Younique Review (2026): The Social-Selling Makeup Company Today

If you were on Facebook in the mid-2010s, you may remember Younique's mascara posts, and maybe a friend or two who became a Younique "Presenter."

So where does Younique stand now? This Younique review is for 2026, and the short version is that the company is still here, still selling, and still built around social selling.

Quick answer: Younique is an active Utah makeup and skin care company founded in 2012 by Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft. It sells through Presenters on commission, and went through a $600 million Coty investment and buyback between 2017 and 2019.

I've been inside 8 network marketing companies since 2004, and I've watched the social-selling wave closely. So I did what I always do: I dug in. We read Younique's own site, its Wikipedia history and the legal record, and pulled its current social media numbers from the public profiles. You can find my other company reviews on one page.

Here's what I found.

Is Younique Still in Business?

Yes. Younique is operating in 2026. Its website at youniqueproducts.com carries a 2026 copyright, and its verified Instagram account posted on September 4, 2026.

One thing I couldn't confirm is industry membership. Younique's site code still contains a Direct Selling Association logo and a line saying it's a member, but both are hidden on the live page, and Younique isn't listed in the Direct Selling Association's public member directory when I checked in September 2026. So I'm not counting membership as a point in its favor.

That answers the most common question people search. If you want to see how Younique's status compares with other companies, it's in the full company directory.

What Is Younique?

Younique is a Lehi, Utah company founded in 2012 by Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft. It sells makeup, skin care, supplements and body care through independent sellers, and uses the tagline "Uplift. Empower. Validate." As of 2024, Brian Holman is its President (Wikipedia).

Detail	Info
Founders	Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft
Founded	2012
Headquarters	Lehi, Utah
President	Brian Holman (as of 2024)
Products	Makeup (eyes, face, lips), skin care, supplements, body care
Sellers	Presenters, plus Brand Ambassadors / Brand Affiliates
Status	Active in 2026

The Coty Chapter: $600 Million In, Then Back Out

In January 2017, beauty giant Coty bought 60% of Younique for $600 million, which valued the company at about $1 billion. In 2019, Coty sold that stake back to the founders (Wikipedia).

That's an unusual story for a direct-selling company. A major public beauty company looked at Younique and paid real money for control, then two years later handed it back. For you as a customer or Presenter today, the practical point is simple: Younique is founder-owned again.

What Younique Sells

Younique's site groups its products into makeup (eyes, face and lips), skin care, supplements and body care. The top products it names include Younique Quadra, Glowplexion, BB Tinted Moisturizer+ and Serum+ Foundation.

Its Moodstruck Epic 4D mascara reportedly sold 1 million units in six months in 2019, according to Wikipedia. That's a big number for any beauty launch, and it shows how strong the brand's social reach was at its peak.

I'm not going to rate the makeup itself. Makeup is personal, and I haven't tested it. What I can tell you is what the company sells and how it sells it.

How the Younique Compensation Plan Works

Younique pays its sellers, called Presenters, a commission on their sales. According to Wikipedia, commission starts at 20% and rises to 25% once you reach $1,000 in total sales, and higher earnings require recruiting other Presenters. The company also uses Brand Ambassador and Brand Affiliate roles.

That's a standard direct-selling structure: you earn on your own sales, and the bigger money comes from building a team. The important question isn't the percentage. It's how many people actually earn more than they spend.

On that, the signal is not encouraging. Wikipedia cites 2019 reporting in The Guardian that described many Presenters losing money. Before you join, ask your sponsor for Younique's most recent income disclosure and for any monthly requirement you'd need to meet to stay active.

The Moodstruck Fiber Lash Settlement

In August 2019, Younique agreed to pay $3.25 million to resolve claims that it deceptively marketed its Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes mascara as containing "100% Natural Green Tea Fibers," according to Wikipedia. I haven't read the settlement docket itself, so I'm reporting it as Wikipedia records it.

A settlement isn't a court finding, and it's about how one product was marketed. My search found no FTC, SEC or state attorney general action against Younique, though that search was not exhaustive.

What Younique's Social Media Shows Right Now

These numbers were read from each profile's public page on September 28, 2026. A company's social activity is one of the quickest honest signals of whether it's growing, coasting or fading.

Platform	Handle	Followers	Posts	Last post
Instagram	@younique_corporate (verified)	230K	3,048	September 4, 2026
YouTube	@Youniqueproducts	51.4K subscribers	176 videos	July 28, 2026
TikTok	no official company profile found
Facebook	YouniqueProducts	not readable from a public page

Here's the part that surprised me. Younique built its name on social selling, yet its site links to no TikTok account, and the Younique-named TikTok profiles we checked were tiny, unverified, and not the company's. For a brand like this, having no official TikTok in 2026 is a real gap.

The Instagram audience is still big at 230K, but the posting pace is slower than some peers: the last post was 24 days before my check, and the last YouTube upload was two months back.

The Good: What Younique Gets Right

• It's stable and still operating. A 2026 site and a verified Instagram account that posted in September 2026 say this isn't a company on the way out.
• It's founder-owned again. After the Coty years, the people who started it own it.
• The brand once proved huge demand. A mascara reportedly selling 1 million units in six months shows the model can move product.
• A real audience remains. 230K Instagram followers and a verified account.

The Concerns: What You Need to Know

• The money is in recruiting. Wikipedia describes higher earnings as requiring recruiting, and The Guardian reported many Presenters lost money.
• A $3.25 million marketing settlement over its fiber-lash mascara is part of the record.
• No official TikTok. For a social-selling company, that's a missed channel you'd be working without.
• Slower posting. Instagram and YouTube activity has slowed compared with a brand of its size.

Younique vs Other Beauty MLMs

If you're comparing beauty companies that sell through independent reps, I've also reviewed Farmasi, Avon and Color Street. Compare them on the same three things: how commission is paid, what a typical seller earns per the income disclosure, and what it costs each month to stay active.

My Verdict: Is Younique Worth It in 2026?

One More Thing...

Younique's whole story is proof of one thing: social media can move a massive amount of product. The mascara craze wasn't magic. It was people sharing content that other people wanted to see.

That skill belongs to you, not to any company. If you learn how to build an audience and bring customers to you, it works with any product you choose, now or later.

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

What has happened to Younique?

Younique is still operating in 2026. Its website carries a 2026 copyright, and its verified Instagram account posted in September 2026. Its biggest past change was Coty buying 60% of the company in 2017 and selling it back to the founders in 2019.

Is Younique makeup still a thing?

Yes. Younique still sells makeup, skin care, supplements and body care on its website in 2026, including products such as Younique Quadra, Glowplexion, BB Tinted Moisturizer+ and Serum+ Foundation.

Is Younique an MLM?

Yes. Wikipedia describes Younique as a direct selling, multi-level marketing company, and its sellers, called Presenters, earn commission on sales plus more when they recruit. According to Wikipedia, commission starts at 20% and rises to 25% at $1,000 in total sales, and higher earnings require recruiting.

Who owns Younique?

Younique was founded in 2012 by Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft in Lehi, Utah. Coty bought 60% of the company in 2017 for $600 million and sold it back to the founders in 2019, according to Wikipedia.

Is Younique a good brand?

Younique is a real, established brand with 230K Instagram followers and products it has sold since 2012. Whether its makeup is good for you is a personal call this review does not make; what this review can say is that the company is active and that it settled a mascara marketing case for $3.25 million in 2019.