prowin products – a direct distribution system

have you heard of a company called prowin.net ? I admit I have never heard of them before very recently, when I was made aware of them by a friend.

this is particularly funny as the company was established already in 1995. super close to my hometown in the South-West part of Germany, where I was born and where I had lived until around the same time. yet had never heard of them before only recently…

three main product categories

prowin has three main product categories:

household cleaning products and gadgets
cosmetics
and pet supplies

interesting mix, isn’t it?

as to the reasons why the company provides this very product mix I can only make assumptions. I assume they must have started with their cleaning products. and have then added products that they found to be attractive to their target group ‘housewife’. (please don’t take offence, I do not mean to use the term in a negative sense, simply stereotyping as a shortcut to meaning)

way of distribution – direct distribution system

one of their major USPs (unique selling proposition) is their way of distribution, which they call ‘clean’. it is a form of direct distribution with no retailers or wholesalers as intermediaries included.

how this works? well, basically like other direct systems we know of like Avon Cosmetics or Tupperware. Most of prowin’s 75.000 so called ‘sales partners’ are basically ‘customers’, that recommend the products to friends and family with a commission of about 20 to 30%.

a plus: there is free training for anyone who is interested in selling, no minimum orders, no minimum revenue goals.

I enjoy using some of the cleaning gadgets like a certain window cleaning cloth. yet I am not going into reviewing those cleaning products in this article. Instead I want to spend some time discussing their cosmetic products instead.

prowin cosmetics

the cosmetic line is called ‘natural wellness’, a children’s line called ‘baby care’.

not highly innovative terms I find, ‘natural’ and ‘wellness’ being overused in the industry for quiet some time now. plus the majority of consumers nowadays understand that simply because it says ‘natural’ on a product, does not automatically prove it is…

as always when receiving new products, I first run them through the database by cosmeticanalysis.com.

I was highly surprised this time.

surprised because of the large differences in the ‘natural’ aspect. Whilst some of the products contain recommendable natural and fully harmless ingredients, others totally fail with highly toxic ingredients.

here we go:

prowin natural wellness – look and packaging

I am a little confused about the looks of the different products.
to start with, there are three different logos for the three different product categories. and tag lines even in different fonts.

for the cosmetic line ‘natural wellness’ the colours white, green and orange predominate. however I fail to understand a systematic approach.

logos are not identical between the different product lines.

the logo comes in white on orange, in light grey on white and in dark grey on green. plus the violet on white in the baby line.

we are looking at the following products:

after shave gel cream
body & massage oil
Aloe Vera tooth paste
Aloe Vera Hair & Body Shampoo
GWNC foot bath salts (not clear what GWNC stands for…)

after shave gel cream 75 ml

although containing a whopping 29 ingredients, I found only 2 that are not recommended. these are fragrance (can irritate the skin and is one of the most common allergens) and alcohol denat. (which can access the hormone system).

since I do not use after shave products on myself, I am going to have to ask my husband/guinea pig to test this product for me.

body & massage oil 100 ml

overall rating is ‘good’, however contains 4 out of 8 ingredients that may cause photoallergenic reactions. one ingredient is ‘aroma’ of unknown source. most recommended ingredient is the sweet almond oil, known for healing properties.

the orange colour oil has a wintery/xmassy smell to me, and magics a sun-kissed look to my skin. the oil is mess free and absorbs quickly in to my rather dry body skin. great oil for winter, however we may long for a fresher scent in summer.

Aloe Vera tooth paste 100 ml

ever since I have tried alternative tooth cleansing products such as tooth oils, I am a great fan of alternatives. hence I was really looking forward to the aloe vera tooth creme with a subtle minty flavour. although containing peg 32, which makes the skin porous and hence allows hazardous substances to enter the skin, it receives an overall ‘good’ grade for ingredients. i like the smell, feel, and taste; yet have not used the paste for long enough to be able to say anything about long term effects.

GWNC foot bath salts 500 grams

overall rating ‘good’, fine salt, refreshing scents, appropriate ingredients. I like to take care of my feet in different ways, including foot reflexology, and of course with a lovely foot bath and peeling.

Aloe Vera Hair & Body Shampoo 300 ml

unfortunately an example for ‘it is not natural just because it reads aloe vera’…

the label claims the product to be ‘mild and gentle’.
however carcinogen and toxic ingredients such as MEA lauryl sulfate and cocamide DEA suggest to keep away from it.

Hautschutz Creme 100 ml

also a no-go for me, with ingredient triethanolamine, a carcinogen and toxic agent.

prowin BabyCare

I have three products in the prowin BabyCare line in front of me:

the Baby face and body lotion
a Baby Bath and Wash Gel
and a Baby wind and weather cream

all good for 12 months after opening.

Baby Care – look and packaging

nice clean look in white and violet tubes, logo and writing.

A little storck’s head complements the baby care logo and look.
and differs from that of other prowin products. not great for recall and recognition in brand awareness, however I like the overall look suitable for baby care.

thumbs up for no additional outside packaging. a little plastic wrap seals the tubes’ caps. each tube provides all information needed on the back in a readable font (finally…) in German, French and Dutch language.

Baby face and body lotion 100 ml

the analysis of the ingredients receives an overall ‘good’ rating, with no harmful ingredients.

the label identifies 19 ingredients in total in this product. the skin health association highly recommends two of them: panthenol (= provitamin B5) and tocopherol (a form of vitamin E).

five more ingredients are labelled ‘indifferent’ with no positive or negative effect on the skin, such as water. however two out of those five ‘neutral’ ingredients are not suitable for natural cosmetics (such as methylpropanediol).

ok, the baby care line is not explicitly labelled as natural baby care.
however I would expect any supplier designing new baby cosmetics to look into ingredients very carefully.

Baby Bath and Wash Gel 200 ml

same for the wash gel, it receives an overall ‘good’. I did not find any harmful or not recommended ingredients.
not even one that was not suitable for natural skin products.

Baby wind and weather cream 200 ml

the wind and weather cream also receives an overall ‘good’.
it contains five out of 19 ingredients that are ‘neutral’. however two of those ‘neutral’ ingredients (carbomer and ethylhexylglycerin) are polluting. which means environmentally relevant.
again tocopherol and panthenol are the most recommended ingredients in this product.

Wrap Up

as always I do not discuss prices. prices are highly depending on a consumer’s perception. what may seem super cheap to one may be average to another. So I always leave the judgement of pricing to you.

overall I can say that I personally consider prices (of all prowin products that I have tested so far) pretty high. some products are worth it to me. for other products I find alternatives amongst other brands in the same or even lower price ranges.

a minus for me as end consumer (and not interested in selling myself) is their direct distribution system. I cannot order online, nor are products available in retail. I have to go through a sales partner.
in general, I do not stick to one brand or line, but like to mix & match my products. be it for cleaning products or cosmetics. since I am happy with some of the prowin solutions I will keep using them, however will choose my picks from this brand, and pick other great solutions from other brands. this way I can take advantage of using excellent products that reflect each brand’s core competency.