name a few.

But where’s the proof?

Sisel’s been around in one form or another since the late 80s. With some re-branding and marketing campaigns, they’ve managed to stay relevant in the MLM space. But based on their history, we’re wondering how long it will last. Keep reading to learn more.

FAQ

1. What does Sisel sell? Lifestyle products that are free from harmful chemicals or unnatural ingredients. Products fit into these categories: fitness, health, Sisel Safe (which includes shampoos, conditioners, cleaners, and soap), and beauty.

2. What are Sisel’s most popular products? It’s hard to say. But a recent blog post promoted a seasonal product packs for Flu Season. That’s smart marketing and is likely a popular way to bundle their products. For instance, this Seasonal Flu Pack costs $167 and contains the Body Shield immune support, Balance D prebiotics and probiotics, SpectraMAXX nutritional support, SupraDetox, Cucumber Lime Liquid Hand Wash, and InFLUence. These kind of packs are always a winner because they remove the thinking from the purchase. Everything you need is in one bundle at a reasonable price for what you get. And for distributors, it’s a winner because the PV is high too.

3. How much does it cost to join Sisel? There’s no clear information on the website (either the new one or the old one) about how to join. There’s a lot of talk about what a great science-backed company it is, but no details.

4. Is Sisel a scam? Honestly, it could be. But since the company sells products on their website, it at least operates as a legitimate (if overpriced) retail company.

5. What is Sisel’s BBB rating? A+

6. How long has Sisel been in business? Since 2006.

7. What is Sisel’s revenue? Less than $1 million

8. How many Sisel distributors are there? According to Glassdoor, between 1001 and 5000

9. What lawsuits have been filed? In 2008, Neways (which Sisel broke off from when it launched in 2006) won a suit against Sisel for using Neways’s trade secrets to start its business and poach its distributors in Japan. [1] In 2006, Thomas and Leslie Mower, who founded Neways and Sisel, were convicted of not paying personal income tax on $3.2 million. Thomas was sentenced with 33 months in federal prison, Leslie with 27 months. [2]

10. Comparable companies: Isagenix, LifeVantage, Melaleuca

So should you get involved?

I’m not saying it would be impossible to make money with Sisel, but there are certainly better options out there…

Click here for my #1 recommendation

Either way, here’s the full review on Sisel, which I stand by 100%.

Overview

Sisel was founded by a husband and wife team, Thomas Mower and Leslie D. Mower, but they didn’t start out as the Sisel you see today.

In 1987, the company was named “Images and Attitude”. Suuuuper 80s. Fast forward to 1992 and they changed their name to Neways to keep up with the times. Still not working. Now they’re Sisel, and they sell health and beauty products.

They’ve made it through the decades, but not without some bumps.

In the early 90s, they marketed their products as containing safer chemicals than other brands, a marketing tactic that’s now par for the course but worked to give them a nice boost even back then.

But their claims were false, and after it was found that their weight loss products contained doses of chemicals that were actually unsafe (furosemide), they were forced to recall them. [3]

Then again, in 2003, the cute couple that started this booming health and beauty company was indicted for not paying income taxes (they skipped out on a whopping $3.2 million according to the IRS). [4]

Thomas Mower and Leslie Mower actual ended up doing time in federal prison after being charged with the crime. How’s that for a founder’s story?

So, they left Neways behind under new management to go sit in a jail cell. And what did they do when they got out? What any good MLM would do under pressure, of course: They rebranded!

Thomas Mower founded Sisel in 2006 with his son, secretly trying to recruit internally by luring Neways distributors over to Sisel.

Neways even won a court injunction against Sisel in 2008, requiring them to return all the distributor information they essentially stole from Neways. [5]

Mower seemed to be over the U.S. too, with all their laws and taxes, so he moved Sisel to Sarnen, Switzerland, where it’s currently headquartered.

Sisel is still chugging along, but they’ve definitely got a shady history powering them through. Who knows how long that’ll keep them going.

Products

Sisel sells lots and lots of products, all manufactured out of a 400,000 square foot nutraceutical plant. The products are all be broken down into product lines.

Interestingly, the product line has changed a lot in just a few years. Just two years ago, the product line included air purifiers, water purifications systems, and water bottles. Today, the product line looks more like this…

Fitness: These products are meant to help you optimize your performance.

• SiselRIPT
• Sisel Fire & Ice
• SiseLEAN Chocolate and Vanilla
• 4Restore
• UltraMaxx
• Thermarol

Health: These are your anti-aging and nutritional products.

• The A.G.E. Pill
• FuCoyDon Intensified
• Eternity
• SpectraMaxx
• TS-X
• Sisel Kaffe Premium and Instant
• Avenger
• Encompass 360
• Supra Omega Plus
• CalciumK2
• Balance-D
• Brain Vitality
• Body Shield
• Renovator
• Inner-Chi
• Vital Vision
• SupraDetox
• InFLUence

Sisel Safe: Think green cleaning products.

• Asepti-Clean
• Vibrant
• Sapphire Shampoo
• Sapphire Conditioner
• SupraShine
• Terminator
• Enliven
• Bar Vitae

Beauty: This is their line of cosmetics and beauty products.

• Transfusium
• Exfolium
• Firming Facial Cleanser
• Actify 6000
• Sisel Rapid Repair
• SkinDu
• Cucumber Lime Liquid Hand Wash

All of the products can be bought online, but the pricing is outrageous, even with the Preferred Customer Pricing. For instance, a bottle of hand soap costs $20.

Compensation Plan

First of all, there are monthly auto-ship requirements, and while they start out low, you really need to buy-in big for the chance to win big (like Melaleuca or Kyani).

• Bronze membership: 50 PV each month
• Silver membership: 100 PV each month
• Gold membership: 150 PV each month
• Platinum membership: 200 PV each month

There are 6 ways to get paid with Sisel:

1. Fast Start Bonus
2. Fast Start Retention Bonus
3. Direct Distributor Commission
4. Master Check Match
5. Luxury Bonus

Their Fast Start Bonus is paid out daily, which is pretty rare. You get 5% on each person you sponsor up to four levels, but you’ve got to place a minimum order of 50 PV.

Their direct commission, or commission on your downline, is frankly pretty confusing. You can get paid all the way down to 7 levels if you hit Platinum rank, which is pretty good, but requires a minimum order of 250 PV monthly. [4]

You get 5% on your first level, 10% on your 2^nd level, unless you’re only a Bronze and then you only get 5% on your 2^nd level, 15% on your 3^rd level unless, again, you’re a Bronze and then you only get 7.5% on your 3^rd level, and it continues down in this overly-complicated way. Not sure what they’re trying to hide here. But basically, it goes like this…

• Level 1 – Bronze 2.5%, Silver 3%, Gold 4%, and Platinum 5%
• Level 2 – Bronze 5%, Silver 8%, Gold 9%, and Platinum 10%
• Level 3 – Bronze 7.5%, Silver 13%, Gold 14%, and Platinum 15%
• Level 4 – Bronze 5%, Silver 8%, Gold 9%, and Platinum 10%
• Level 5 – Bronze 2.5%, Silver 3%, Gold 4%, and Platinum 5%
• Levels 6 – Bronze 2.5%, Silver 3%, Gold 4%, and Platinum 5%
• Levels 7+ – Platinum 2%, 0% for everyone else

Retail commission is less confusing – 20%. But it’s not that impressive, especially when you realize it’s only 20% commission on preferred customer purchases (those on monthly auto-ship).

Of course, they’ve got rank bonuses and car bonuses too, but who doesn’t?

In the end, this isn’t a terrible commission plan, but it is way too complicated.

Recap

So, they’ve got a way-too-complicated commission plan that, in the end, is nothing special.

And they’ve got a way-shady history that really makes you wonder what kinds of skeletons their founder is going to whip out of his closet next.

But they have a huge variety of products which, while generic, seem to be keeping them afloat. They’ve survived some pretty serious blunders.

Not a Sisel hater at all, but there’s definitely more sustainable income opportunities out there.

I’ve been involved with network marketing for over ten years so I know what to look for when you consider a new opportunity.

After reviewing 200+ business opportunities and systems out there, here is the one I would recommend:

Click here for my #1 recommendation