Forever Living sells aloe vera drinks, supplements and skincare through Forever Business Owners (FBOs), who earn retail profit and sales bonuses that rise through levels from Assistant Supervisor to Manager. Its own US income disclosure for 2024 says 69.3% of engaged FBOs received no payments, and those who were paid had median annual earnings of $43.94 before expenses, as of October 2026.
Forever Living has been around since 1978 and operates in many countries, so what you're told depends on where you live. In 2026 two things changed in the US: the FTC settled a case over the company's earnings claims, and Forever stopped signing up new FBOs there. Here's the model from the company's own documents, what its disclosure shows and what's different in the UK.
How the Forever Business Owner model works
Everything in Forever's marketing plan is measured in case credits (CC). Forever UK says one case credit is awarded for each £170 of wholesale sales or £244 of retail sales, calculated month by month. Your level, discount and bonuses depend on how many case credits you and your downline generate.
Forever UK says an FBO earns a discount starting at 30% on products and can retail them at full price to earn an income. A Preferred Customer, who just wants to buy, gets 5% off. Joining as an FBO in the UK means buying a Start Your Journey Pack or a Skincare Starter Pack.
| Level (US marketing plan) | How you reach it | Personal bonus on online retail sales |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Supervisor | 2 case credits within 2 consecutive months | 5% (when active) |
| Supervisor | 10 case credits within any month | 8% |
| Assistant Manager | 60 case credits within 2 consecutive months | 13% |
| Manager | 120 case credits in 1 or 2 months, or 150 in 3 or 4 months | 18% |
Above Supervisor, Forever's US policy adds volume bonuses on the sales of people you previously signed up and their downlines, which is the multi-level part of the plan.
What the income disclosure says
Forever's US income disclosure statement covers 2024 and every US FBO who engaged with the company that year, meaning they joined, bought or sold, or signed someone up. These are the company's own figures, before expenses:
| Group (US FBOs, 2024) | Average earnings | Median earnings |
|---|---|---|
| All engaged FBOs | 69.3% received no payments | Not stated |
| FBOs paid at least once (7,325) | $1,823.88 | $43.94 |
| Top 10% of paid FBOs (733) | $17,292.96 | $3,524.83 |
| Bottom 50% of paid FBOs (3,662) | $6.91 | $0.02 |
The insight most people miss is in the median. Among FBOs who were paid anything at all, half earned $43.94 or less for the whole year. The average looks far healthier only because the top 10% pull it up. Costs come on top: the disclosure lists shipping, samples, travel to meetings, and an optional FLP360 Pro subscription.
The FTC order and the 2026 US changes
On 14 April 2026 the FTC announced a settlement with Forever Living and two of its executives. The FTC alleged that most FBOs made little or nothing, that in each of the last five years at least 77% of FBOs who bought, sold or recruited received no compensation, and that more than 89% of new participants hadn't recouped their $300-plus start-up cost after two years. Under the order, the company must back up any earnings claim and must not misrepresent what participants are likely to earn. The FTC's note explains that a complaint means it has reason to believe the law is being broken; the order was agreed rather than tried.
Separately, Forever's US Company Policies, effective May 1, 2026, say signing up new FBOs in the US will cease, incentives tied to growing an organisation will end, and existing downline purchasing will keep generating earnings under the current structure until the end of 2026. No new FBOs in the US can opt in from that date. Product sales and customer sales continue.
Not every network of sellers is structured the same way, and our guide to whether Utility Warehouse is a pyramid scheme looks at a services business in the UK.
What's different in the UK
Forever's UK site still invites people to join as an FBO and says Forever is a member of the Direct Selling Association. Its UK pages link to an income disclosure statement, but that link leads to the US statement; I couldn't find a separate UK disclosure on the UK site as of October 2026. The UK site also states that UK law limits a new FBO to £200 of purchases, or commitments to purchase, in the first seven days, a rule that comes from the Trading Schemes Regulations 1997.
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For the general picture of how plans like this pay, see the advantages and disadvantages of MLM, and for the legal line, whether MLM is the same as pyramid marketing.
Questions to ask a Forever recruiter
- Which country's income disclosure applies to me, and what does it say the median FBO earned?
- How many case credits a month will I need to stay active, and how much of that would I buy myself?
- What will I spend in year one on packs, samples, shipping and events?
- Who are my retail customers? The FTC's test is whether you can earn from retail sales without recruiting.
- If I stop, what can I return? The US disclosure says unopened products bought in the last 30 days can be refunded.
My verdict
Forever has a long history and real products, and the US disclosure is clearer than many in the industry. That's the fair point. The numbers in it are stark: most engaged US FBOs weren't paid at all, and the median paid FBO earned $43.94 for the whole year. If you join, do it because you'll sell the products to customers you already have, and treat any income above your costs as a bonus.
For a UK direct selling comparison, our guide to becoming an Avon representative explains how the Avon plan works and how it fares on the FTC test.
Frequently asked questions
Is Forever Living an MLM?
Yes, Forever Living describes a marketing plan in which Forever Business Owners earn retail profit and bonuses on their own sales and on sales by people in their downline, which is the multi-level structure the FTC describes. In the US, new sign-ups stopped from May 1, 2026.
How much do Forever Living FBOs earn?
Forever's US income disclosure for 2024 says 69.3% of engaged FBOs received no payments. The 30.7% who received at least one payment had average annual earnings of $1,823.88 and median earnings of $43.94 before expenses, as of October 2026.
What is a case credit at Forever Living?
A case credit is the unit Forever uses to measure sales for levels and bonuses. Forever UK says one case credit is awarded for each £170 of wholesale sales or £244 of retail sales, calculated month by month.
What did the FTC do about Forever Living?
On 14 April 2026 the FTC announced a settlement under which Forever Living and two executives must have evidence for any earnings claim and must not misrepresent what participants are likely to earn. The FTC alleged most participants made little or no income.
Can you still join Forever Living in the UK?
Forever's UK site still invites people to sign up as a Forever Business Owner by buying a starter pack, as of October 2026. The US stopped accepting new FBOs from May 1, 2026.
