Company page
Mary Kay
Public-record notes and questions to ask before joining Mary Kay as an Independent Beauty Consultant.
Quick decision snapshot
- Cost to start
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- eStart: $35 (personal website and back office for one year)
- Inventory: Not required to start
- “Active” status: A wholesale order of $225 or more
- Disclosure headline
- We did not locate a standardized U.S. income disclosure for Mary Kay; its Canadian one reports that a typical participant earns no commissions, and 86.8% are not eligible to earn them.
- Main limitation
- We did not locate a standardized U.S. income disclosure for Mary Kay; the earnings disclosure cited here is Canadian and should not be treated as a U.S. result.
- Ask before paying
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- Is there a U.S. income disclosure showing net income after expenses for consultants like me?
- Read the Mary Kay income disclosure guide.
- Request the income disclosure, compensation plan, expense list, and exit rules.
- Use a short script if you need time, documents, or a clear no.
What it costs to get started
| eStart | $35 (personal website and back office for one year) |
|---|---|
| Inventory | Not required to start |
| “Active” status | A wholesale order of $225 or more |
What people actually earn
We did not locate a standardized U.S. income disclosure for Mary Kay; its Canadian one reports that a typical participant earns no commissions, and 86.8% are not eligible to earn them.
| U.S. disclosure | Not located in reviewed public sources |
|---|---|
| Canada (where required) | Typical participant earns no commissions; 86.8% not eligible |
| Commission-eligible average | About $214 (2025) |
| Reported as | Before expenses |
Read the full Mary Kay income disclosure guide →
Company overview
Mary Kay is a U.S. direct selling cosmetics company whose products are sold by independent contractors it calls Independent Beauty Consultants, who buy product at wholesale and may also earn by recruiting others.
Mary Kay publishes a consultant agreement, starter-kit terms, and a product repurchase policy. We did not locate a standardized U.S. income disclosure statement in the public sources reviewed for this page.
What the company discloses
- Mary Kay describes a starter kit (recently $35) and a 30 percent profit on retail sales in its U.S. recruiting materials.
- Mary Kay agrees to repurchase eligible unused product at 90 percent of the consultant’s original net cost on termination, within stated time limits.
- In Canada, where a disclosure is required, Mary Kay publishes an earnings statement reporting that a typical participant earns no commissions or bonuses; no equivalent U.S. income disclosure is published.
What is not clear from public disclosure
- Typical U.S. net earnings after expenses, since we did not locate a standardized U.S. income disclosure in the public sources reviewed.
- How much product consultants actually resell to customers versus purchase themselves.
- How many consultants recover their inventory and startup costs.
Regulatory/public record
- We did not locate a standardized U.S. income disclosure statement for Mary Kay in the public sources reviewed for this page; the closest company earnings disclosure we found is a Canadian statement required by regulation there.
- A 2024 FTC staff report reviewing many MLMs found that, across the industry, the vast majority of participants received $1,000 or less per year before expenses.
- FTC business guidance applies to all multi-level marketing earnings claims.
Questions to ask before joining
- Is there a U.S. income disclosure showing net income after expenses for consultants like me?
- How much product do typical new consultants resell to customers in their first year?
- What are the exact buyback terms and deadlines if I return unsold product?
- Does meaningful income depend on recruiting other consultants?
- What are all the first-year and recurring costs beyond the starter kit?
Is Mary Kay a pyramid scheme?
People often search whether a company like this is a pyramid scheme or a scam. This page does not apply those labels: whether a company meets a legal definition is a matter for regulators and courts, not a label to settle during a recruiting conversation.
A more useful first question is where the money comes from: whether pay depends on real sales to customers outside the business, how much depends on recruiting, and what participants keep after expenses. See how to evaluate the pyramid-scheme question before relying on a label either way. Any regulator or court record specific to Mary Kay is summarized in the public-record section above, with attribution.
Common costs to check:
- Product, samples, shipping, and taxes.
- Starter kits, renewal fees, websites, apps, or back-office tools.
- Training, events, tickets, travel, meals, lodging, and childcare.
- Advertising, giveaways, displays, packaging, or payment fees.
- Licensing, exam prep, background checks, or required continuing education.
- Unsold inventory and unpaid time.
Gross income is not the same as money kept after these costs.
Useful related pages
Choose the next page by your situation:
- If you have not paid, start with Before You Pay.
- If you already paid, review records, recurring charges, and cancellation rules.
- If you feel pressured, use a script before continuing the conversation.
Sources
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Company disclosure
Be a Beauty Consultant
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Company policy
Product Repurchase Policy
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Company disclosure
2025 Statement of Typical Participant Earnings (Canada)
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Public-interest secondary source
Mary Kay Off-Roads into Deceptive Income Claims
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Regulator guidance
FTC Staff Report Analyzes 70 MLM Income Disclosure Statements
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Regulator guidance
Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing
Correction request
To request a correction, email corrections@boringanddevastating.com with this page URL, the specific text at issue, and supporting public sources.