USANA Review (2026): Is It an MLM, and Can Brand Partners Make Money?

USANA is one of the few network marketing companies you can look up on the New York Stock Exchange. That makes it unusual: its numbers aren't a mystery. They're in its SEC filings.

So what do those numbers say in 2026? This USANA review covers whether it's an MLM, how the pay plan works, what the company's own income disclosure shows, how the business is doing, and some cheaper places to buy similar supplements.

Quick answer: USANA is a 34-year-old Salt Lake City supplement company, traded on the NYSE as USNA. It sells through Brand Partners (formerly called Associates) and Affiliates. Its own 2023 US income disclosure shows 72.6% of active sellers made $250 or less in net profit, and in fiscal 2025 its active customer count fell from 454,000 to 387,000.

I've been inside 8 network marketing companies since 2004, and I always start with the company's own documents. For USANA, I read its 2023 US Income Disclosure Statement, its Affiliate Commission Plan and binary plan documents, its opportunity and product pages, and three SEC filings, and I pulled its social media numbers from the public profiles. You can compare it with all of my company reviews on one page.

Here's what I found.

Is USANA an MLM?

Yes, in structure. According to USANA's 2023 US Income Disclosure Statement, there are two ways to sell:

• Affiliates share product links and earn 10% to 20% commission on purchases through them, and can earn extra rewards when they refer other Affiliates.
• Associates earn 10% on purchases through their share links, plus "additional weekly commissions based on personal and team sales," and can qualify for bonuses and trips. The company now calls this role a Brand Partner.

Pay on team sales is the multi-level part. USANA's opportunity page now says "Become a Brand Partner," and its filings refer to "our network of independent Brand Partners."

Is it a pyramid scheme? Here's the line from the company's own disclosure that matters: "Associates and Affiliates do not earn compensation for recruiting or sponsoring other Associates, Affiliates, or Preferred Customers--they only earn compensation when products are sold." Pay tied to product sales is what separates a legitimate direct seller from a pyramid scheme.

What Is USANA?

USANA makes and sells nutritional supplements, foods and personal care products.

USANA's story page says it "was founded in 1992 by Dr. Myron Wentz, renowned microbiologist and immunologist." Today it's bigger than its core vitamin line: according to its filings, it owns a 78.8% stake in Hiya, a children's health and wellness company, and all of Rise Wellness.

You can see its status next to hundreds of other companies in my MLM company directory.

Who's Behind USANA?

On January 8, 2026, USANA announced that Kevin Guest was returning as CEO, effective immediately, and would stay on as Chairman. According to the company's SEC filing, Guest has spent more than three decades at USANA, including eight years as CEO and three as Executive Chairman. He succeeded Jim Brown, who stepped down as CEO and President.

A CEO change at a public company usually follows a tough stretch. The numbers below show why.

How USANA Is Doing

USANA's fiscal 2025 results, for the year ended January 3, 2026, show a company in transition:

Sales grew 8%, but the company said that was "driven primarily by a full-year contribution from Hiya." Its core nutrition business fell 8%, which it blamed on "a challenging environment for customer acquisition in key markets." Net earnings dropped 74%.

This matters if you're thinking about selling USANA. The growth came from Hiya and Rise, which the company calls its "omnichannel brands," and sales outside the core nutritional business were 16% of the total in 2025. The company expects that share to pass 20% in 2026. The core nutritional line, the one USANA's Brand Partners are known for, is the part that fell.

For 2026, USANA projected net sales of $925 million to $1.0 billion. I'm not giving investment advice; these are the company's own reported numbers.

What USANA Sells

USANA's core products are daily supplements. When I checked usana.com on October 14, 2026:

• CellSentials (its core multivitamin): $74.75 retail, $67.28 preferred price.
• HealthPak (daily supplement packets): $153.95 retail, $138.56 preferred.
• BiOmega (fish oil): $38.45 retail, $34.61 preferred.

Are USANA products FDA approved? In the US, the FDA doesn't approve dietary supplements before they're sold, and USANA's product pages carry the standard FDA disclaimer. I don't make health claims about any supplement. Talk with your doctor before starting one.

How the USANA Compensation Plan Works

USANA has two paths.

1. Affiliate. According to its Affiliate Commission Plan, Affiliates earn 15% commission when people buy through their unique links, get 10% off personal purchases, and can earn extra rewards by referring other Affiliates. There's no renewal fee.

2. Associate (Brand Partner). This is the team-building path. USANA's binary plan document on its website describes the core:

• You build two teams, a left side and a right side.
• You're paid weekly commissions when the sales volume on one side matches the other.
• Unmatched volume, up to 5,000 points per side, rolls over to the next week.
• There are six ways to earn: retail sales, weekly commissions, a Lifetime Matching Bonus of up to 15%, a Leadership Bonus, an Elite Bonus shared among the top 40 earners, and incentives.

That plan document is older (it cites 2012 figures), so ask your sponsor for the current version before you join. The 2023 income disclosure confirms the basics still apply: weekly commissions on personal and team sales.

What it costs: a $9.95 Welcome Kit at enrollment and a $20 renewal fee each year. There are no required product purchases. On average, Associates spent $26 on non-commissionable items like sales aids and event registrations in 2023.

Retail margin: USANA's retail prices are set about 10% above the preferred price, so the built-in retail markup is thin.

What USANA's Income Disclosure Shows

USANA publishes a clear US income disclosure, and it's one of the more honest ones I've read. In 2023, there were 23,336 active Associates and Affiliates in the US, counting anyone who made at least one purchase.

Two things make this table better than most. First, it's net profit: commissions minus the seller's non-commissionable purchases, shipping and taxes. One caveat: the statement says net profit "does not include expenses incurred by an Associate/Affiliate at their discretion in the promotion of their business," so costs like gas, advertising or your phone aren't subtracted. Second, it counts everyone who bought something, not just the top of the ladder.

The company's own words sum it up: "Only a small percentage of our Associates sell USANA products full time."

USANA also offers a strong safety net. Products and sales tools, including the Welcome Kit, can be returned within 30 days for a full refund, less shipping, or within one year if the product is in resaleable condition.

The 2017 to 2020 FCPA Investigation

USANA had one serious legal matter in recent years, and it handled it the right way. It disclosed a voluntary internal investigation into possible Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations at its China subsidiary, BabyCare, and told the SEC and the Justice Department about it.

According to USANA's June 2020 SEC filing, the SEC informed the company on June 24, 2020 that it had closed its investigation "and declined any enforcement action." Two days later, the Justice Department told USANA it had closed its investigation too. No charges were filed.

What USANA's Social Media Shows Right Now

These numbers were read from each public profile on October 14, 2026.

USANA's channels are active, with a YouTube upload two days before I checked. For a company its size, the TikTok account is small.

The Good: What USANA Gets Right

• Transparency. Public company, SEC filings, and a net-profit income disclosure that counts everyone.
• A low start. $9.95 to enroll as an Associate, and nothing to join as an Affiliate.
• No required purchases and a one-year return policy on resaleable product.
• Weekly pay. Commissions are paid weekly.
• A clean legal record lately. It self-reported a possible FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) issue, and both agencies closed it without action.

The Concerns: What You Need to Know

• Most sellers earn very little. 72.6% made $250 or less in net profit in 2023.
• The core business is shrinking. Active customers fell about 15% in fiscal 2025, and core nutrition sales fell 8%.
• A thin retail markup. About 10% over the preferred price leaves little room on retail.
• Binary plans need balance. You're paid on the weaker side, so one strong leg isn't enough.
• Premium prices. $74.75 for the core multivitamin is a hard sell next to store brands.

Product Alternatives

If you like USANA's products but want to compare prices, here's what else is out there. These are alternatives, not proven equivalents, and I'm not making health claims about any of them.

Amazon prices change often. Each listing showed the item in stock with that price on October 14, 2026. If you already buy from a Brand Partner you like, that supports a real person's business.

USANA vs Other Supplement Companies

If you're comparing wellness companies, read USANA next to Shaklee, Melaleuca, Nu Skin, Herbalife and Isagenix. Compare what it costs to start, what you keep on a sale, and what each company's income disclosure says.

My Verdict: Is USANA Worth It in 2026?

One More Thing...

USANA's own Affiliate program is built around one idea: share a link, get paid when people buy. No team required.

That's a digital marketing skill, and it's the one most networkers never learn. When you can create content that brings the right people to your link, you don't have to chase friends and family. And that skill works with any product.

That's what The Sponsoring System teaches. It's a free email series where I share the digital marketing that actually works for networkers. If you want it, start the free series here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is USANA an MLM?

Yes, in structure. USANA's Associates, now called Brand Partners, earn commissions on their own sales plus weekly commissions based on personal and team sales under a binary plan. USANA also offers a simpler Affiliate option that pays commission on sales through your links.

Is USANA a pyramid scheme?

USANA's own income disclosure says Associates and Affiliates don't earn compensation for recruiting or sponsoring anyone, only when products are sold. It's a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange that reported $925.3 million in net sales for fiscal 2025.

How much do USANA Brand Partners make?

According to USANA's 2023 US Income Disclosure Statement, 72.6% of its 23,336 active US Associates and Affiliates made $0 to $250 in net profit that year. About 0.2% made more than $100,000. USANA doesn't guarantee any income.

How much does it cost to join USANA?

USANA's 2023 income disclosure says Associates buy a $9.95 Welcome Kit at enrollment and pay a $20 renewal fee each year. Affiliates don't pay renewal fees, and there are no required product purchases to take part in the business.

Are USANA products FDA approved?

USANA sells dietary supplements, and in the US the FDA doesn't approve dietary supplements before they're sold. USANA's product pages carry the standard FDA disclaimer. Talk with your doctor before starting any supplement.