You've probably gotten a message from a girl you rarely spoke to in elementary school about joining her health and wellness business.

She doesn't have a business, but she doesn't know that. She's a part of a multi-level marketing company, which are basically legal pyramid schemes because there is a (horrible, overpriced) product.

Multi-level marketing companies (MLMs for short) use a distributor who sells product, earns commission on the product, and earns commission from recruiting others to join the company. It's different from direct sales because recruitment is key to actually making money.

Even the Federal Trade Commission disagrees with MLMs. You can read it here.

Here's a few notable quotes: "Most people who join legitimate MLMs make little or no money."

"The promoters of a pyramid scheme may try to recruit you with pitches about what you'll earn. They may say you can change your life."

Hmm...a lot of MLMs that aren't (technically) pyramid schemes use the same tactics. In fact, these companies are predatory. They target the vulnerable: Moms who just want to stay at home with their kids, college students strapped for cash, and disabled people.

I'm not going to lie and say I've never used these products. I liked some Avon makeup when I was a teenager (they were mostly gifted to me, or I borrowed them from a friend).

Also, I never knew Arbonne was a MLM company. I actually used some of their stuff (skincare) when it was gifted to me, and it was pretty good on my skin. Someone I know gave me samples of some fizzy drink. It was meh. I didn't really care for it, and I didn't understand why people paid so much money for their shitty protein powders and shakes.

Then I realized the claims some of these people were making. It is not the distributor's fault most of the time; they most likely just think they're selling something people will like. However, some of these claims are absolutely absurd.

Let's look at Arbonne.

Arbonne's vanilla protein shake mix costs a whopping $77, all for vegan protein that you could buy at Walmart for $25. That's ridiculous! If I want to buy protein powder, why would I spend that much? The ingredients aren't even that revolutionary.

The worst part of this company's "wellness" claims is the 30 Days to Healthy Living challenge. All of the distributors talk about this challenge. The challenge involves drinking the shakes twice a day. How are you going to get your nutrients? Oh yeah, and the program has a list of diets at the end, including a gluten-free diet for people who don't need it. What happened to going to your doctor first? What about the studies citing that gluten-free diets aren't a good idea for people without celiac disease?

Arbonne isn't the only company with strategies like this. ItWorks sells these weird wraps that are supposed to tighten your stomach. They also sell pills with God knows what in them. I can promise you that many of the distributors have never even used these products. Oh, and the FDA hasn't approved them either.

You will never catch me joining an MLM. I advise you to say no to the people messaging you on Facebook. Perhaps even send them the link to this article.