DoTERRA Review: Is It A Scam?

(Last Updated on November 20, 2023)

DoTERRA isn’t just a company that sells essential oils.

They also offer their users a multi-level marketing opportunity, which means that they can join up and sell products or recruit new members to join the brand.

Some people find this an exciting opportunity.

Other people jump and run when they hear about this.

That’s usually because they’ve heard something bad about these MLM businesses.

That’s not without merit. Some of them are sheisty.

Today we’ll let you know what’s up with DoTERRA so you can decide whether or not you want to do business with them.

What is DoTERRA?

DoTERRA is one of the most popular brands that sells essential oils while offering an MLM opportunity.

There are a few other businesses that offer both of these, the most popular being Young Living, Be Young, and DoTERRA.

There are a few more on the market but these are generally considered the most popular.

The brand is quite renown for its effective marketing strategies.

They’re not old in a long-scale sense – they’ve been around since 2008 – but they’ve done a pretty good job reaching a wide audience.

This is probably because one of the owners comes from a healthcare background and the other has a business background.

Overall, the goal of DoTERRA is to supply people with an alternative way to find themselves happy and healthy.

Their main products are a variety of essential oils that can be used for different purposes.

DoTERRA: What Do They Sell?

They sell a huge number of different essential oils which are volatile compounds extracted from a variety of different plants.

The oils that they sell are therapeutic-grade and have legitimate medical applications.

There are so many different types of oils that it’s impossible to list them all.

Essential oils have been used for hundreds of years as incense, for aromatherapy, and for many things spiritual and superstitious.

Popular oils used throughout history include frankincense, made from frankincense gum, tea tree oil, lavender oil, and myrrh.

All of these oils have different medical properties and are very powerful.

They should be used responsible and never taken internally without the guidance of a medical professional.

DoTERRA Most Popular Products

DoTERRA sells a huge number of essential oils and some of them are more popular than others.

The top 3 are popular among other essential oil brands, but some of their products are unique blends that they make on their own.

The Top 3 Essential Oils are lavender, peppermint, and frankincense.

• Lavender is very calming and many people like to use it in their baths.
• Peppermint is useful as an energy tonic and a digestive aid. It also goes well in a bath and can help to promote good respiration.
• Frankincense has been wildly popular as an aromatherapy oil for many years.

They also make a number of different blended oils. The most popular ones that they sell include:

Breathe

Breathe is a mixture of oils that’s intended to help open up your bronchial pathways so you can breathe easier.

Deep Blue

Deep Blue is an oil that’s made to help soothe the pain of sore muscles or aching joints. It should be used externally.

Onguard

Onguard is intended to put your immune system on guard and help you stay strong and health.

Does DoTERRA Work?

There have been innumerable studies done on essential oils and their medicinal benefits.

Despite that, research is still fairly young.

And none of DoTERRA’s oils themselves have been used in any studies to my knowledge.

That said, there’s no reason to believe that they wouldn’t work.

It’s possible to botch the extraction of an essential oil but the brand wouldn’t be so popular if they weren’t good quality.

Some people are skeptical of the claims made on certain essential oil products.

For example, there isn’t a lot of evidence to prove that their Onguard oil can be useful for boosting immunity.

However, that’s not because they have been disproved.

It’s just because studies haven’t been done yet.

Folk medicine practitioners, like those of the Ayurvedic and Ancient Chinese Medicine systems, have been promoting alternative health practices like using essential oils for many years.

They are consistently being proved right.

Now that Western science is catching up with them they are beginning to realize that folk medicine, when part of a bigger plan, can be quite helpful.

DoTERRA MLM Business Opportunity

DoTERRA provides members with a MLM business opportunity.

This means that people can join the company and start to sell products or recruit members to do more of the same.

As you do this, you will earn bonuses and discounts on the products.

In most cases you’ll also earn a certain percentage of commission from the people in your downline.

These are the people that you recruit, and the people that they recruit, and so on.

DoTERRA: The Compensation Plan

Every MLM company has a different compensation plan.

That’s one of the reasons that they have such a bad rep.

Some MLM companies have laced up terrible compensation plans in nice wording and ended up ripping off their members.

Not every business does that, though.

DoTERRA has their own unique plan and you can look at it yourself.

One thing that’s great about DoTERRA is they offer their own little online ‘university’ in which members can get free information and articles about selling for them.

The coolest thing about them is their Fast Track bonus, which means you get 20% commission on anything someone you recruit sells for the first 60 days.

However you need to be making at least 100 PV (point value) on your own sales before this will happen.

Similar to other MLMs, the Point Value system is a bit out of balance.

You’ll get about half as many points as the dollar value of what you’re selling (a 10-dollar sale will get you just about 5 points.)

The other unique thing about them is their Power of 3 Incentive program.

This gives you more bonuses when you sponsor 3 people who join the company.

You then get more bonuses when they hire more people.

That’s the gist of it.

Of course, like any other MLM, you can level up by selling things.

Your bonuses will increase as you earn more PV and recruit more members.

Is DoTERRA A Pyramid Scheme?

A pyramid scheme is basically just a business in which the people at the bottom, which would be the newest recruits, send profit towards the top of the pyramid.

Many people don’t like pyramid schemes.

These are usually people who are at the bottom of the pyramid or not a part of it at all.

Pyramid schemes aren’t inherently bad, it just takes time and practice to make money with them.

It’s also worth noting that you’ll pretty much never reach the ‘top of the pyramid’ and become the CEO of a company just from being a distributor.

Anything’s possible – but I’m assuming you’re not joining a MLM business in an effort to become a CEO.

It’s probably better to go to business school for that.

DoTERRA Reviews & Complaints

Just like with any company, there are a wide variety of customer opinions on DoTERRA.

Some people don’t like the way that the business structure is set up or have had bad experiences.

The most recent reviewer on the BBB Review Site said that Doterra “requires its customers to buy merchandise every month,” saying that if they don’t, “the account will be shut down.”

That makes sense, considering joining as a wholesale member is a special bonus and if you’re not going to keep buying things from them, why would they give you a 1-time bonus?

Unfortunately, for some people this just works out bad.

The same reviewer was “forced to close our account during a move” only because they “didn’t have an address to send to.”

That said, a lot of people have had totally awesome experiences.

The reviewer before that has “been using their products on and around my family for five years now.”

She believes that they are “incredible products” and fully supports their customer service.

She has “never been more satisfied with them.”

The rest of the reviews are from different customers.

Generally the oils seem to be in good quality but some people had bad experiences with the business practices and reported them as flaws.

DoTERRA Prices & Where To Buy

You can find DoTERRA products easiest on their website.

You can sign up as a Wholesale Member, which will give you wholesale prices, or join as a distributor in which you get the same discount but can also earn money.

They are one of the few MLM companies that don’t have their products widely available on Amazon or other online markets.

You can still buy the Introductory Sales Kits on Amazon, but you won’t be saving yourself any money.

Their Natural Deodorant costs $8.50 when you buy it wholesale.

That’s the price that distributors get.

It sells for $11.33 at retail price.

Pretty expensive for a 1.7 ounce stick of deodorant.

Their oils are also a lot cheaper when you get them wholesale.

For example, you save a pretty good amount buying any essential oils when you get them wholesale.

Listed below are some oils with the retail price first, followed by the wholesale price.

• Basil essential oil, $67.00, $20.00
  
• Cilantro essential oil, $67.00, $26.00
  
• Ylang ylang, $47.00, $35.25

If you have ever bought essential oils before then you’ll realize that these prices are nothing to write home about.

They can be found for much cheaper.

DoTERRA Money Back Guarantee & Refund Policy

DoTERRA has a very good outline of their return policy on their website.

There are a lot of specifics.

Generally you can get your full refund if you return the product within 30 days, whether or not it’s opened.

Opened products can’t be refunded after 30 days and non-opened ones will receive less of a refund.

DoTERRA Pros & Cons

It’s a good idea to figure out the pros and cons of any business that you’re planning on joining.

Even if you’re just planning to buy stuff from them.

You can learn a lot about the potential quality of a company’s stuff just by observing their business practices.

Without further ado, here are the pros and cons of DoTERRA.

Pros

• Essential oils are continually being backed up by science and are becoming accepted as more than folk medicine
• Essential oils are super versatile and can be used in different areas of life
• They can help to support you in a natural, healthy and holistic lifestyle. This is becoming more and more of a popular ‘trend’ (despite the fact that living healthy is how we’re all supposed to live)
• They have developed a great support system for their members with free training and good articles.
• They are run very professionally and have good customer service.
• You can get a Fast Start Bonus if you manage to recruit new members really quickly.

Cons

• You need to pay $35 to sign up. People who have never seen the pricing of other MLMs may be disappointed at this. However, $35 is a lot less than you’ll pay to join other companies.
• DoTERRA doesn’t own the farms where the oils are made and harvested. Some people might find this a problem.
• They do not have any proprietary oils, which means that they basically get the oils from another company and rebrand them.
• They lack their own quality control because they don’t do extractions or cold-pressing at their facility.
• They’re a little expensive.

DoTERRA Review: Final Verdict

DoTERRA has made itself a name as a reliable, if a little bit expensive, MLM company.

They treat their members and customers fairly and provide them with good quality oils.

Reviews across the internet are mixed, but people who work with them tend to have positive experiences.

We can’t tell you whether or not to join a company, but hopefully we’ve given you enough information for you to make your own choice.

Good luck!

So, what do you think about our DoTERRA review? Would you buy this product or not? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!