Seint Makeup, a popular indie makeup brand in the US, has faced backlash for its multi-level marketing (MLM) business model. Influencers caught up in the Seint Makeup controversy were challenged by the public due to a lack of authenticity.
Seint’s failure is a valuable lesson for entrepreneurs to learn about running a profitable and sustainable business with an ethical and easy-to-understand business model.
Modern consumers demand ethical practices from reputable brands.
Understanding the controversies surrounding Seint Makeup is the stepping stone to formulating sustainable business strategies.
Our experts here at Business2Community have sourced all the details about the Seint controversy so you can gain an edge in the beauty industry.
Seint Makeup Controversy – Key Facts
- Starting early 2023, a series of Reddit threads appeared to criticize Seint Makeup for running an exploitative and predatory MLM business – the descriptions on Seint’s website matched typical MLM schemes.
- TikTokers who promoted its beauty products defended the brand and their commitment to promote quality brands to the audience.
- Seint has never publicly addressed the criticisms or claims. It maintains the same business model as of 2024.
The Story of the Seint Makeup Controversy
Founded in 2013 by beauty blogger and makeup artist Cara Brook, Seint Makeup was originally named Maskcara Beauty.
The founder wanted to create products that enhance natural beauty rather than cover imperfections. Maskcara Beauty was renamed Seint Makeup in 2020 to better reflect its company values.
Seint offers multiple makeup lines including its famous cream products.
For almost a decade, the cruelty-free company was well-loved by its consumers including celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Kourtney Kardashian, and Demi Lovato.
In 2023, a few Reddit threads appeared to accuse the beauty brand of operating an unethical business model by running as a multi-level marketing company.
Multi-level marketing (MLM), set up in similar ways to illegal pyramid schemes, is a tactic that leads you to buy products from the brand to sell them to others and recruit others to sell, in order to make a profit.
MLM companies are widely considered unethical due to the predatory nature that often leaves members in debt – in the model, sellers are encouraged to go into debt to buy “demo” or “starter” kits with promises of huge, often unrealized, returns. Since users receive a cut from sales, customers are often skeptical of online reviews.
Not all MLM companies are pyramid schemes but the line between the two is extremely blurry.
Generally, MLMs can be sustainable if they focus on the sale of legitimate products that generate enough revenue to keep sales people and the company profitable.
In contrast, pyramid schemes prioritize recruitment over product sales.
They typically require new recruits to buy large quantities of the product up front, which is usually overpriced or difficult to sell at a profit. This kind of structure requires exponential growth in recruitment which simply isn’t sustainable. Once hiring slows enough, the entire scheme collapses.
Studying the controversy surrounding Seint Makeup gives you a better idea of the essential business ethics your consumers seek and running a sustainable and reputable business around the world.
Seint Makeup Accused of Running an MLM
At the beginning of 2023, several Reddit threads appeared, criticizing Seint Makeup for engaging in MLM. These posts questioned the positive reviews of its makeup products on TikTok and other social media channels, believing beauty bloggers were only promoting the no-animal-testing brand because of the commissions.
In the comment section, some users went on to share the pressure of being pushed to use Seint products by their family and friends because of its MLM model, urging others not to buy Seint products.
A few users pointed out that Seint did not start as an MLM company when it was first founded, suggesting that the company gradually shifted its business model when it started to grow.
Many also complained about its skincare products, citing concerns about their effectiveness.
Overall, people were not satisfied with the brand. One commenter with mature skin found its foundation to be unusable as it could not blend well to achieve desirable results while others were not happy about the shades it offered on its palette selections.
The official Seint Makeup page states that a Seint makeup artist is entitled to up to 40% sales commission, generating a second source of income for freelance artists and those wanting to work from home.
A Seint artist is responsible for sharing their makeup routine by using Seint’s foundation, blush, and lip products and showing their audience how to achieve the perfect second skin natural look.
The indie beauty brand also provides training for its workers to refine their sales skills and knowledge on women’s makeup as well as marketing pitches.
Assessing its advertisement and business structure, Seint Makeup does fall into the classic definition of an MLM.
It offers discounts on its Seint beauty products and encourages independent distributors to recruit others to join and sell its beauty goods.
Seint Makeup is not Accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
The BBB is an American NGO based in Virginia dedicated to rating and improving businesses through compiling comprehensive information for customers. Seint Makeup is not accredited by the BBB and has received dozens of official complaints from consumers on the BBB website with a very poor rating of 1.56/5.
Most customers are not happy about its services, citing poor communication, uninformed charges, as well as the quality of Seint products.
Former Seint MLM Member Slammed the Company for Low Pay
In the fall of 2023, a Reddit thread from a self-identified former MLM member of Seint called out the firm for paying peanuts to its distributors.
In the post, the member stated that they would have to dedicate their entire time to doing a new Seint makeup review daily, responding to DMs from customers, as well as maintaining their online presence.
They claimed that in order to focus on work, they had to give up a huge part of their personal life and invest a lot in website maintenance and filming equipment to live up to expectations. Overall, their average earning per hour was $2.70. u/VeganFairyPrincess said:
I work in finance, I looked at the math, and my work for SEINT came to $2.70 per hour worked. No matter how much I enjoyed the makeup & people, my time was worth way more (around 20x more). I’m a huge advocate for fair wages and $15 min wage – so why was I doing this?
The revelation shocked the community and people began criticizing this type of exploitative operating tactic, urging others to stay away from MLM businesses. This is a common theme among MLMs and pyramid schemes. Most people who join MLMs and pyramid schemes make pitiful returns (and many lose money).
The Consequences of the Seint Makeup Controversy
As customers are becoming more conscious about buying from ethical makeup brands, Seint became a toxic entity in the beauty industry from the amount of backlash it faced.
However, MLM is legal in the US and therefore, the makeup brand still received support from the influencers and beauty bloggers it worked with.
Seint itself never addressed the issue and continues to run its MLM operations at the time of writing.
TikTokers Defended Their Choice to Promote Seint’s Makeup Products
As concerns over Seint’s MLM business model grew, more and more people called for a boycott against the American beauty brand. However, many TikTokers remained firm about their positive reviews of Seint’s makeup products.
One beauty TikToker, Karan Nicole, posted just after the series of Reddit threads against Seint Makeup started in March 2023, talking about her support for the company.
In her video, the beauty blogger expressed her initial resentment for MLM companies until she tried Seint’s palette collection, praising the product quality and how kind workers were.
@itskaranicolee Honesty Hour… I use to hate MLM’s. I thought they were pyramid schemes, scams, waste of money, terrible product, etc. You name it I probably believed it. For me, SEINT was way different. The makeup is QUALITY!!! Which I was so surprised by.. And that’s why I love it. I share it. Because I believe in it. SEINT is customizable and can fit everyone’s makeup wants and needs. I have always loved makeup and getting to help other people love theirs is the best feeling!!! EEasyMakeupCCreamFoundationIIIIDFoundationSSEINTSSEINTBeautyMMakeupMMakeupTutorialSSEINTArtistQQuickMakeupAAffordableMakeupmakeupforbeginners
Another TikToker, Erin, stated that people had no reason to object to MLM since Seint was delivering high-quality products that would give women the perfect palette and the perfect shade.
She emphasized that MLM was not illegal whereas a pyramid scheme was and that Seint was only running a successful marketing model that could draw in new customers around the world.
@erin.wygant If you’re a normal human being who isn’t a giant hater and who isn’t rude to strangers on the internet because of your personal opinions, then this video isn’t for you. #seintpalette #dontbemean #negativitybegone #negativitynotneeded #dontbeahater #haterade4thehaters #mlmsuccess #seintbeauty #seintmakeup #antimlm #mlmindustry #mlm #seintmakeupartist #mlmpositivity #socialselling #hatersgonnahate #haterade #seintbeautyartist #mlmopportunity #directselling #seintartist #antimlmmovement #directsalescompany #mlmbusiness #seint #directsales #dontbelikethis #affiliatemarketing #socialmarketing #makeupsales
Seint Continues to Run an MLM Model
Seint has never publicly addressed the controversies or concerns about its MLM operations.
As of 2024, its website continues to recruit artists to promote its makeup tools to its audience through commission shares.
Since MLM is considered to be fully lawful in the US, there are no legal charges or investigations into Seint. According to Business For Home, a US-based statistics firm that publishes industrial figures, the estimated commission payout from Seint was around $12.25 million in 2023, which accounted for 35% of its total revenue.
Although Seint may appear to be doing just fine, the reputation damage could potentially impact its future sales and expansion as customers lose faith in the brand name,
What Can We Learn From the Seint Makeup Controversy?
Launched as an indie skincare brand that promoted natural beauty and makeup tools for all skin types, Seint was well-loved by its supporters until numerous posts began attacking the firm for running an MLM model.
Although the MLM model is not illegal in the US, it is widely considered unethical. These days, responsible customers demand boycotts against MLM firms. If you’re considering starting your own business, MLM may feel like a great growth hack but it will rarely be a sustainable solution.
To nurture consistent growth and build a positive brand image, you need to ensure your ethics align with modern-day values.
Consumers are no longer seeking firms that do the absolute bare minimum by obeying the law, they want reliable companies that can deliver quality products and enhance members’ welfare.
MLM should never be a shortcut to success or big profits, it will likely only drag your reputation through the mud and make it difficult to repair.
To make sure you yield the best results, you can work with professionals to curate the most effective and rewarding expansion strategies.