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Which products are a good fit for direct selling: genetic analyses, supplements, skincare
A product for direct selling has to carry a conversation, be used regularly, work without inventory at the distributor level, and be easy to advertise within the law. Novogenia offers three product worlds for this: non-medical lifestyle genetic analyses as the entry point, personalized supplements as the everyday product with one delivery lasting 90 days, and BeautyMe personalized skincare with a day serum, a night serum and a body lotion. Medical analyses do not belong in a distributor’s range. In Switzerland, even analyses on nutrition, sport and well-being may only be ordered by certain health professionals.
On the shelf, a product must stand out; in a network, it must carry a conversation
In a supermarket, a product has a few seconds to catch someone’s eye. In direct selling, it is the other way around: it has to carry a conversation – and often many more. A distributor recommends it to friends, answers questions and checks in again a few weeks later. Not every product can handle that. So test every product you want to add to your range with five questions:
| Question | Why it matters in direct selling |
|---|---|
| Can it be explained in a conversation? | Distributors sell through stories, not advertising budgets. |
| Is it used regularly? | Only what gets used up gets reordered. |
| Does it work without inventory at the distributor level? | People who sell on the side do not want boxes piling up in the basement. |
| Can it be advertised within the law? | Your brand answers for what your distributors say. |
| Does it suit your markets? | The rules for genetic analyses differ from country to country. |
Novogenia offers three product worlds, and each answers these questions in its own way. All three are made in one building in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria, where a genetic lab, a supplement factory and a cosmetics factory sit under one roof.
Lifestyle genetic analyses: the conversation starter
The lifestyle genetic analysis is the natural entry point. It is bought once and provides material for the first conversation and many more. Novogenia has developed more than 30 genetic tests; of these, distributors may offer only the non-medical analyses – on lifestyle, nutrition, beauty and sport.
- How it works: The customer takes a saliva sample with a kit. For lifestyle analyses, there are kits that are not medical devices, branded with your logo on request. The lab in Eugendorf analyzes the sample in 4 days; the report appears digitally in a secure portal, in up to 18 languages and printed on request.
- Why it fits: A report on your own genes is personal and raises questions. Every gene included is backed by at least three independent studies – a point of trust that distributors can easily explain.
- What to watch: A lifestyle analysis delivers a report, not a diagnosis, and it does not replace a medical examination. For minors, only non-medical analyses are performed, and only with the written consent of their parents or legal guardians.
As the partner company, you decide whether you see your customers’ reports. You can read more about the lab and the analyses on the Our genetic laboratory page.
Personalized supplements: the everyday product
If the genetic analysis is the door, personalized supplements are the product your customer lives with every day. Three things define them:
- The data: about 50 genes with three possible variants each, a questionnaire and, where available, blood values. When blood values are available, they take precedence.
- The dosage: Each nutrient is dosed between one third and three times the reference intake, capped at the tolerable upper intake level set by EFSA. How this works in detail is explained in How a personalized nutrient recipe is calculated.
- The format: Microtransporter pellets from 1.6 mm in daily sachets. One delivery lasts 90 days, and production is possible from a single unit. Novogenia does not make probiotics.
Why it fits: The product is taken every day and reordered regularly. Because every box is produced for one specific person, Novogenia ships directly to end customers – your distributors need no inventory.
What to watch: For supplements, only authorized health claims apply, ideally in their official wording, such as “Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones” – and even that only if the product meets the conditions of use for that claim. In addition, the formula is recalculated for every new production run. So tell your customers from the start that the composition may change. More on permitted statements in Health claims: what you may advertise.
BeautyMe: three products for the skin
BeautyMe is Novogenia’s personalized skincare, and it comes as three products: a day serum, a night serum and a body lotion. The result of the genetic analysis determines which active ingredients go into the formula and at what dosage.
- Why it fits: People love to talk about skincare, and a product formulated according to their own genes comes with a real story. For networks with a beauty focus, BeautyMe is therefore the natural complement to the lifestyle analysis.
- Your own brand: BeautyMe can be resold or offered as white label under your brand; Novogenia produces cosmetics from small batches. Because Novogenia takes on the role of the responsible person under EU cosmetics law, Novogenia’s name and address appear on the pack as mandatory information.
- What to watch: Under Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, cosmetic products are intended to clean, perfume, change the appearance of, protect or keep in good condition external parts of the body such as the skin, or to correct body odors. Healing is not on that list – not even in your distributors’ posts.
More about the three products and how to sell them: Selling cosmetics.
What does not belong in a distributor’s range
Knowing what to leave out is just as important as choosing what to include. Your distributors do not offer:
| Not in direct selling | Why |
|---|---|
| Medical genetic analyses, such as the Health analysis | The Health analysis is a medical preventive analysis. Wherever national law requires it – for example in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the USA – medical analyses are reserved for physicians. |
| Medical analyses for minors | For minors, Novogenia performs only non-medical analyses, with the written consent of their parents or legal guardians. |
| Promises of healing | Healing claims are off-limits for foods, cosmetics do not serve to heal, and a lifestyle analysis is not a diagnosis. |
| Probiotics | Novogenia does not make probiotics. |
Switzerland: genetic analyses only through health professionals
In Germany and Austria, almost everything hinges on one question: medical or not? Distributors can offer non-medical lifestyle analyses there. Switzerland goes one step further. The revised Federal Act on Human Genetic Testing (GUMG) and its ordinance (GUMV) also regulate analyses outside medicine:
- Particularly sensitive: Analyses of physiological traits that can influence a person’s lifestyle, especially eating habits, physical activity and general well-being, count as tests of particularly sensitive characteristics (Art. 31(1) GUMG, Art. 37(1) GUMV).
- Only health professionals may order them: Such analyses may only be ordered by health professionals who are authorized to practice under their own professional responsibility, have acquired knowledge of human genetics and work in the field the analysis belongs to (Art. 34(1) and (2) GUMG). These are physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, druggists HF and – for physiological characteristics – nutritionists FH, physiotherapists FH, chiropractors and osteopaths (Art. 40 GUMV).
- Sample in their presence: The sample is taken in the presence of the person who orders the analysis (Art. 34(3) GUMG).
- No home self-tests: Tests for self-use may only be supplied for the other, not particularly sensitive tests, such as hair and eye color (Art. 13 GUMG, Art. 37(3) GUMV).
- Some topics are always medical: Analyses that provide information on food intolerances, metabolic disorders or an increased risk of sports injuries, for example, count as medical (Art. 37(2) GUMV) and are ordered by physicians (Art. 20 GUMG).
For a network marketing company, this means that in Switzerland a distributor cannot sell a genetic analysis as a kit that the customer uses alone at home. Anyone who wants to offer genetic analyses there needs a suitable health professional who orders the analysis and is present when the sample is taken. Switzerland also has its own rules for supplements and cosmetics, which you should check before entering the market. More in Growing internationally: languages and markets and Who may offer genetic tests?
From the first product to a full range
The three product worlds do not exclude each other; they build on each other. The models can be combined: for example, you can start with the partner shop and add your own brand or your own product later. Typical starting points:
| Starting point | Advantage | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic analyses through the partner shop | no setup fees; you quickly find out how your network responds to the topic | analysis and delivery come from Novogenia; this route does not build your own product brand |
| Genetic analysis plus personalized supplements | a one-off purchase becomes a customer relationship in a 90-day rhythm | your pricing must leave room for commissions |
| Genetic analysis plus BeautyMe | suits networks with a beauty focus | cosmetic statements only |
| Your own brand across all three product worlds | one consistent presence under your name | The effort depends on the scope you want. |
How to turn your product choice into your own brand is described in Your own brand for network companies. How the products turn into recurring revenue is shown in Recurring revenue through subscriptions.
Checklist for your product choice
- You know whether your network talks more about nutrition and sport or about skin and beauty.
- The analyses in your range are exclusively non-medical.
- For each market, you have clarified who may offer genetic analyses – in Switzerland, only through health professionals.
- There is a list of permitted statements for every product.
- Your distributors know that personalized formulas can change with every production run.
- Logistics are settled: direct shipping to end customers instead of inventory at the distributor level.
- You have decided whether to start with the partner shop, with white label or with your own formula.
Frequently asked questions
Which genetic analyses may distributors offer?
How are personalized supplements put together?
Which skincare products are available?
Can distributors sell genetic analyses in Switzerland?
Can I start with one product and expand later?
Related: Our genetic laboratory · Who may offer genetic tests? · Selling cosmetics: studio, spa, pharmacy
Personalized products for your network?
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Request a project →Partner programNote: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.