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Gina Boswell Appointed to Beautycounter Board of Directors

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Counter Brands, LLC, parent company of Beautycounter, announced the appointment of Gina Boswell to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Most recently, Boswell served as president, Customer Development, Unilever North America; prior to that, she was CEO, Unilever UK & Ireland and executive vice president, Personal Care, North America.

Boswell has also held senior leadership positions with other global companies, including Ford Motor Company and Estée Lauder Companies. According to Counter Brands, she will bring to Beautycounter’s Board a deep understanding of the global beauty industry, including strategy, business development, consumer insights, marketing and general management across multiple channels.

“Beautycounter continues to lead the next generation of beauty through our safer products, sustainability, transparency and community, and I am thrilled to have someone as experienced as Gina join our Board,” said Beautycounter Founder and CEO Gregg Renfrew. “She will be invaluable to our team as we continue to grow our company for the long term.”

LR Health & Beauty Extends Cooperation Agreements with Celebrities

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LR Health & Beauty extended existing cooperation agreements with Emma Heming-Willis, Bruce Willis and Portuguese TV star Cristina Ferreira.

Cooperating with both national and international celebrities plays an important role in the fragrance segment of LR. All celebrities are personally involved in the creation of a fragrance and give their eau de parfum an individual touch.

Model and entrepreneur Heming-Willis, wife of actor Bruce Willis, launched her own fragrances in 2016 in cooperation with LR. The Lightning Collection featured three perfume compositions that were refined with Swarovski stones.

The fragrances created by Bruce Willis—Bruce Willis and Bruce Willis Personal Edition—have been very popular with LR customers since 2010.

TV star Cristina Ferreira has been cooperating with LR for five years. MEU by Cristina Ferreira, the first perfume by Ferreira, still enjoys great popularity today.

LR also announced in September that the cooperation agreement with designer Guido Maria Kretschmer was extended. Kretschmer created a perfume collection for women and men in 2015 and 2019. PURE by Guido Maria Kretschmer (2019) is one of the best-selling fragrances in LR history.

Herbalife Nutrition Pledges $1M for Emergency Relief Fund

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Herbalife Nutrition and the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation (HNF) announced a pledge from their Nutrition for Zero Hunger initiative of $1 million to World Food Program USA (WFP USA).

As an expert in emergency response, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is often the first stop for governments and organizations in responding to food, logistics and emergency telecommunication needs in the wake of humanitarian crises. WFP also works with local communities and governments to build a strategy that will bridge the gap from initial response to recovery and resilience.

WFP USA is a nonprofit organization, based in Washington, D.C., that builds U.S. support and resources for the WFP. The $1 million grant, to be paid over three years, will be designated to WFP USA’s Emergency Relief Fund, to be used to provide food and other lifesaving aid in support of large-scale disaster operations around the globe.

“In building a better world where everyone has the food and nutrition to lead healthy lives, we take great pride in being recognized as a champion for zero hunger by World Food Program USA,” said Alan Hoffman, executive vice president, Global Corporate Affairs.

Herbalife’s contribution to WFP USA’s Emergency Relief Fund is a testament to the company’s continued commitment to ending hunger worldwide.

“In the last four years, hunger has been on the rise, driven largely by increased conflict and extreme weather; that’s why support from partners like Herbalife Nutrition is critical to helping us achieve our mission of to end global hunger,” said Phil Karsting, interim president and CEO of WFP USA.

Direct Selling Leaders Launch International Social Marketing Company VIIVA

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Direct selling veterans from Asia and the U.S. have launched VIIVA, a new social marketing company.

The company founders—Kent Wood, Joe Zhou and Steinway Huang—celebrated the launch at a two-day event in Los Angeles where they showcased their exclusive line of nutritionals, including customizable breakfast blends. The VIIVA team also introduced new sales solutions designed to empower salespeople with the advanced technologies, tools and training.

“The word viva means ‘life’ and seemed like the perfect name for our company because we wanted to not only bring new life to our industry, but especially to our customers, salespeople and employees,” said Wood, VIIVA’s chairman. “Our international management team has taken a modern approach to how we develop and sell our products, appealing to a growing consumer need in the nutritional space, and investing in a technology infrastructure that will help us grow on an international scale.”

Zhou has built three billion-dollar organizations and hand-picked the multi-national management team with more than 100 years of combined direct selling experience. While he will be involved in the management and international strategy for the Utah-based company, he has chosen to only take on the corporate title of chairman of VIIVA Cares, an initiative focused on providing nutritional support to those in need.

“While Joe could have enjoyed a very comfortable retirement with his family, he had a great desire to help more people experience the rewards of health and prosperity,” said CEO Huang. “The idea for a new company was sparked in part from his children asking him every morning, ‘What’s for breakfast?’ and then realizing that there very few nutritious, convenient and good-tasting options available.”

VIIVA’s breakfast blends feature customizable Kiiks to help individuals address specific nutritional needs, whether it be weight management or energy. The products come from natural and organic sources, contain over 70 unique minerals as well as essential vitamins, antioxidants, vegetable proteins and flaxseeds.

The company plans to expand into Asia before the end of the year.

Plexus Employees Volunteer 380 Hours at Phoenix Food Bank

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Plexus Worldwide took another step towards helping to end food insecurity by giving employees time off to give back to the community.

During the Plexus Week of Service, September 23-27, 190 team members from the company’s Scottsdale headquarters volunteered at the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix. Plexus employees from all departments, including the executive team, donated in-office time to assist at the nonprofit. By week’s end, Plexus volunteers served 700 families at the nonprofit’s Knight Distribution Center and packed 13,680 emergency food boxes, which will provide 13,680 meals to local families. In total, Plexus teams volunteered 380 hours, all of it covered by the Plexus Volunteer Time Off program, which provides paid time off for charitable work.

“Plexus is a health and happiness company that cares deeply about the people in our community, regardless of whether they are customers, so we are thrilled that so many employees stepped up to help this fantastic nonprofit,” said Mary Ann Luciano, vice president of Philanthropy at Plexus.

As part of its benefits package, Plexus gives every employee 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year to participate in company planned volunteer activities or donate time at their charity of choice.

“St. Mary’s Food Bank works directly with Feeding America, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger and a Plexus Partner,” said Tarl Robinson, founder and CEO of Plexus. “Since we teamed up with Feeding America for our Nourish One initiative 15 months ago, we’ve volunteered thousands of hours and donated 10 million meals to date to help families in need all across the United States.”

Nourish One is a one-for-one initiative where one serving of Plexus Lean™ equals one meal for a child or family in need through Feeding America’s network of food banks.

USANA Announces New Appointments

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USANA announced the appointment of Timothy Wood, Ph.D., to the company’s board of directors and the promotion of Walter Noot to chief operating officer.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Dr. Wood back to USANA as the newest member of our board,” said Myron W. Wentz, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board. “Prior to his retirement in 2011, Dr. Wood led USANA’s research and development department for 15 years. His expertise will help USANA stay at the forefront of cellular nutrition and scientific innovation.”

Dr. Wood joined USANA in June 1996 as Director of Research and Development, and served in this role until June 1999, when he was appointed as the company’s vice president of Research and Development. In January 2006, he was appointed executive vice president of Research and Development.

“I am honored to accept a seat on USANA’s board of directors,” said Dr. Wood. “I have followed the company closely since my retirement and have been pleased to see it grow and progress.”

Walter Noot joined USANA in 2016 as chief information officer. As COO, he will continue to oversee USANA’s information technology function, with the added responsibility of global operations. He has more than two decades of executive leadership experience with numerous companies in and out of the direct selling industry.

“Under Walter’s leadership, USANA’s IT department has been re-organized and is now functioning at the highest level,” said USANA President Jim Brown. “We are grateful to have Walter as a key player on our executive leadership team. His vision, passion for excellence, and knowledge will continue to help USANA attain record heights and accomplishments.”

New Executive Orders Address Federal Overreach

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The recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announcement against AdvoCare left some wondering if the agency may have moved the goalpost in terms of what they now deem is behavior that can be investigated.

For some, the FTC’s actions appeared to be government overreach. Others saw the announcement as an immediate need for understanding the FTC’s interpretation of the law and vision of best practices in the direct selling channel.

The need for clarity stems from the fact that federal agencies such as the FTC routinely write official guidance to explain how federal statutes and regulations are interpreted and enforced, yet in most cases the guidance is not made available to the public. In addition, while the guidance is not legally binding, agencies often threaten enforcement actions based on views expressed solely in guidance. Agencies use guidance hidden from the public to threaten individuals and businesses into abiding by agency views in order to avoid fines or jail time.

That will change now that President Donald Trump has introduced two new executive orders designed to “improve the transparency and fairness of government agencies and ensure that they are held accountable.”

The “Improved Agency Guidance” Executive Order requires agencies to put their guidance documents on easily searchable websites, so individuals are able to access them. To ensure Americans have their voices heard, the Order will also require government agencies to seek public input on the most important guidance they issue. Americans will be able to ask agencies to withdraw guidance they believe is wrong.

The “Transparency and Fairness” Executive Order prohibits agencies from enforcing rules they have not made publicly known in advance. The order also instructs agencies to offer opinion letters to individuals and businesses who request them, so people who want to comply with the law can learn how.

The executive orders will make all agency guidance available to the public before agencies can enforce it. This will allow small businesses and individuals to respond to the guidance before the federal government imposes fines or punishments on them.

Trump’s executive orders will restrict agencies’ use of guidance in several important ways:

  • Agencies have 120 days to inventory their existing guidance and decide what to defend keeping.
  • Every guidance with penalties must identify the particular statute or regulation that authorizes it.
  • All enforcement standards have to be articulated in advance, not invented on the fly.
  • Administrative inspection authority has to be spelled out in advance, so searches adhere to law.
  • The orders help solve the problem of guidance evading judicial review when it’s not final agency action.
  • Before any adverse legal consequences may start, an agency has to notify targets of the charges against them, give them a chance to respond and then reply to that response in writing.
  • Agencies must put processes in place that permit people to petition them to revoke certain guidances.

“Guidance does not create new duties or obligations, but it does clarify regulatory interpretations and signal enforcement interpretations; as a result, it not only advances public protections, [but] it creates certainty and clarity for regulated businesses,” said Amit Narang, Public Citizen regulatory policy advocate.”

Perfectly Posh Launches International Shipping Program

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Perfectly Posh today introduced Posh Planet, an international shipping program available to customers in over 220 countries and territories.

Posh, a U.S.-based personal care company, partnered with MyUS.com, which allows international customers to ship their favorite Posh products from the U.S. to their home countries.

When customers subscribe to MyUS.com, they receive a U.S. shipping address to use during checkout. MyUS will consolidate the order and forward it directly to the customer’s mailing address overseas.

According to Posh CEO and Founder Ann Dalton, being able to ship products to customers throughout the world has always been one of the company’s goals.

“We source our ingredients from around the world, and now we can share our self-care products there, too,” said Dalton. “Having our Influencers share Posh globally presents new possibilities and reach. We can’t wait to see how far they take Posh Planet.”

Thirty-One Gifts Joins Texas Council on Family Violence

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In honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Thirty-One Gifts yesterday hosted the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV).

The event shared findings from the Honoring Texas Victims report on domestic violence fatalities in Texas and discussed Thirty-One Gifts’ dedication to helping victims rebuild their lives. In addition, Texas Senator Jane Nelson was awarded the Legislative Champion Award from TCFV and the National Network to End Domestic Violence for her fierce and dedicated work in domestic violence prevention and policy.

Held at Thirty-One Gifts’ debut Texas facility in Flower Mound, the event highlighted Thirty-One Gifts’ mission to empower women through its charitable program, Thirty-One Gives, which surprised TCFV with a $10,000 donation to continue its work in supporting women and their families in Texas.

Thirty-One Gives also helped establish and continues to help fund the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s Independence Project—a credit building program that lends microloans to survivors of domestic abuse to help rebuild their credit and regain financial freedom. Customers can support the Independence Project this fall by donating to the GIVES ROUND UP! Initiative when purchasing products.

“We have been committed to supporting domestic violence survivors as a key focus area of our giving since Thirty-One Gives was established in 2012,” said Wendy Bradshaw, executive director of Thirty-One Gives. “Today, we proud to partner with TCFV to support women across Texas, now home to our new distribution center. We look forward to continued conversations on how we can all take meaningful action and provide hope to victims and survivors of domestic violence.”

Local domestic violence service providers including Denton County Friends of the Family attended the event and left with World Vision Hope Kits filled with feminine hygiene products for their clients. The kits were assembled by Thirty-One Senior Consultants during their annual Conference in July. To date, Thirty-One Gifts has distributed more than 22,000 World Vision Hope Kits to support survivors.

USANA Q3 Net Sales Down 12%

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USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE: USNA) announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended September 28, 2019.

Third quarter 2019 net sales were $260.6 million, compared with $296.8 million in the prior-year period, or a 12.2 percent decrease year-over-year. The company’s total number of active Customers at the end of the third quarter was 558,000, compared to 615,000 in the prior-year period.

“Although we continue to face a challenging sales environment in China and other regions, we were pleased to see sales in several markets improve on a consecutive quarter basis,” said Kevin Guest, chief executive officer.

Regional Results

Net sales in the Asia Pacific region decreased by 12.9 percent to $208.6 million for the third quarter of 2019. On a constant currency-basis, net sales in the Asia Pacific region decreased 10.7 percent during the third quarter of 2019. The total number of active Customers in the Asia Pacific region decreased by 10.1 percent year-over-year. Within Asia Pacific, net sales:

  • Decreased 18.6% in Greater China (down 16.4% on a constant currency basis);
  • Decreased 7.6% in Southeast Asia Pacific (down 6.8% on a constant currency basis); and
  • Increased 17.1% in North Asia (up 24.3% on a constant currency basis).

Active Customers decreased by 17.3 percent in Greater China and by 2.6 percent in Southeast Asia Pacific. In North Asia, Active customers increased by 28.2 percent

Net sales in the Americas and Europe region decreased by 9 percent to $52.0 million for the third quarter of 2019, primarily due to a 6.1 percent decrease in active Customers.

Kannaway Joins U.S. Hemp Roundtable Board of Directors

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Medical Marijuana, Inc.  announced that its subsidiary Kannaway® has been selected as a member of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.

The U.S. Hemp Roundtable, formed in 2017, is a coalition of more than 50 leading hemp companies representing every link of the industry’s supply chain from seed to sale. The organization has already achieved its primary goal of securing the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which established hemp federally as an agricultural commodity and permanently removed it from regulation as a controlled substance, but continues to focus on lobbying efforts in state capitols to fully legalize hemp and popular hemp-derived products like cannabidiol (CBD) oil.

“Since forming our company, Kannaway, in association with its parent company Medical Marijuana, Inc. and its other subsidiaries, have participated in many domestic and international efforts to advocate for expanded access to hemp by hosting educational events and speaking with prominent regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS) and Brazil’s National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA),” said Kannaway CEO Blake Schroeder. “We are honored to have the opportunity to continue these efforts as a member of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable Board of Directors.”

Kannaway was the first direct-selling company to offer CBD products in both the U.S. and Europe. The company also became one of the first companies to receive a U.S. Hemp Authority Certification Seal as well as the first company to have its hemp-derived CBD product listed in the Prescribers’ Digital Reference.

“It’s encouraging to see the U.S. shift its focus back to hemp, a founding crop of this country, as U.S. farmers have been licensed to grow over 511,000 acres of the plant just this year, a 455 percent increase over 2018,” said Medical Marijuana, Inc. CEO Dr. Stuart Titus. “With this monumental increase in the cultivation of the plant, we foresee the market’s revenue growth to mirror this and look forward to joining forces with the U.S. Hemp Roundtable to create a safe and legal market for all.”