doTERRA

doTERRA is a Utah-based essential oil and natural wellness company that operates through a direct sales model of network marketing. The company claims to have gotten its start when a group of healthcare and business professionals strove to create a brand that would let more people connect with the benefits of essential oils.

Today, the company, whose name comes from the Latin phrase “gift of the earth,” sells a variety of essential oils, both as single-source scents and blends. It also offers other personal care and supplement products that range from skincare items to weight loss shakes.

The brand claims to be unmatched in regards to oil quality, to the point that it created a new standard: CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®.

Are these oils worth the hype, and should you consider selling for the company? This analysis will help you decide whether this is the right option for you.

How doTERRA Tries to Be Different

doTERRA claims to control every stage of essential oil production by sourcing, testing, manufacturing, and distributing all of its essential oils to over five million customers in more than 18 international markets.

The company’s self-created quality standard, CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade), “includes a rigorous examination of every batch of oil, along with third-party testing to guarantee transparency” and ensure each bottle is free of contaminants or synthetic fillers.

According to the company website, this requires a three-part testing process that includes immediately after distillation, within the doTERRA production facility, and then again when the oils are packaged before they are shipped out.

While this triple-testing standard sounds impressive, it’s important to keep in mind that its doTERRA’s own attempt to differentiate itself from other essential oil sellers.

There isn’t a regulatory agency that oversees these kinds of products, so there’s no outside regulation for doTERRA’s products beyond what the brand tells us about them.

Likewise, “therapeutic grade” is simply a marketing term and conveys nothing meaningful about an essential oil’s quality. Any brand can legally use the phrase, even if their products are cut with cheaper oils or synthetic fragrances.

Product Line

doTERRA’s product line changes frequently, but this list will give you an idea of available options:

Essential Oils

doTERRA sells a variety of single oils and proprietary blends at various price points. Most sizes range from 5–15ml, and you can expect to pay between $13–$150 per scent, though some, such as rose oil, can be upwards of $300.

The brand’s scent blends combine two or more types of oil into fragrances that purportedly have specific benefits. Examples include Calmer ($25.33/10ml), DigestZen ($44/15ml), Balance ($28/15ml), and more.

Personal Care Products

doTERRA personal care products fall under categories for skin, body, and hair care, as well as specialized spa treatments. You can purchase these products individually or in collections at a discount. Most contain essential oils to some capacity, and the products range from $9–$86 each.

Supplements

This direct marketing company sells supplements focused on a range of issues, including weight management, daily health, better digestion, women’s nutrition, and child-friendly formulas. Some are sold food-grade essential oils, while others are softgels, powdered shake kits, and supplemental greens.

Plan to pay between $37–$119 per product, while weight loss kits containing multiple products are around $265.

Kits and Collections

doTERRA’s specialty kits are designed for a variety of interests. You can purchase collections of best-selling oils or oils based around specific wellness goals.

It’s also possible to buy enrollment kits with the necessary supplies needed to get started with essential oils. There are also package deals designed to help you improve your doTERRA selling business.

Prices vary based on how many oils are included in each kit, but some are priced over $900.

Pricing and Return Policy

You can purchase doTERRA products directly off the company website. Checking out as a guest requires you to pay full retail price.

Alternatively, you can become a doTERRA member (called a Wellness Advocate) for 25% off your order and receive other incentives like a $35 starter kit and points that can be redeemed for bonus products. This membership costs $35 and also gives you access to business and product tools to help you sell products to others.

You’ll also gain access to doTERRA’s auto-ship program, which lets you receive favorite products every month and earn back 10 to 30% of the total purchase price as points that can be redeemed for free products.

Once you become a member, the annual renewal fee is $25, and you will receive a free bottle of peppermint oil as well (retail value $27.33).

Economy shipping is $3.99 per order, regardless of size.

The return policy varies based on several factors:

• Open product, returned within 30 days of purchase: 100% in-store credit or 90% refund
• Unopened product, returned within 30 days of purchase: 100% in-store credit or 100% refund
• Unopened product, returned within 90 days of purchase: 100% in-store credit or 90% refund
• Unopened product, returned within a year purchase: 90% in-store credit or 90% refund

In cases where you receive the wrong product, or it arrives damaged, doTERRA will replace it or give you its equivalent value in-store credit, so long as you submit it as a return with 15 days of receipt.

doTERRA Rewards Program

doTERRA offers an optional Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP) for those who want to sign up for recurring monthly orders. You can customize each month’s order and receive reward points that can be redeemed for bonus products.

The total reward points you acquire will depend on your total Product Volume (PV) levels. Each doTERRA product has an assigned PV level, and you can earn these points by both buying products or making sales within your network. You need at least 1 PV per month to remain in the LRP, at least 50 to begin earning points, and 125 or more to receive doTERRA’s free product of the month.

The longer you stay eligible within the program, the higher the percentage of points you can earn each month for qualifying purchases.

Selling doTERRA: Is It a Good Idea?

For many people, a primary appeal of doTERRA is the promise that the company will help them run their own profitable business from home. The company operates through a direct selling model that allows anyone to sign up as a distributor and grow their customer network.

To sell doTERRA, you’ll need to sign up to be a Wellness Advocate. This gives you the following advantages:

• Purchase all products at wholesale prices (25% off)
• Participate in the Loyalty Rewards Program
• Earn commissions on all sales
• Receive free product with annual membership renewal
• Receive a personal doTERRA website for facilitating sales
• Access doTERRA business tools and reports
• Enroll other doTERRA members and make commissions off their sales

Wellness Advocates can earn two main types of commissions: Primary and Secondary. Primary commissions are paid out monthly, and fall under the following categories:

• Retail Profit: Earn 25% commission on all products sold at retail price
• Unilevel: Earn a commission percentage when Wellness Advocates you recruited (or who were recruited by your recruits) make sales.
• Power of 3: Earn a monthly bonus based on your order types, Personal Volume, and Team Volume sales.
• Leadership Tools: Qualified Wellness Advocates get a percentage of doTERRA’s monthly Commissionable Volume.

Secondary Commissions are paid weekly. The primary method is Fast Start, which is a bonus paid out when you enroll a Wellness Advocate who places orders within their first 60 days.

This commission structure shows that doTERRA operates similarly to most multi-level marketing companies. You’ll make money from personal sales, but the best way to turn a profit is to recruit others to sell the products under you so that you earn a percentage of their commissions.

And like most MLM companies, this strategy tends to only be profitable for those at the top of the line.

The doTERRA 2018 Opportunity and Earnings Disclosure indicates that about two-thirds of Wellness Advocates remain at entry-level status. Just over half of these Advocates earn any commission at all and those who do average $380 a year.

The next level of doTERRA associates, called Builders, average between $708–$1,156 per year, and even the highest tier of Builders, making up the top 2% of all doTERRA sellers, average only $10,507 per year.

The final 1% of earners are classified as Leaders, and while some reach Presidential Diamond status where average annual earnings total $1.2 million, more than 60% are averaging less than $30k annually.

As this data shows, only a fraction of 1% of all doTERRA Advocates are earning what could be classified as a living wage, and that’s not accounting for any business expenses or the personal product costs associated with maintaining active status each month.

We’ll say it another way—join doTERRA’s Advocate team if you want discounts on your own essential oils, but don’t join if you think it’s your ticket to getting rich quickly while working from home.

Analysis of Customer Reviews

Here at HighYa, 11 readers have left reviews of doTERRA, averaging 2.5 stars out of five. We’ve summarized their comments below, along with those from Influenster, where the brand averages 4.7 stars after more than 900 reviews.

Common Compliments:

• Many users successfully used the oils and supplements in place of medications for cholesterol and sleeping
• Company is easy to work with for many people
• Some claim the products successfully helped them ward off sickness
• Each bottle lasts a long time

Common Complaints:

• Some oils spilled while shipping
• More expensive than alternative brands
• Difficulties with the return process
• Slow shipment times
• Some users had side effects to the oils/supplements

Popular Alternatives to doTERRA

The first thing to notice about these brands is that both doTERRA and Young Living are network marketing companies, while Plant Therapy and Rocky Mountain Oils operate under traditional e-commerce platforms.

This means you’ll save a lot of money on your orders if you sign up for doTERRA’s or Young Living’s membership programs, but these come with more commitments than making a standalone purchase from the other sites.

However, it’s not clear whether either Young Living or doTERRA offers many advantages for this extra commitment. Both of the other brands were less expensive per product.

While your first thought might be that Plant Therapy manages these lower prices by selling inferior oils, the company seems to offer the same level of certification and purity guarantee as the other two.

It’s also the only company to sell certified organic oils. Each bottle of Plant Therapy oil even comes with a batch number that lets you look up its specific testing reports.

Deciding which company to commit to depends on your interests. If you want to buy your oils without any further brand commitment, Plant Therapy or Rocky Mountain Oils offers that.

Those looking to join an essential oil loving community and who plan to purchase enough products to qualify for loyalty programs may want to consider one of the network marketing brands instead.

The Bottom Line

doTERRA’s essential oils have a loyal following, and the company has extensive product variety and relatively flexible return policy.

The company’s quality guarantee is entirely internal and isn’t verified by outside regulations. That’s not unusual in the world of essential oils, but it makes these oils sound like they have gone through more objective testing than they have.

Another thing to consider is that these oils are significantly more expensive than competitors. Even when accounting for wholesale pricing (which will cost you at least $25 a year), the prices tend to be higher than what you’ll pay for other brands.

Finally, we recommend you avoid joining doTERRA’s Wellness Advocate program with any intention of making real money. The company’s income disclosure statement shows that your chances of making a profit are slim to none. Join if you want the product discount, but not if you’re looking for a profitable way to work from home.