I have had several people ask if I have tried doTERRA's line of essential oils, and besides that they are a multi level marketing company, here are my issues with them:The claims they make are not even possible, and the "Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®" claim is in itself misleading. The reason there is an ® at the end of that phrase is because there is no such thing as a certification for pure therapeutic grade. It is possible to have oils tested in a lab to see if they have been adulterated, but a reputable seller would have the gas chromatography analysis available to customers.
® means "registered trademark," which means they invented and own the term "certified pure therapeutic grade®" and are using their trademarked phrase in a way to mislead consumers. It also reserves the phrase to be something only THEY are legally allowed to use. If no other essential oil supplier is allowed to use this phrase, even if their oils are 100% purely distilled from organic plants from a biodynamic farm with lab testing to prove it, they still will not be allowed to say they are also "CPTG" because A. There is no way to actually get this certification B. It is simply a trademarked phrase owned by a corporate business.
Many distilleries have organic oils available, and doTERRA does not seem to carry any organic oils, a standard that actually exists in the industry. This makes me doubt further that they actually have the best sources for their essential oils. They do not even list the country of origin or botanical name of the oil which is info you want to make sure is always available on essential oils.
Young Living oils encourage their customers to use essential oils recklessly and wastefully; ingesting them (which is ridiculous because essential oils are specifically the smallest, most volatile compounds of the plant that can be inhaled), applying even the irritating ones to skin without dilution, and they make medical claims that are not even remotely true. But the FDA disclaimer at the bottom means that they do not need any evidence to support their claims. Essential oils do have some therapeutic benefits if they are used correctly and for the appropriate applications, but chugging questionably sourced frankincense is not going to cure cancer.
Young Living also claims to oversee the entire production of the oils they sell, but this is not possible in Iowa. There are few essential oils besides lavender, citrus, and mint that are grown and distilled in the United States. There are also small boutique distilleries that specialize in a handful of plants that they grow or wild harvest in their local region (and no; clove, lemon, and rosewood trees do not grow in Iowa). The rest is imported.
If you want to buy essential oils, the ones available at health food stores, such as Auracacia, Windmere etc. are fine and they are more reasonably priced than MLM distributers. I am not fully aware of the sustainability practices of all the commercial brands but I do know what shady claims to look out for, and when I see an outright lie.
