In 2007, Hollywood power couple Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin ventured into the multi-level marketing industry with their company SERIESSE International. The venture combined Flavin’s existing skincare line with Stallone’s supplement line called “S-Force,” launching with much fanfare at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas.
Origins in Serious Skincare
The company’s foundation was built on Jennifer Flavin’s previous success in the skincare industry. As Flavin herself explained: “I was on HSN for about 15 years, we’ve grown into a billion dollar company, but so many of my friends kept saying ‘how do I get involved in the company? I want to sell your products,’ so that’s why I developed the SERIESSE products.”
However, her earlier success wasn’t without controversy. In 1999, the Federal Trade Commission sued the Home Shopping Network over deceptive claims made about Serious Skincare products. During a July 27, 1997 TV program, her business partner Lisa Stock had claimed: “You’ll be able to use Clearance… I’m not talking about just superficially clearing your skin, I’m talking about making your skin smooth like marble.” The lawsuit resulted in a $1.1 million settlement.
The Rocky Road to MLM
The transition to MLM came after Stallone’s career resurgence with Rocky Balboa in 2006. As Flavin explained their business model: “This is a multi-level marketing, it’s a home-based business so you can start your own company for about $40.”
The motivation for the change was partly due to HSN’s restrictions. According to Flavin: “I couldn’t do beauty from the inside, I could only do it from the outside with creams and makeup. I wanted to expand but my hands were sort of tied.”
Stallone’s Active Promotion and Controversial Claims
Sylvester Stallone played a prominent role in promoting SERIESSE and its products, particularly the S-Force nutritional supplements. During promotional events, he made bold claims about their health benefits, including suggesting they could help prevent cancer:
“I’ll give an example, 1900 one in it was cancer every 100 people, by 1970 it was one in 25, 1990 one in five, and now one and every two and a half people are going to get cancer, so we better do something.”
He heavily promoted the protein powder, claiming: “There is a powder, and this, it’s a protein powder… this particular protein powder which has 45 gram of protein, this is what I ate for three months at night, no dinner.” However, these claims appeared to conflict with a New York Times article from the same period, which revealed Stallone had used prescription testosterone and growth hormone while filming Rambo to gain 41 pounds.
Stallone enthusiastically endorsed the business opportunity: “What Jennifer is telling you to get involved in is a winner, or otherwise I wouldn’t be involved in it because we’ve done too much in our lives, we’ve all been successful, everyone involved in SERIESSE has been very very successful.”
A Personal Investment
The SERIESSE venture was deeply rooted in the Stallones’ relationship, which began in 1988 when Jennifer was a 19-year-old model and Sylvester was a 42-year-old Hollywood star. Despite a brief separation in 1994 due to Stallone’s affair with supermodel Janice Dickinson, they reconciled in 1995 after a paternity test revealed Dickinson’s baby wasn’t his. They married in 1997, marking Flavin’s first marriage and Stallone’s third.
The Rapid Decline
SERIESSE International’s success was short-lived. By mid-2009, the company began showing signs of trouble, launching a “SERIESSE Super Sale” with 70% discounts and no returns, refunds, or commissions allowed. After a period of inactivity, a final sale emerged in February 2011, requiring minimum 5-item orders with prices “slashed below cost.” By August 31, 2011, the company officially closed.
Legacy and Lessons
The story of SERIESSE International highlights the challenges of celebrity-endorsed MLMs and the importance of scrutinizing health and marketing claims. After the company’s closure, Jennifer Flavin returned to selling Serious Skincare through traditional retail channels, while Stallone’s S-Force trademark expired in 2009 and was never renewed. Today, neither mentions their involvement with SERIESSE in interviews or social media, marking it as a brief and largely forgotten chapter in their business ventures.
