Written by Frosty Rose

For quite some time, Pink Truth has been reporting on trends that indicate that Mary Kay is moving quickly away from the MLM business model that has defined them for over 60 years. Moving the annual seminar out of Dallas to a much smaller venue, stripping perks, eliminating samples, changing how website orders are handled, and more, have steadily eroded consultant benefits and confidence.

Not even national sales directors, those bastions at the top of the pink pyramid, are safe. We’ve reported on new requirements to maintain their cars (which were previously guaranteed regardless of production) and earn the annual trip. We even got to see Roya Mattis have her Escalade towed away. There has also been a marked uptick in “early retirements,” with somewhere between 18 and 36 nsds slated to retire in January 2026.

But, why? Why push out national sales directors, who are held up as the proof that the Mary Kay system works? They’re the inspiration, the trainers, and they represent the position to which all consultants aspire.

Well, the simple answer, as always with a business, is money! National sales directors are expensive! Even in light of rapidly shrinking commissions at every level of the pyramid, nsds cost corporate a LOT of money, and they seem to be outliving their usefulness.

Let’s dive into what happens when a Mary Kay nsd retires:

At each step up the Mary Kay Cosmetics career path, an individual is effectively operating at her level and all levels below it. So, consultants are paid to sell and recruit. Sales directors are paid to lead a unit of at least 24 consultants, AND sell and recruit. Nsds are paid to lead at least 20 directors, AND lead a unit, AND sell and recruit.

But what, really, is the purpose of a national sales director? For the most part, it has been aspirational. THIS is the title you want. It’s the top of the pyramid, and they are there to motivate the downline and to get them to order more products that everyone knows they won’t be able to sell. In order for the great con to continue to flourish, you must have someone seemingly successful with it. If SHE can do it, then anyone can.

But as we know, in the last 10 years, production numbers have been falling. The incomes of the nsds have been falling. And it’s gotten embarrassing for both the company and the nsds. Thus, MK Inc. is working hard to cut costs, and that means taking previously guaranteed prizes (cars, trips, and more) away from the nsds, who just aren’t bringing in enough money to justify the expenses.

Thus, the nationals are retiring early. (Likely, MK anticipated these early retirements and was actually hoping and praying they would happen, because it is truly the best and easiest way to cut costs.)

When an nsd retires, she can bequeath her personal unit to one or more of her first line directors (one who has debuted directly from her personal unit). Increasingly, nsds like Linda Toupin are pushing their daughters through directorship in their last couple of years as an nsd so they can continue running their unit from the shadows. The unit of the retiring nsd gets passed to her first line director, who continues to earn director commissions on the unit. Note however, since the director receiving all these unit members from the nsd did not recruit them, her commissions will be lower than the nsd’s was.

All of the nsd’s directors, including the one who inherited her unit, will go into what’s now known as the “Mary Kay National Area.” These are all the units that no longer have a national sales director. It is supposed to showcase the pinnacle of the “Go Give Spirit” where all current nsds are meant to train and support directors and consultants without a national as though they’re their own. (Ha!)

By assigning these units to a “no-national” area, corporate is off the hook for nsd commissions on downline directors, as well as thousands of dollars of bonuses each year, plus trip costs, and car leases.

So why is a national sales director motivated to retire early? Well, it’s the same! The almighty dollar. Under certain conditions, nationals are guaranteed a retirement plan from Mary Kay, styled as the Family Security Plan. The payout received from the retirement plan depends on the national’s earnings during the last five years of her career. For 15 years, she’ll earn 60% of the average of her last five years’ earnings. So, if she hits the mythical $100,000/year, Mary Kay will purchase her an annuity that will pay her $60,000 per year for 15 years.

As commissions continue to drop, it makes sense that nationals are getting out while the getting’s good. The longer they wait, the more their commissions fall, the less they receive via the retirement payout.

That’s a lot of words for one simple takeaway: Mary Kay is failing as an MLM. They’re shedding the top layer of the pyramid faster than sharks shed teeth. And if nationals can’t make a living at this sham of a business, there’s no hope for anyone else. Consultants and directors, please open your eyes. Get out now, while you can.