Amway has a rich history, dating back to the company’s founding as a family business in 1959 in Ada, Michigan.
Amway’s History
We are proud of our 64-year heritage, including all we do for the communities where we live and the individuals we’ve helped in living lives of purpose and achievement.
1959
Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel founded Amway to give themselves and others a way to make their lives better through entrepreneurship. Amway’s first product, Frisk Liquid Organic Cleaner Concentrate, later named L.O.C. – was one of the world’s first biodegradable multi-purpose cleaners.
1970s
Amway acquired Nutrilite™—its flagship nutritional supplement brand—and expanded into international markets. Nutrilite was one of the first vitamins to hit the market, and Amway is proud to celebrate the brand’s 90th anniversary in 2024.
1979
In a landmark case, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled in Amway’s favor and found the company to be a legitimate multi-level marketing business. The case reaffirmed direct selling as an effective and innovative way for companies to bring great products to the marketplace.
1980s
- Amway continued to grow rapidly as it celebrated its 25th anniversary. In the 1980s, Amway entrepreneurs were active in 20 international markets.
- The company received the United Nations Environment Programme Award in recognition of its status as a leader in environmental protections. Protecting the environment has consistently remained a priority for Amway to this very day.
1990s
Amway continued its international expansion, entering markets like China, India, and Mexico.
1996
Amway opens the Nutrilite Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park, California, where medical professionals, elite athletes and visitors from all over the world visit to learn about the latest trends in health and nutrition.
2003
Amway established the Nutrilite Scientific Advisory Board, consisting of leading scientists in the fields of nutrition, health and genetics from around the world.
2012
Just over 50 years after our founding, Amway is named the “World’s Number-One Direct Selling Company” according to Direct Selling News Global 100 – a title we held for 11 years.
2015
Amway opens its Botanical Research Center in Wuxi, China, for the study of plants associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for potential use in its health and beauty products.
2021
Easterseals celebrated 38 years of Amway’s support. Since 1983, Amway and IBOs raised over $35 million to provide support and services for children and individuals with disabilities.
Today
- Amway employs more than 14,000 people worldwide and operates in 100+ countries and territories across six continents.
- According to Forbes magazine, Amway is among the Top 100 privately held companies in the United States.
- Amway is once again the No. 1 direct selling company in the world, according to the 2023 Direct Selling News Global 100. This is a ranking we’ve held consecutively since 2012.
Get to know amway
Health and Wellbeing
at Amway
Health and wellbeing are at the heart of what we do. Amway brings together the best of science and nature to help people live better, healthier lives.
Nutrition
Made from botanicals sourced from 6,000 acres of certified-organic Amway-owned farms and additional partner farms, Nutrilite is committed to bringing the earth’s finest nutrients and health and wellbeing solutions to entrepreneurs and their customers around the world.
Beauty
We believe that healthy beauty is clean beauty. Our products are powered by cutting-edge skin science and plant-based nutrients, many of which are grown on certified-organic Nutrilite farms. This allows for unprecedented “seed-to-skin” traceability.
Home
Amway’s science-based products promote healthy homes and healthy families with devices that clean the water you drink and the air you breathe. We share cleaning products that are safe for people and better for the planet.
INNOVATION + SCIENCE
Investing in innovation that helps people live healthier lives.
Throughout its history, Amway’s commitment to being a global leader in health + wellbeing has come to life through the power of science. Our world-class innovation, manufacturing, quality assurance and agricultural teams are the force behind our portfolio of products for nutrition, fitness, skin health and a clean and healthy home.
Amway’s investment in innovation has shown remarkable results in its health and wellbeing solutions for people’s lives, and in our farming, packaging and manufacturing practices – and ultimately with our customers.
750+
science and innovation patents and patents pending
800
innovation and science experts holding 200+ advanced degrees
75+
science and innovation labs performing 500,000+
quality tests per year
6000
acres of organic farmland, including a dedicated botanical research farm
$300 M
invested in U.S.-based manufacturing since 2012, which has added 1 million square feet to Amway’s three U.S. locations.
The ingredients in our products are grown using restorative farming practices that are sustainable and chemical-free — on our nearly 6,000 acres of certified-organic farmland in the Americas.
Unlike many health and wellbeing companies, we also have our very own dedicated botanical research farm where we develop the safest and most potent ingredients to use in our products.
While many companies only trace one part of product creation, such as key ingredient origins, Amway publicly traces the full life of our products from idea, to formulation, to manufacturing to packaging.
Our product labels not only include what is in the product but why it’s there, where it comes from, and how it was produced – so our customers can easily understand the process from seed-to-supplement and make the most informed choices for their health and wellbeing.
Amway’s manufacturing presence in the U.S. is a part of a $300 million global manufacturing investment effort over the past 10 years.
This investment has added 1 million square feet to Amway’s three U.S. locations so far. Additionally, a significant portion of the investment into these facilities is focused on reducing carbon emissions and resource waste, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy use.
Beginning in the early 2010s, Amway was among the first companies in Michigan to invest in wind power for its energy needs. Additionally, 100 percent of the electricity used to manufacture Artistry products and Glister™ oral care products is offset by our continued investment in sustainable wind power.
SCIENCE + INNOVATION
Awards and Certifications
Amway is vigilant in ensuring that our products are pure, safe and effective and meet the highest public health standards, as certified by industry-trusted third-parties. For example, the Amway-owned Nutrilite botanical traceability standard is verified by Ecocert SA, NSF, and Euromonitor International.
The 2023 International Cosmetics Innovation Conference’s Technology Innovation Anti-Aging Product Award for Artistry’s Brightening Mask
The 2023 International Cosmetics Technology Summit’s InnoCosme Award for Artistry’s Skin Nutrition™ Vitamin C + HA3 Daily Serum
Medaille D‘argent’s 2021 Geneve Award for Amway’s rapid detection methods for evaluating the safety and efficacy of health foods and cosmetics.
The 2017 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards’ outstanding Safer Choice Formulator-Product Manufacturer
Several awards from Health and Beauty America (HBA), Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), and others, for Amway’s innovation in packaging.
Amway At A Glance
Get to know Amway – our core values, key facts and major achievements – in a nutshell.
AMWAY FACTS
Frequently
Asked Questions
For many, it starts with a passion for holistic health and wellbeing – a passion they want to share with others. They want to explore business ownership but worry about the sometimes high-risk or capital investments associated with doing so. Amway’s model lowers barriers to entry – the big hurdles and costs associated with starting a new company from scratch – for aspiring entrepreneurs. Amway provides healthy products and solutions, the supply chain, e-commerce storefronts, and mentorship from others and holistically supports its independent sellers in developing their own business plans and goals. Today, hundreds of thousands of Americans in every state across the country have become a part of this long-standing model as Amway independent business owners (IBOs).
In 2023, more than 290,000 Americans were registered as active IBOs. Amway also employs 3,300 Americans and more than 14,000 people worldwide in the more than 100 countries and territories in which the company operates. Amway also has a huge economic footprint in the U.S. In 2022 alone, IBOs generated more than $55 million in tax revenue for the economy and more than $347 million in the past 6 years. Read more: Fortune Magazine: New data reveals an eagerness for entrepreneurship
No. Amway offers free training and education to all IBOs through Amway Education, including more than 80 virtual courses and activities in multiple languages. We believe you’re in business for yourself but never by yourself.
Yes, Amway is an American company headquartered in Ada, Michigan with IBOs in every state throughout the U.S. Amway employs more than 3,300 Americans – and the company continues to strengthen its American operations, investing $300 million in U.S.-based manufacturing in the past few years.
Investing in the development of Amway IBOs and employees is among the company’s most important priorities. IBOs are part of a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and receive consistent free training and support to start and run their own businesses. And when it comes to employees, Amway doesn’t just want the people it hires to stay put – rather, the company uses a robust skills development system, encouraging employees to expand and enhance their skills in order to advance to more senior, higher-paying jobs. Amway has also launched a pilot program known as “Level Up.” Recognizing that a four-year college degree is not the only route to success, Amway places participating employees in hourly jobs across various parts of the business’s operations, from manufacturing to customer service to distribution.
Yes. Amway believes that entrepreneurship is a fully American value regardless of identity or background – and that the Amway opportunity is for everyone. Hundreds of thousands of Americans in communities in every state have become a part of the Amway model as IBOs
IBOs earn income by selling quality Amway products to customers every day. They earn in three ways:
- Retail margin from every Amway™ product they sell
- Bonuses calculated from their business growth.
- Incentives rewarded as they reach key milestones in their business.
Learn more here.
*For the calendar year 2022, the average income from Amway for all U.S. registered IBOs at the Founders Platinum level and below was $852 before expenses. See www.amway.com/income-disclosure for details. Earnings depend on many factors, including: customer base, business experience, effort, dedication, and quality and performance of an IBO’s sales team.
IBOs meet people from all over the country and the world and learn new skills such as public speaking and relationship building. They have an opportunity to be a part of a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and receive consistent support to start and run their own businesses.
- Yes. If anyone, for any reason, is dissatisfied with their purchase, we back our products with a generous satisfaction guarantee – a full refund upon return within a 180-day timeframe. That’s how confident we are in our products and how much we care about people.
- An IBO can choose to end their contract within 90 days after initial registration and receive a full refund on any registration costs. IBOs leaving the Amway business have a right to return unsold, unopened Amway products as well.
Amway believes in the powerful idea that we can be the change for a better world. Our goal is to unite our quality products, volunteerism and CSR programming to benefit communities across the Americas and worldwide. Through charitable contributions exceeding $315 million and more than 4.5 million volunteer hours, Amway employees have supported more than 14.5 million people in the past 20 years. Amway contributed more than $200 million in aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped combat malnutrition in countries across the world, and more recently stepped up to support efforts in the wake of the Hawaii wildfires. Amway is also a longtime supporter of organizations and programs ranging from Easterseals’ disability and community services, to the U.S. Dream Academy’s mentoring programs for children of incarcerated individuals.
Throughout its long history, Amway has been committed to moving the needle forward, particularly when it comes to research and innovation. Nearly 800 Amway employees are innovation and science experts. Amway also works with renowned scientific advisors who are global leading experts in the fields of health, nutrition and beauty. So far, Amway has submitted over 900 patents, more than 700 of which have been granted.
Yes. Amway is committed to sustainable, transparent farming and manufacturing. While many companies only trace one part of product creation, such as key ingredient origins, Amway made the decision to publicly trace the full life of our products from idea, to formulation, to manufacturing to packaging. We are doubling down on our commitment to restorative farming practices on our nearly 6,000 acres of certified-organic farmland in the Americas – where we grow and harvest plants, using sustainable, chemical-free methods. In the U.S. and worldwide, Amway has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions and resource waste, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy use. Beginning in the early 2010s, Amway was among the first companies in Michigan, to invest in wind power for its energy needs. Additionally, 100 percent of the electricity used to manufacture Artistry products and Glister™ oral care products is offset by our continued investment in sustainable wind power. Amway has achieved two Silver LEED certifications for buildings at our Ada, Michigan and Buena Park, California. Read more: USA Today: Trust factor: How an American company pioneered product transparency
Like other direct selling companies, Amway offers direct selling opportunities – with low to no startup costs – and compensates our Independent Business Owners based on product sales to customers. We offer flexibility, skill-training and other modern economic benefits.