I
have received a number of emails inquiring about the legitimacy of Arbonne as a
Swiss company. According to the brand’s web site, Arbonne products are "FORMULATED
IN SWITZERLAND. MADE IN THE USA." Specifically, "the Arbonne Institute
of Research and Development, or AIRD, is a research and development facility
located in Switzerland. The purpose of this institute is to coordinate the
efforts of master formulators as they research, develop and finalize Arbonne’s
exclusive skin care products... Pierre Bottiglieri coordinates the development
of Arbonne’s proprietary skin care formulas at AIRD in Switzerland..." (www.arbonne.com/company/aird.asp).
The following is merely conjecture: The AIRD may currently or may have existed within the context of the Laboratoires Biologiques Arval (www.arval.ch) which is in the business of developing and manufacturing products under private label brands. One of the services they offer is “formulation services without production or filling” which seems to fit with Arbonne’s business model of having its products formulated in Switzerland but produced in the United States. The tabs on this site no longer seem to be active.
A
greater emphasis is placed on Arbonne’s association with Switzerland than the
United States. This is evident in the lockup featuring a grey-scale version of
the Swiss flag and two call outs to Switzerland: 1) “Pure Swiss Skin Care” and
2) “Formulated In Switzerland”. (Primary Sources: www.arbonne.com/company/aird.asp and
www.arval.ch)
