Mary Kay
TINA.org investigated Mary Kay, a Texas-based multilevel marketing company that sells cosmetics and skincare products, and found that the company has used atypical income claims to market the Mary Kay business opportunity.
Highlights
- Notified company of findings
- Filed complaint with the DSSRC
- DSSRC report found that Mary Kay engaged in deceptive marketing
- Mary Kay removed majority of inappropriate earning claims
Timeline
2024
February 14
As part of its 2023 investigation into 100 MLM companies, TINA.org notifies Mary Kay of its findings that the company has used atypical income claims to market its business opportunity.
2022
February 9
The DSSRC issues a second case decision finding that Mary Kay and its distributors continue to use deceptive, atypical and unsubstantiated income claims to market the Mary Kay business opportunity, including the ability to achieve financial freedom and earn a five-figure residual income. The DSSRC determined that Mary Kay made good faith efforts to remove the claims at issue and closed its investigation.
2021
July 16
Determining that Mary Kay had removed from publication many of the claims identified by TINA.org, the DSSRC closes its investigation and issues a case report stating that the company and its distributors had indeed been making inappropriate income claims to promote the company’s business opportunity. However, as of the date of the DSSRC’s case report, several deceptive income claims published by Mary Kay and its distributors remained in circulation.
March 9
Because the vast majority of the deceptive income claims remain in publication after TINA.org’s communications with Mary Kay, TINA.org files a complaint with the DSSRC urging it to investigate Mary Kay’s deceptive income claims and take action.
March 8
Mary Kay responds to TINA.org stating, among other things, that it has reviewed the materials TINA.org brought to its attention and “believe the net impression of the videos and other materials identified in [TINA.org’s] correspondence do not misrepresent the potential of the Mary Kay opportunity.”
March 5
After finding an additional 200 examples of unsubstantiated income claims marketing the Mary Kay business opportunity, TINA.org sends another letter to Mary Kay urging the company to remove the claims from publication.
2017
December 18
TINA.org sends a letter to Mary Kay (as part of TINA.org’s 2017 investigation into all DSA-member companies) informing it of TINA.org’s findings that the company is making false and unsubstantiated income claims to promote its business opportunity.
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