My 6 Month Investigation: A Close Look at Younique Cosmetics

As a beauty product enthusiast with extremely high standards when it comes to my cosmetics routine, I take investigating new brands very seriously. I want to understand everything from the company‘s background to analyzing ingredients lists before determining if a product deserves a permanent spot in my makeup bag and recommendation to friends.

Over the last 6 months I conducted in-depth testing of several buzzed-about Younique cosmetics to provide the most comprehensive review possible. When this Utah-based brand launched in 2012 built on uplifting missions of empowering women, I was definitely intrigued. Who doesn‘t love supporting female founders with charitable initiatives? But I needed to dig deeper to determine if the products themselves lived up the hype.

Overview: First Impressions of Younique‘s Lineup

Younique offers skincare, makeup, fragrances, and bath/body products. The brand touts proprietary formulas packed with skin-loving fruit extracts plus high pigment mineral pigments for rich color. As a start to my investigation, I ordered the following best-selling items:

Moodstruck Epic 4D Mascara – $29 lengthening and volumizing mascara

Touch Mineral Liquid Foundation – $39 light coverage foundation with airbrush finish

Beachfront Self Tanner – $47 clear self tanning drops to mix into body lotion

Moodstruck Precision Pencil Eyeliner – $15 creamy gel eyeliner pencil

Moodstruck Splurge Cream Lipstick – $25 ultra pigmented cream lipstick

When my package arrived, I was initially disappointed with the plain plastic packaging that reminded me of drugstore makeup, not $20+ prestige items. However, some products like the lipstick and eyeliner featured sleek, weighty metallic cases that felt higher quality.

The fun names and vibrant color palette got me excited to test application and wear. But first, I researched the background, business practices and ingredients list controversies swirling around Younique.

Controversial Company Background

Younique operates using a multi-level marketing model (MLM) meaning sellers called "presenters" buy inventory upfront then market products directly to friends and family while recruiting others to join their "downline." The founder‘s brother Derek Maxfield and sister Melanie Huscroftstarted Younique with zero beauty industry experience.

I found concerning traces of Maxfield running into legal trouble back in 2009 when the "virtual office solutions" company he founded turned out to be a pyramid scheme. This history made me hesitant to trust Younique‘s business structure.

Additionally, there are currently two lawsuits filed by former Younique presenters alleging the company constitutes an illegal pyramid scheme pressuring sellers into inventory loading. Upon researching average annual incomes for presenters, statistics show most earn under $500 while straining relationships with manipulative sales pitches.

While the brand donates substantial money to charity and uplifting messaging, clearly business motives drive decisions first and foremost.

Analyzing Ingredients Lists

Digging into the ingredients lists next, I compared several hero products against leading competitors to determine if proprietary botanical formulas justified the premium price tags.

The star ingredient Younique touts is YOUNIQUINE, a fruit extract blend including yumberry, blueberry, acai berry, strawberry, and honeydew supposedly rich in vitamins and antioxidants. This sounds impressive, but most beauty brands now contain antioxidant rich fruit complexes. Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe and Herbivore rely on these same ingredients but with higher concentrations.

The Epic 4D Mascara contains basic waxes, silicones and thickening fibers nearly identical to drugstore offerings. L‘Oreal Lash Paradise costs half as much but performs remarkably similarly thanks to its hero ingredient Biotinyl Tripeptide-1, an eyelash conditioning peptide not found in Younique’s formula.

The Beachfront Self Tanner transparent base only includes one tan active, DHA which develops color reacting with amino acids on skin. Higher end brands integrate additional plant-derived tanning actives like Alteromonas Ferment Extract derived from marine microbes which Vita Liberata and Isle of Paradise utilize for deeper, longer lasting color.

While some proprietary extracts seem intriguing, most Younique products lacked impressive concentrations of high-tech actives or peptides typically found in premium cosmetics warranting luxury price points.

Documenting My First-Hand Product Testing Results

Armed with background research complete, I felt fully prepared to begin hands-on product testing. I tried each Younique item multiple times over a 6 month period. For context, I‘m extremely familiar with high performing prestige makeup given my 10+ years experience as a beauty advisor and brand consultant. My criteria focuses on blendability, wear time, ingredients innovation and value.

Here I‘ll share comprehensive feedback from my personal testing along with ratings in key areas.

Epic 4D Mascara

• Application/First Impressions: Brush design made coating lashes easy. Formula glided on smoothly and dried quickly.
• Wear Time: Flaking and smudging apparent after 8 hours of wear.
• Ingredients Innovation: Basic non-specialty waxes, silicones and mineral pigments only. No lash care peptides or biotins.
• Value: Average price-per-oz compared to competitors but lower performing.
• My Rating: 6/10

Touch Foundation

• Application/First Impressions: Felt ultra lightweight and comfortable. Sheer coverage with satin finish. Spray dispersed well.
• Wear Time: Noticeable fading around the nose and chin at the 5 hour mark despite primer. Oxidation turned color slightly orange.
• Ingredients Innovation: Rosehip oil, vitamin E and SPF 20 provide decent hydration and protection but no high-tech actives for anti-aging or tone improvement.
• Value: Very expensive at $2 per ml compared to Revlon Candid Glow at only $0.95 per ml.
• My Rating: 5/10

Beachfront Self Tanner

• Application/First Impressions: Required substantial mixing into body cream to distribute evenly. Light fresh scent.
• Color Result: Developed slowly over 4-6 hours into a believable, even glow not too orange.
• Wear Time: Color noticeably faded after just 3 days despite daily reapplication.
• Ingredients Innovation: Only one tanning active limited color results compared to competitors with marine and botanical complexes.
• Value: Extremely overpriced at $1.50 per ml compared to Vita Liberata at under $0.60 per ml.
• My Rating: 4/10

Precision Eyeliner

• Application/First Impressions: Ultra creamy gel formula with excellent color payoff. Sharp tapered tip created precise lines.
• Wear Time: Impressively long wearing over 12 hours with minimal transfer or fading.
• Ingredients Innovation: Contains hydrating marshmallow root extract and film-forming carnauba wax for smooth glide and staying power.
• Value: Appropriately priced on par with similar products from Tarte and Urban Decay.
• My Rating 9/10

Splurge Cream Lipstick

• Application/First Impressions: Intensely pigmented formula applied evenly without tugging. Lightweight despite rich color payoff.
• Wear Time: Required frequent reapplication after meals. Transferred easily.
• Ingredients Innovation: Contains non-sticky hydrophobically treated mica pigments but most hydrators pretty standard like jojoba and avocado oils.
• Value: Lower cost-per-oz than Tom Ford or Pat McGrath but still overpriced given mediocre wear time.
• My Rating: 7/10

Additional Peer Product Testing

Since individual preferences vary so much in cosmetics, I also supplied Younique samples to five close friends requesting brutally honest feedback after 2 weeks use.

The consensus matched most of my complaints. Everyone ranked the mascara, self tanner and foundation lackluster but found the eyeliner and lipstick more favorable. Across the board, testers felt Younique performed equivalent to drugstore quality while costing exponentially more. None deemed the products worthy of recommending or repurchasing.

Comparing Value Against Competitors

To better demonstrate the questionable value proposition of Younique‘s lineup, I tallied the price per ounce for each hero product against category leaders of comparable formats. You can see in the chart below that Younique charges nearly 3x the cost of far superior performing competitors.

Product	Younique Price	Competitor Price
Mascara	$0.14/oz	L‘Oreal Lash Paradise $0.06/oz
Foundation	$5.00/oz	Estee Lauder Double Wear $1.87/oz
Self Tanner	$6.00/oz	Vita Liberata $2.04/oz
Eyeliner	$3.00/oz	Urban Decay 24/7 Liner $2.22/oz
Lipstick	$4.00/oz	YSL Rouge Pur Couture $2.30/oz

Addressing Common Consumer Complaints

Expanding my research beyond personal testing and peer reviews, I analyzed various consumer reports regarding Younique to identify shared criticisms.

The most prevalent complaints involved pushy sales tactics from presenters pressuring friends to join their team rather than genuinely promoting products. Many felt misled by outrageous claims that Younique cosmetics cured chronic skin conditions and hair loss overnight.

Numerous negative reviews centered around adverse reactions from poor quality formulas causing breakouts, rashes and eye irritation. However the company often refused to issue refunds even within the 60 day return window.

Additionally consumers widely commented on the manipulative psychology behind requiring sellers to open credit cards only to purchase inventory triggering debt for women hoping to earn extra income.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

To provide a balanced perspective, I made a list of potential benefits and drawbacks to consider if debating whether Younique deserves wallet share.

Pros

• Some standout products like the eyeliner and lipstick
• Company culture supports and empowers female entrepreneurs
• Virtual parties facilitate safe community building

Cons

• Most formulas offer nothing unique or innovative
• Multiple consumer lawsuits alleging harsh sales tactics
• Founders lack cosmetic industry experience
• High pressure psychological manipulation to open credit cards
• MLM model means high prices driven by presenter royalties
• Many report outrageously exaggerated product claims
• Numerous ingredients shown to cause reactions
• Poor value proposition 3x the cost of superior performing drugstore brands

My Final Verdict: More Harm Than Good

While Younique dazzles with charitable initiatives and inspirational messaging about empowering women, the actual products disappoint. Standard ingredients, amateur packaging and mediocre performance simply cannot justify the astronomical prices. Add manipulative, debt-inducing sales tactics and I cannot recommend Younique in good faith.

For clean, ethically marketed cosmetics with truthful advertising at fair price points, I suggest checking out merit, milk makeup and ilia instead. With so many fabulous options now available, overpriced MLMs like Younique should become obsolete. I hope this comprehensive investigation provides helpful guidance to make informed decisions!