You may have heard of Monat before, a company with products that are touted to be miraculous for the hair. If you’ve seen how the products are being promoted and advertised, it’s understandable if you want to jump right in and buy everything Monat has to offer. After all, who doesn’t want amazing and beautiful locks?
However, this particular brand has been through some controversy in the past few years that seem too serious to ignore. If you’ve been meaning to purchase Monat’s products or become one of its Market Partners, you may want to think twice.
Keep reading our review to make an informed decision about Monat.
What Is Monat?
Monat is basically a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that was founded and launched in 2014 by Luis Urdaneta. Monat claims that its products are composed of “naturally-based” ingredients, therefore making them completely safe for use. Its products are available in different categories, too—hair, skin, wellness, and now Monat even has products for pet care.
Monat grew so much since its inception, so much so that it won many awards by 2017. Its fast growth can be credited to its Market Partners, who worked hard to promote the company and the products it sells. However, by 2018, things went awry for Monat. The company received hundreds of complaints from its customers who claimed that the hair care products caused them to lose their hair at a fast pace, along with irritation, redness in the scalp, and many other adverse skin reactions.
What Exactly Is an MLM Company?
Before we continue any further, let’s first discuss what an MLM company is. A multi-level marketing company is the type of business wherein it’s able to earn an income from its products through the people who painstakingly work hard to sell them to others. To put it simply, if you registered or signed up to work for an MLM company (like Monat), you’d personally have to sell the available products to others.
If you’re able to recruit other people to sign up and join, you can earn more thanks to commissions, as the people you recruit will be working directly under you. Other examples of MLM businesses include Herbalife, Nu Skin, FreeLife, and many others. It may seem like an easy process, but it’s actually not. In fact, MLM participants or resellers barely make a profit despite how hard they work.
The Monat Lawsuit
The Monat mess started in 2018 when Vickie Harrington, a Monat customer, created a Facebook support group to share her experience using Monat’s products. In her case, she experienced hair loss, sores on her scalp, irritation, and other things upon using Monat. Eventually, the Facebook group grew to incredible heights, even reaching 12,000 members who also experienced the same adverse effects from using Monat.
Monat, however, made a very big deal out of Harrington’s support group. Instead of apologizing to its customers, which is what most companies would do in this situation, Monat decided to sue Harrington for $225,000. According to Monat, Harrington was spreading false and harmful information about the company and was therefore defaming it. To make matters worse, the company’s president accused Harrington of being paid by a competitor to talk badly about Monat.
This course of action is very strange for a company. After all, companies usually don’t sue their customers for leaving a bad review about their products or for having a negative personal experience.
Is Monat a Scam?
Monat has been running as a company for several years now, but it remains unaccredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, does this mean that Monat is a scam? Well, not necessarily. Technically, you do receive the products that you pay for, and its MLM scheme does seem to work like every other MLM company out there.
Monat Complaints
Hair Loss
One of the most common complaints against Monat’s products is that it has caused extreme hair loss. The products were supposed to rejuvenate your hair, making it healthy and beautiful. Instead, customers experienced the complete opposite.
Allergic Reactions
Monat claims that its products are “all-natural,” but it appears that it’s still not safe for everyone to use. Many customers have complained about having an itchy scalp along with rashes and sores after using Monat. The company claim that this is a normal experience as you’re going through a “detox” phase, but it may be best if you stop using the products right away if you’re experiencing these effects.
Expensive
Lastly, Monat’s products aren’t affordable for the average joe, which is probably why so many get fooled into joining or becoming a Market Partner so they could avail of the discounts.
Conclusion
Based on this information we’ve relayed, you may want to stay as far away from Monat as possible. While the company touts amazing results and there are a few customers who have had positive experiences, it may not be worth the risk.
