In most cases, things that come from Sweden seem more trustworthy, not less.
But there are always exceptions.
Zinzino is a health and wellness network marketing company that offers nutritional supplements like fish oil, along with a “product circle” aiming to create balanced health.
Sounds great, right?
Curing the world of all its ailments, lengthening the human lifespan, and hitting a million customers in the next few years are just a few of their ambitions.
But can they be trusted to make all this magic happen? We’ll let you decide.
FAQ
1. What does Zinzino sell? Zinzino sells omega-3 nutrition, immune and brain, weight loss, and skin care products, including a Balance Test that measures the body’s fatty acid profile.
2. What are Zinzino’s most popular products? One of their flagship products is BalanceOil. It comes in capsules or liquid form, with or without a test-start kit. For weight control, their LeanShake is popular. They claim it can help you lose 5, 10, or 20 pounds, depending on the package your purchase.
3. How much does it cost to join Zinzino? You can start as a Partner for free, earning retail profits and bonuses for subscription sales without investing a dime. But you’ll probably be asked to invest up-front. Options may include $60 for the Training Kit, $219 for the Basic Body Kit, $649 for the Advanced Body Kit, or $949 for the Ultimate Body Kit. You’ll probably also be encouraged to register a Zinzino4Free Kit on AutoOrder. That will set you back anywhere from $44 to $109 a month.
4. Is Zinzino a scam? No, Zinzino is a publicly traded company selling real products. But you need to do due diligence before joining. There may be better options for improving your health and making some extra money.
5. What is Zinzino’s BBB rating? They aren’t listed by the BBB.
6. How long has Zinzino been in business? Since 2005
7. What is Zinzino’s revenue? 540.3 million Swedish Kroner (about 601.6 million USD)
8. How many Zinzino distributors are there? No numbers have been released online.
9. What lawsuits have been filed? In 2017, Truth in Advertising found misleading income claims among Zinzino’s marketing. [1]
10. Comparable companies: Young Living, Melaleuca, Kyani
Does this mean you should get involved?
Product-wise this company might be legit, but if you’re just interested in the business opportunity, there are better options out there…
Click here for my #1 recommendation
Either way, here’s 17 things you need to consider before joining Zinzino.
#17. Founded in 2005, expanded globally
They got off to a pretty sad start, to be honest. But when they introduced health products, they took off running and were named the growth business of 2011.
They just came to the U.S. in the fall of 2013, and at this point, the good old red-white-and-blue still only accounts for 4% of their sales. [2]
But they’re still just getting started.
In 2016, they started plans to explode geographically, with aggressive expansion into multiple new markets, including Germany (watch out, Vorwerk), Europe’s largest market for direct sales. [3]
#16. Sellers engage in lying
MLM distributors are not shy when it comes to fabricating their products, but Zinzino’s take it to a new level.
In Iceland, in 2015 the company had to send a warning to its sellers for making false health claims, such as that the oil fights ADHD, Asperger’s and dyslexia. [4]
#15. Warnings issued against the company
The false claims have gotten so bad that the Danish Consumer Council lawyers warn people to stay away from both Zinzino products and their recruitment.
They describe Zinzino’s practices as “on the edge of the law.” [5]
#14. Basically reselling marked-up products
Eventually, they made enough in revenue to buy Biolife, the manufacturer of the fish oil and test that they sell, but before that, customers could easily buy their oils directly from BioLife at a cheaper price. [6]
And still, customers can buy their coffee products (like Organo Gold) much cheaper directly from the manufacturer.
You buy their coffee in a subscription for 12 months, so you get new pods every month. It costs about $349 for the machine and initial order, then another $33/month after.
Purchasing through the manufacturer, the machine alone is $234. You can then order a month’s supply of pods for $26 rather than $33. [7]
Basically, new customers are paying a huge markup on product just to get the rights to resell Zinzino products in hopes of a future payoff.
#13. Health and wellness niche selling nutritional supplements
Zinzino sells both nutritional and coffee products. Their popular nutritional products include…
- LeanShake with various weight loss challenges (lose 5 pounds, 10 pounds, 20 pounds, etc)
- BalanceOIL various packages, wild fish oil + quality olive oil
Their coffee products are coffee machines and coffee pods. They still don’t offer coffee products in many of their countries, including the U.S. [8]
Overall, health products are about 75% of their sales while coffee is about 25%. [9]
#12. Their oil supposedly cures a dangerous imbalance all humans have
This is their major selling point.
Basically, we all have these omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, but we don’t have enough, and we don’t have the proper balance between the two. This is the root, they claim, of many of our health problems. [10]
To prove that you have an imbalance of fatty acids, they even sell a (pricey) BalanceTest that, after sent back, will give you results of your omega-3 and omega-6 levels.
When you inevitably have an imbalance, they claim their oils and shakes can help adjust and solve it. For many customers, this balance is improved after a few months, but…
#11. Not the best way to get fish oil
Studies have shown that we do need more fish oil, but getting it from actual fish is highly preferable. [11]
Basically, the EPA content in your blood increases a lot faster and more sustainably when you eat fish versus when you take supplements. [12]
#10. Premiere customer program
Commit to a 6-month subscription and you become a premier customer and get discounted product.
For example, the LeanShake lose 5 pounds challenge costs $249 for a one-month initial order, but it’s $108 a month if you subscribe
#9. Headquartered in Sweden
Most of their market is still in Europe, as you can see from this map. But they have offices and factories in both Norway and the US as well as plans for expansion.
#8. Decent revenue
While they’re no Coca-Cola, their revenue has increased to an impressive $601.6 million annually.
So, they’re making some money. But are their distributors?
#7. FREE to join
This is a big plus. Basically no risk for you, so why no?
There’s no fee to become an independent distributor and no purchase requirements, which almost never happens in MLM.
#6. Compensation plan
Distributors pocket the difference between wholesale and retail price.
They can earn anywhere from 10-50% profit depending on the product. That’s a huge difference, and it’s important to remember that most if not nearly all their distributors probably fall on the lower end when it comes to profit.
If you build a premier customer base (customers with monthly subscriptions), you can get 1-30% on their monthly orders. Again, huge range. 30% is great, while 1% is literal pennies on the dollar.
If you build a team of partners, you can get another 1-15% off their premier customer base. AGAIN, 1%? What?
You must be active to receive commission, which means ordering a minimum amount of product every month. So while it’s free to join, you really do have to spend money to get anything out of it.
#5. Revenue sharing program
They do a revenue sharing program too. In the range of 20-40 euros monthly (4-8 shares) in shares if you hit certain levels.
#4. Founded and run by controversial Norwegian businessman Finn Ørjan Sæle
This man built up Nature’s Own to be the largest networking company in Scandinavia.
Impressive, right?
Yeah, until it completely tanked in the mid-2000s due to “questions about the legality of their sales model”. [13]
#3. Return policy is kind of useless
They have a 90-day return policy, but you have to return the products unopened and unused, and there’s a 10% restocking fee.
Kinda defeats the purpose of a return policy. Usually, you’d try the product, figure out you don’t like it, and THEN ask for your money back.
But it is helpful for new distributors, as they can order a bunch of product, and if they decide to quit, (in theory) they send a written notice and return product they couldn’t sell.
#2. Publicly traded on NASDAQ through First North
They are a public company technically, but First North is an unregulated unofficial branch for smaller companies and “growth” companies. Trading started for Zinzino 2014. [14]
#1. Their valuation has decreased steadily
They peaked at the end of 2014 and have steadily declined since then. Their 1-year return is -17.43%. [15]
Things aren’t looking good.
Recap
Zinzino isn’t a bad company at all. If you like the products and have a market, go for it. But as far as a money making opportunity goes, your time could probably be better spent.
Look, 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:
I have just let my skin therapist convince me to take the subscription to Zinzino BalanceOil. I didn’t do the test because I gathered that I guaranteeed would have an imbalance. However I started using the oil 2 weeks ago and I have got to say 2 things: I notice that my skin is looking a lot healthier. I have even started to skip the foundation now and then and the bags under my eyes are noticeably less. But then…..I have been suffering from exfoliative cheilitis since 2015 (chronic peeling and cracking of the lips, combined with irritated red itchy skin around the mouth and burning mouth syndrome). I have tried out at least 40-50 different possible cures. Last Friday I was symptom-free for the first time in months and I have only peeled once a little since then. I think it might be the fish oil. So now I looked them up online thinking I could maybe promote them (as an honest customer) only to find all kinds of “bluff” and “scam” posts. Hmmmm… now I don’t know what to think.
Thanks for sharing your story.