Is doTERRA a Scam? – Get Your Facts Right!
It is 2019, and unless you are living in a cave and away from modern society, you probably must have heard about doTERRA. You might be even asking yourself, “is doTERRA a scam?” – which is probably why you came here.
Well if that’s the case, then this article is just for you!
doTERRA is a direct selling slash multi-level marketing company that is internationally known for its “CPTG” essential oils. This brand of essential oil is particularly popular in the MLM industry, just like Young Living.
In this doTERRA review, we will be discussing about all the things you should know first before:
- Buying doTERRA products and
- Joining the doTERRA business opportunity
Let’s get started!
Review Summary
Name: doTERRA
Owners: David Stirling, Emily Wright, David Hill and others
Price to Join: $35 + Package Cost
doTERRA Business Opportunity Rating:
doTERRA Product Rating:
Short doTERRA Video Review
Before I proceed, let me assure you that I am neither affiliated nor promoting doTERRA and its products.
On that note, I also have no intention of ruining the reputation of this multi-level marketing company.
However, I feel that some things should be brought to light regarding this company. Especially when it comes to doTERRA’s trademarked CPTG stamp.
I provided you the table below so you can quickly navigate your way through the entire doTERRA review.
What Should You Know Before Buying Essential Oils
When buying essential oils like doTERRA, you should base your decision on the product’s quality, affordability and beneficial properties.
To help you out, these are the first three things that you should consider when thinking about buying essential oils from doTERRA.
#1 Quality
Essential oil qualities come in different levels and with several factors. Before buying one, you should know which essential oil do you want.
At the top grade are the pure essential oils, therapeutic essential oils (like the doTERRA products) and organic essential oils.
Knowing which essential oil quality you want will help you make a wise decision. But how can you make sure that doTERRA’s products are the one that you are looking for?
#1.1 Look for GC/MS Testing
While essential oil standards are not regulated, there are specific quality standards for these kinds of products that are recognized and honored throughout the world.
The GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) testing is one of them. This test reveals important details about the quality and composition of essential oil.
The Gas Chromatography measures the constituents contained within a particular essential oil sample, while the Mass Spectrometry can aid in determining if a sample contains any adulterants or impurities.
Does doTERRA products come with a GC/MS test?
#1.2 Look for the Latin names
Checking the Latin names of the essential oils can help you pick the right one that you needed. Much like “doTERRA” is a Latin word which translates to “Gift of the Earth”.
For example in case of doTERRA products, the company offers a Lavender essential oil.
By checking the Latin name on the bottle, you will be able to tell if the product is indeed a Lavender and not Lavandin.
Why?
- Lavandin (Lavandula Intermedia) is said to have a stimulating effects.
- Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) is known to be calming and relaxing.
There are different plant species which different essential oils are extracted from. One plant species offer various benefits than others.
You might be thinking that the product you bought does not work when you simply bought the wrong one.
#1.3 Look at the Glass bottle
doTERRA essential oils comes in brown glass bottles. Do you know why?
This is to preserve the quality of the essential oil.
When you are planning to buy essential oils, look for essential oils in cobalt blue or an amber brown glass bottle.
This is because essential oils will break down plastic.
Essential oils are also light sensitive, which means they will break down over time when exposed to light.
#2 Essential Oil Price
The cost of essential oil can vary, but most of the high-quality products will cost you a lot. This is mainly because of the equipment used and the quality of the ingredient.
However, it does not mean that the most expensive essential oils products have the highest quality. Contrary to what most of us believe…
Paying more does not necessarily mean getting better quality products.
This is true in the case of doTERRA.
The reason behind the company’s overpriced products have nothing to do with its quality but because of the compensation plan which I will discuss more in details later.
Does this mean doTERRA is a scam? Well, I will discuss that too in a moment.
#3 The Brand
Although an essential oil’s brand is not everything, it is good to do proper research on the company you are getting your product from.
For doTERRA, you can take a few minutes to learn about:
- doTERRA’s product quality standards;
- whether they offer Gas Chromatography (GC) and Mass Spectrometry (MS) testing or not;
- how and where they source their oils;
- and anything else you can find about the brand and its products.
I repeat, the Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry tests will help verify the constituents contained within an essential oil.
It is highly advisable that you purchase from brands that offer GC and MS results on each of their products, so you will know precisely what you are paying for.
On the other hand
doTERRA has the CPTG stamp and slapped it on its product labels. According to doTERRA, a product can only be considered CPTG if:
So does this mean that doTERRA’s essential oils are of a higher grade? More importantly…
- Does the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the CPTG?
- Can this be an assurance equal to the GC/MS tests?
What Does The doTERRA’s CPTG Stamp Mean?
I hate to break it to you like this, but the CPTG stamp on doTERRA products is nothing but hype and a marketing tool, period!
The CPTG is trademarked by the people behind doTERRA themselves to make it look like their essential oil products are above their competitors in the industry.
What’s really disappointing is that…
The FDA did not approve and had nothing to do with such certification. Which translates to the doTERRA products, even bearing the CPTG seal, not USDA certified, not certified organic, nor FDA approved!
This is FDA’s official statement regarding doTERRA products.
To be fair to them, doTERRA does have a few good essential oil products, but I assure you it has nothing to do with the CPTG stamp on its bottle.
Regarding this matter…
You can make sure that you will be able to buy the highest quality essential oils all the time by reading this article on what you need to know before purchasing essential oils.
Now you might be wondering, since doTERRA products aren’t that impressive, why are they so darn expensive? Well, as I promised, the answer is in the next section.
doTERRA Is An MLM Company
Yes! doTERRA is a multi-level marketing company.
No matter what its affiliates say, when you look at doTERRA’s compensation plan, it is that to a typical MLM company.
To keep you updated, the video below is one of the newer doTERRA compensation plan presentations that you can find on the Internet.
You can clearly see that doTERRA is an MLM company base on its comp plan. So doTERRA is an MLM, big deal right?
But what does it have to do with its expensive products?
Why doTERRA Products Are Expensive
doTERRA products are priced way more than normal to pay off its distributors and support its compensation plan.
One of the advantages of an MLM company like doTERRA is that it does not need to spend millions of dollars on advertisements on TV, magazines, social media, and radios.
doTERRA also do not need to build physical stores or rent stalls to display its products.
doTERRA uses a word-of-mouth advertising courtesy of its millions of Wellness Advocates, the company’s fancy way of referring to its distributors.
These distributors are not paid individuals. They advertise, promote and sell doTERRA products on their own will.
doTERRA members get exclusive discounts to all the company products. By selling these discounted doTERRA products, they can earn a profit of up to 55%!
They will also get a chance to earn commissions when they can bring someone to join the company.
Does this makes a lot of sense now?
doTERRA products are relatively more expensive when compared to other essential oils of comparable quality to compensate the members and to support the company’s compensation plan.
You would think that doTERRA’s expensive products will allow its distributors to make a lot of money. Unfortunately, this is not true.
doTERRA’s premium product price is a double-edged sword.
As a matter of fact, it is one of the reasons why majority of doTERRA Wellness Advocates does not make any money at all! Ironic isn’t it?
Below, I will discuss the reasons why you are “most likely” to fail and not make any money when you become a doTERRA Wellness Advocate.
You Might Be Interested In: How You Can Quit Your Job and Still Earn a Full-Time Income Online
Why More Than 95% Of doTERRA Distributors Fail
Let me make it clear that I have nothing against doTERRA or any other legit MLM companies.
However, the statistics suggest that more than 95% of the people who join an MLM company fail. This is no mere speculation; this is a fact!
And these are the reasons why.
#1 Expensive Products
Yep, this is number one of the reasons why people fail in doTERRA.
Imagine how hard it is to convince someone into buying your overpriced essential oils when there are similar yet
- cheaper,
- certified organic,
- and USDA approved essential oils that other people can purchase elsewhere.
When you compare the prices of doTERRA essential oils to many other reputable brands, the price difference is astonishing.
doTERRA essential oils range anywhere from three to ten times the cost of other brands depending on the specific oil.
This can make the product difficult to sell or leave you a feeling of guilt for selling high priced items to your friends and loved ones.
#2 Joining with the Wrong Mindset
Let’s face the facts; most people who join the doTERRA opportunity are most likely interested in the compensation plan more than the product itself.
I have seen this happening in most of the MLM companies that I was involved in.
One thing I am sure about is when Wellness Advocates does not make money over some time, they will eventually leave doTERRA.
This is because they joined the company thinking it is an easy way to make money instead of actually having a pleasant experience with its products.
#3 Customer Retention
Customer retention is one of the most challenging tasks when you do business with doTERRA.
You may have 100 people join you in your doTERRA business, but if you do not have the knowledge to retain at least half of them, you can’t create a sustainable business.
Taking the statistics into consideration, your distributor retention rate for doTERRA is only 5%.
This means that out of 100 people you bring into the doTERRA business, only five will stay.
GRANTED that you will somehow manage to get 100 people to join the business which believe me, is not as easy as how your sponsor might have told you.
In addition to the things above…
These are the other reasons why more than 95% of people fail in an MLM business like doTERRA.
Related: How You Can Quit Your Job and Still Earn a Full-Time Income Online
Is doTERRA A Scam
I wouldn’t say that doTERRA is outright a scam. It is a legit MLM company with a legal compensation plan.
Nevertheless, doTERRA might be a legit MLM company…
But it’s the manner of how its distributors promote this company and its products that could draw the line between a doTERRA scam and ethical MLM business.
If someone approach you saying that doTERRA products can cure diseases or it is an easy way to make money, then be careful!
Is doTERRA a scam afterall?
I want to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
Is doTERRA A Pyramid Scheme
Even if doTERRA has a decent product line that you could earn profits from, which most pyramid schemes do not have according to the FTC, other red flags link doTERRA to a pyramid scheme.
Some of which are:
- expensive products;
- the company’s heavy emphasis on recruitment and;
- the costly monthly maintenance
Here’s how you can easily spot a pyramid scheme from miles away.
How To Protect Yourself From Possible doTERRA Scams
For those of you who are wondering “is doTERRA a scam?”, here are a few useful tips that you can use to avoid being a victim of the hype and false promises.
- doTERRA is not a get rich quick program
- You need to sell products and work hard to earn profits
- Your income should come from selling not recruitment
Meanwhile, for those who have just heard about doTERRA, below is a concise company introduction.
What is doTERRA
doTERRA literally means “Gift of the Earth,” according to doTERRA’s official website.
The company has been around since 2008 and was founded by
- David Stirling,
- Emily Wright,
- David Hill,
- Corey B. Lindley,
- Gregory P. Cook,
- Robert J. Young, and
- Mark Wolfert.
Interesting enough, David Stirling, Emily Wright, and David Hill were former executives of another MLM company, Young Living.
doTERRA produces and distributes a wide variety of health and wellness products that contain essential oils.
doTERRA Membership Options
If you want to take part of the essential oil fever which is on the rise as you read this doTERRA review…
You might be glad to know that doTERRA offers two membership options. You can either join the company as a Wholesale Member or as a Wellness Advocate.
When you become a wholesale member, you will be entitled to enjoy a 25-55% off on all doTERRA products.
You have to purchase a particular enrollment pack to become a wholesale member. These are:
- Home Essentials Kit ($275)
- Emotional Aromatherapy Diffused Kit ($195)
- Family Essentials Kit ($150)
- AromaTouch Diffused Kit ($150)
- Natural Solutions Kit ($550)
- Every Oil Enrollment Kit ($1950)
- Cleanse and Restore Kit ($245)
- Diamond Enrollment Kit ($2750)
Meanwhile…
The cost to become a Wellness Advocates is an initial $35 fee. Aspiring doTERRA Wellness Advocates must also choose one of the starter kits above to enroll as an official distributor.
On top of that, you must also pay an annual $25 Wellness Advocate membership renewal fee.
The upside of being a Wellness Advocate is that you can make money by recruiting people to doTERRA. You will also earn a percentage for the total product sales of all the people under your team.
Disclaimer: The package prices may have changed depending on the time you are reading this review, but you can check doTERRA’s website to validate its accuracy.
Should You Join And Become A doTERRA Wellness Advocate
That depends.
Although there are some serious roadblocks that you must overcome so that you will become successful in an MLM company like doTERRA…
I do believe that you can make money with this kind of business opportunity.
Related: Here’s How Many People Is Making Money At Home Without Selling Products Or Recruitment. You Can Do It Too!
My Humble Advice
If you have your heart set into becoming one of the Wellness Advocates of doTERRA, I highly recommend that you learn what Attraction Marketing is.
- It is a powerful network marketing strategy that will allow you to promote your doTERRA products more effectively.
- Attraction Marketing will also allow you to meet like-minded people who are eager and willing to join your doTERRA business without you needing to reach out to them!
Get started on an Attraction Marketing training program here.
In addition to Attraction Marketing, you can also take a look at the best MLM training programs to guide your way and maximize your chance of success.
On the other hand…
If you think that doTERRA is not the business opportunity that you are hoping for, then I can recommend an online business program instead.
If done right, this business program will allow you to make a full-time income at home! It is even possible to generate a 6-figure income or more without needing to:
- Sell any products
- Recruit People
- Do home parties
- Make cold calls
- Prospecting strangers
But perhaps the best part about this online business program that I am telling you about is, you can get started for free!
Final Words
Thank you for taking the time to investigate the truth on is doTERRA a scam or a legit business opportunity to make money.
I certainly hope that you found the answers that you are hoping for.
If you think this doTERRA review could help educate other people too, kindly share this to them at your convenience.
- Do you have any questions about doTERRA?
- Do you want to share your own experience with this company and its products?
You can contact me directly or leave a comment below.
Finally, regardless if you join an MLM company like doTERRA or start your own online business, make sure it is something you are truly passionate about.
Until here and I wish you all the best in the future.
Your pal,
Jack
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