The history of Forever Living
A look back at the founder’s journey, Rex Maughan
Forever Living products is one of the world’s largest producers of aloe vera. This company is also the story of a man, Rex Maughan.
Missionary on the Samoan island in the South Pacific, Vice President of the Del Webb Corporation as well as Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Arizona, Rex Maughan is also known for his 40 years of leadership based on cooperative management.
Group Managing Director of the Forever group, which has branches in real estate, livestock, direct sales, agriculture and the nonprofit sector, he is today also the President and CEO of Forever Living Products.
The creation and evolution of the company
Rex Maughan combines health, through the marketing of aloe vera and wellness products, with the financial freedom of his associates, through innovative sales processes worldwide.
It was in 1978 that it all began. Rex Maughan invited about thirty people to Arizona to present his new project, Forever Living Products. He then offered this group of individuals the opportunity to become partners and sales collaborators to distribute his new wellness solutions.
One year later, Forever Living Products reached 1 million dollars in sales with only 3 products.
In 1994, a Forever Living Products France subsidiary was created and is currently headed by Philippe Decottignies. It now has 35 employees and more than 40,000 independent distributors.
Forever Living Products France also includes the overseas departments: Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion Island, French Guiana.
Finally, a new Moroccan subsidiary of Forever Living Products was established in 2006.
Forever Living’s place in the aloe vera market
Known for its therapeutic properties and its benefits for the body (skin, hair..) and the immune system, aloe vera is now present in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and beverage industries.
According to a study carried out in 2016-2017 by the Imarc Group on the forecasts and trend developments of the aloe vera market in the global industry, this product would today represent $1 million USD.
According to the newspaper La Vie économique, global consumption of aloe vera is 60,720 tons per year, or 1.92kg per second.
This same study indicates that the company Forever Living Products markets more than 10 million liters of aloe pulp per year.
In 2018, Forever Living Products owned the largest aloe vera plantations in Texas, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, with nearly $1.5 billion in annual revenue and products present in more than 165 countries around the world.
Network marketing
One distinctive feature of this company is its business model. Indeed, Rex Maughan developed his empire around network marketing by entrusting the sale of his products to independent sellers.
They distribute the products from person to person during home sales or face-to-face meetings. These distributors’ compensation then comes from commissions earned on sales and for managing their network.
Forever Living products
Aloe vera and beehive products
The signature product of Forever Living is Forever Aloe Vera gel. A drink made of 99.7% aloe vera and sold, for example, by Forever Living Products France at €32.50 per liter.
Other juices like this, also made with aloe vera, are sold by the brand. You can find drinks for everyday consumption such as Aloe Berry Nectar or Forever Aloe Peach.
The brand also offers aloe vera-based products for the face, body, hair… From body soap to nourishing cream, including aloe vera-based toothpaste, Forever Living specializes in everyday wellness products.
The brand’s other flagship products are those from the hive, that is, honey-based. These include royal jelly dietary supplements for daily consumption. Expect €42 for 60 tablets to be taken 1 to 2 times per day.
Organic certification and controversies
The European organic logo is applied to pre-packaged food products of European origin, and this certification is only valid in France and other European countries that are EU members.
Forever products are grown in the Dominican Republic, Texas and Mexico and are sold worldwide, so they cannot be certified Ecocert or AB.
Furthermore, organic certification will only guarantee that the plants are grown without fertilizers or pesticides and that the place where they are cultivated is not contaminated by neighboring farms.
In the case of aloe vera, this label cannot guarantee that the plant was harvested at full maturity, that it contains the expected nutrients, or that it was not degraded during transport, by its packaging, or by its storage method.
Forever Living products, however, benefit from the international IASC label.
This certifies that aloe vera gel is the primary ingredient of the product, that it must not have undergone oxidation or processing, that it must be cold-stabilized, extracted at maturity… So many criteria and quality assurances to associate with an aloe vera product.
This label awarded to Forever Living products is, however, controversial. Some portray the IASC as a gathering of companies that cultivate or process aloe vera with a more financial than ecological outlook.
Rex Maughan, founder of Forever Living Products, is also listed as an honorary member of the IASC on the label’s official website.
