They're illegal in the UK. Multi-level marketing is a similar structure, but there is a product involved. The product can be anything. For Arbonne, it's mainly skincare and beauty goods.

Multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes are booming in lockdown, as those suddenly out of work look for an easy income boost. But do you really know what you're signing up for?

‘Multi level marketing distributors earn money by promoting and selling products and recruiting other distributors to do the same,’ explains Claire Roach from Money Saving Central.

But flashy multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs) like LulaRoe aren’t just an American phenomenon. Indeed, particularly since the pandemic, women across the UK are becoming increasingly involved.

Inside Out (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) investigates multi-level marketing on BBC One at 19:30 GMT on Monday 9 March and can be seen afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

Multi-level marketing schemes are also known as network or social marketing, product-based sales, referral marketing, and direct sales. MLMs recruit people to recruit others, presumably sending a ...