Kangen Water®, sold by Enagic®, uses a multi-level marketing (MLM) model that more than resembles a pyramid scheme.

Kangen Water®, owned by Enagic Corporation, is the brand name for hydrogen, alkaline water made from a water ionizer. Kangen® water is marketed as unique, premium water that can only be obtained from one of their units. Is this a Ponzi scheme in a glass? 

What Is Kangen Water and Who Is Enagic®? Let's get into this…

Kangen Water® is water produced by Enagic® water ionizer machines. These devices are heavily promoted through independent distributors, and they are not sold by the actual company. 

Other water ionizer brands sell factory direct while Enagic relies on a sales pyramid that compensates distributors all the way to the top of this sales structure every time a unit is sold.

Kangen® Water How the Enagic® Pyramid Works

Every time a Kangen® Water machine is sold, as many as eight distributors in the Enagic® pyramid receive a commission. That cost is baked into the retail price.

This is why a Kangen machine can cost $4,000, more than double the price of comparable ionizers. Replacement filters are overpriced too, since the same pyramid structure applies when customers reorder.

Why Kangen® Machines Cost So Much

• Filter replacements
  
• Accessories
  
• Consumables

You’re not paying for better technology. You’re paying to feed the MLM.

The controversial sales structure used by Enagic relies on multi-level marketing (MLM), which is pretty much a pyramid scheme with a different name. So you could pay more than double for a lower quality unit in order to pay the person who sold it to them and the person who sold the unit to them and so on and so forth…

FTC Guidelines on Pyramid Schemes/MLMs

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says there are similarities between MLM sales and pyramid schemes

• Get ready to be recruited. Distributors make most of their money from their new recruits and not real product demand.
  

• It might sound all good but the failure rate is high. Less than 1% of MLM participants profit.
  

• Recruiting family and friends is part of the business so prepare to pitch at every holiday and social event.
  

Kangen distributors tell you by selling ‘just’ three of the Kangen® Water machines, you can earn the cost of the machine back AND more… but most that are convinced into this lose money and sometimes friends after investing into the scheme.

The Other Costs They Don’t Mention: Filters, Fees, and Recurring MLM Expenses

The buck doesn’t stop after buying the Kangen® Water machine. After purchasing the Enagic machine you are hooked into buying more at that same MLM bloated price:

• Filter replacements
  
• Accessories
  
• Consumables

Get a Higher Quality Water Ionizer with a Longer Warranty at a Smart Price with all of the Health Benefits.

Buy directly from the manufacturer so you cut out the middleman. You get:

 

• Lower upfront prices (often less than half the cost of Kangen)

• Expert support from the people who built your machine

•  

  Affordable replacement filters and parts

Life Ionizers™ has been in business for over 29 years manufacturing water solutions for all needs. Get a consultation with a water expert and a free water report. They will analyze your water for free to customize the filtration of your water ionizer. This is totally free and there is no obligation to buy.

Why It Matters

Kangen® Water may sound appealing, but they over-promise and under-deliver. Enagic's MLM structure is the reason for that huge price tag. Their water ionizer lacks custom filtration, has a short warranty and old technology. With multiple distributors taking a cut, customers pay more for marketing than for technology.

Get the benefits without the MLM markups and invest in Life.

Call or chat with an expert today!

Works Cited

Federal Trade Commission. Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/business-guidance-concerning-multi-level-marketing. Accessed 12 Sept. 2025.

Federal Trade Commission. Multi-Level Marketing Businesses and Pyramid Schemes. Federal Trade Commission, consumer.ftc.gov/articles/multi-level-marketing-businesses-pyramid-schemes. Accessed 12 Sept. 2025.

Federal Trade Commission. FTC Staff Report: Income Disclosure Statements of 70 MLMs. Federal Trade Commission, 4 Sept. 2024, www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/09/ftc-staff-report-analyzes-70-mlm-income-disclosure-statements. Accessed 12 Sept. 2025.

Fundera. “10 MLM Statistics You Need to Know.” Fundera, www.fundera.com/resources/mlm-statistics. Accessed 12 Sept. 2025.

Taylor, Jon M. The Case (for and) against Multi-Level Marketing. Federal Trade Commission, 2011, www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_comments/trade-regulation-rule-disclosure-requirements-and-prohibitions-concerning-business-opportunities-ftc.r511993-00017%C2%A0/00017-57317.pdf. Accessed 12 Sept. 2025.