Nu Skin has historically operated as a legal multi-level marketing corporation rather than an illegal pyramid scheme, though its business practices, recruitment models, and distribution structures have faced intense regulatory scrutiny, investigations, and civil lawsuits over decades of operation. Government agencies and state attorney generals have previously scrutinized the company regarding income claims, distributor recruitment emphasis, and marketing practices, resulting in historical financial settlements and consent decrees without formal admissions of illegal pyramid structuring. The enterprise maintains that its primary focus remains legitimate product sales to end consumers through an authorized network of independent direct-selling affiliates.