John and Catherine Edwards launched NuChoice International in 2002, building on three decades of direct sales experience. The couple previously created a cosmetics business in 1982 that generated $50 million annually by 1987, before they left it a decade later for a direct sales nutritional and skin care company. NuChoice combined their expertise with products for nutrition, skin care, and weight management.
The nutrition line developed in partnership with Lee Cowden, M.D., a board-certified internist. Cowden, trained in cardiovascular disease and clinical nutrition, helped the Edwards formulate products that focused on bioavailable, hypoallergenic, and pure nutrients. He has written books and articles on cancer prevention, including "Longevity" and "An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer."
Selling cancer cures through alternative medicine raises concerns. If Cowden's perspective shaped NuChoice's nutritional products, buyers should investigate thoroughly. They should not assume these products treat or cure cancer.
NuChoice offers a nutrition line primarily for cardiovascular health. Other products include multivitamins, immune support, antioxidants, concentrated green tea, liver detoxification, progesterone cream, and an Indian silver oil for muscle and joint pain.
The skin care catalog features a hydrating cleanser, foaming cleanser, skin refining tonic, anti-wrinkle serum, renewal enzyme peel, vitamin C serum, cellular moisturizing cream, night repair cream, and hydrating oil.
Weight management relies on a single product: an alternating meal replacement shake system. Users consume normal meals one day, then substitute the shake the next, repeating until they reach their target weight.
The NuChoice website functions poorly. Its search feature yields no results. The drop-down menu for product categories works, but the next-button pagination often corrupts display results.
The Edwards' business history provides an interesting backdrop. They did not start as multilevel marketing proponents. Instead, they built a traditional business that earned substantial money. They possessed the skills to replicate that success. But they chose the direct sales model at a time when the Federal Trade Commission already scrutinized compensation structures in the industry. For most MLM distributors, income often comes more from recruitment than from actual product sales. The company's variable retail pricing model, if it exists, adds to the confusion regarding how much money comes from product transactions versus commission chains.
The Edwards brought experience to NuChoice. Yet, experience in one business model does not validate another. A $50 million traditional cosmetics company operates on different economic principles than a multilevel marketing company. Understanding this distinction is crucial before joining as a distributor.