Young Living vs doTERRA and Why I Left Both

I didn’t really know what to think about essential oils at first.

A friend recommended a blend called Thieves when I was dealing with a bad sinus infection—I share that story in more detail here—and I was surprised enough by the results that I signed up with Young Living.

I was already aware of some concerning things about the company’s history—but I still wanted to give the oils a fair chance and see for myself how they performed.

That’s what led me to start digging deeper into essential oils in general and looking to find a quality company to buy our oils from.

At that time, a doTERRA rep reached out to me—because she could tell I really cared about quality. She believed I’d find the transparency, quality, and support I was looking for with doTERRA.

I decided to check them out and join their company as well and was optimistic at first, but when we started digging into specific questions—especially about their peppermint oil sourcing (see below for more about that)—the answers still weren’t clear.

So now I couldn't get clear answers from the two biggest names in the industry. At that point, I decided I wasn’t comfortable continuing with either company.

What I found wasn’t just disappointing—it raised serious concerns about how both companies present their products.

Most comparisons between Young Living and doTERRA don’t actually answer the real questions.

That’s because many of them are written by representatives of one company or the other.

So instead of just repeating the usual talking points, I started looking at both companies from a different angle:

• What are they actually transparent about?
• Where do things not quite add up?
• And what should you really be paying attention to as a consumer?

Young Living vs doTERRA: Which Is Better?

If you’re just looking for a quick answer:

• Best for transparency: doTERRA (shares GC/MS testing reports)
• Best for variety: Young Living (larger product range)
• Biggest concerns: Both (sourcing, marketing, and MLM structure)
• My conclusion: I don’t recommend either for most people—and I’ll explain why below.

Note: I’m sharing what I can here, but not everything—because some companies are quick to pursue legal action. I encourage you to do your own research as well.

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison before we break down what actually matters.

Feature	Young Living	doTERRA
Oil variety	Larger (~270+)	Smaller (~140+)
Transparency	Lower	Higher (GC/MS reports)
Sourcing approach	More US-based	Indigenous sourcing focus
Ethical concerns	Documented issues	Documented issues
MLM model	Yes	Yes

Why Most Young Living vs doTERRA Reviews Are Misleading

Most of the reviews out there that compare Young Living to doTERRA are written by representatives of one of those two companies. The main goal of their posts, therefore, is to convince you to join their “team” and sell the oils under them.

Just because someone is recommending something that they benefit from doesn't mean that the recommendation is inaccurate, but in the case of an MLM, it's more of a red flag.

There's not just affiliate bias going on, but it's more than that because once you sign up, you're tied to that person for life unless you leave the company for a long time (typically 6-12 months).

In addition, the comparisons in those posts are pretty superficial and are not digging deep into some things behind the marketing. That being said, there are some aspects to each company that make them stand out against the other.

Ways Young Living Excels

While doTERRA and Young Living share a lot of similarities, there are some ways that Young Living stands out. 

Variety

Young Living has a lot of oils to choose from. They sell at least 270 singles and blends, while doTERRA carries approximately 140.

So basically, if you want to address something with essential oils, Young Living likely has what you want.

Longevity

Young Living has been around for a long time, and they are often credited with having a lot to do with the popularity of essential oils today. That doesn't mean their oils are better than other companies' oils, but I like to give credit where credit is due. 

The following concerns are based on publicly available information and my own evaluation of that information.

Problems With Young Living

Reputation and Ethics

Again, Young Living was a big part of making essential oils mainstream, which is something to be applauded.

However, there are some pretty not-so-savory things that have been written about D. Gary Young. Of course, the internet isn't always reliable, but I still think these things might be worth paying attention to.

Gary Young has been accused of lying about healing from the oils and making misleading statements related to the sourcing of Frankincense oils.

OSHA Violations

OSHA is the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, a government agency in the US that aims to ensure safe working conditions.

While looking into both companies, I found out that Young Living has 20 OSHA violations, with 10 being called “serious.” That sounds really bad, but Young Living has been around for a long time, so they've had more time for violations to occur, and all of the violations appear to be about the same incident.

Of course, OSHA violations don't mean that a company is bad, and some people consider some of the OSHA violations to be ridiculously stringent, but in this case, the lid of a distilling vessel blew off, killing the man who was working right by it.

If Young Living cleaned up its procedures correctly, then it's possible that their new procedures are better. Either way, it's still worth noting.

When I first published this post, I didn't find other companies having OSHA violations. Of course, I didn't look into every single oil company, However, but doTERRA now has a violation that you can read about below.

Non-Indigenous Plants

A good number of Young Living's farms are located in the U.S. I think that's fine for a company being more “in control” of their product but not great if you follow conventional wisdom that plants grow best (and have the best therapeutic qualities) when they are grown in their indigenous locations (where they are supposed to grow naturally).

If you read through the comments of Best Essential Oils Parts 2 & 3, you'll see that Young Living reps tout the fact that YL farms are in the U.S. as being an advantage, due to Young Living having control over the whole growing process.  

Perhaps, but other companies like doTERRA and others source their oils from wherever the plants grow naturally for higher quality.

Misleading Effectiveness Claim

In Young Living's enrollment package, there was a Thieves Oil brochure referenced in this study. It was cited to address the superior therapeutic value of the oil blend.

I was curious to see the exact results, so I looked them up. What I found, however, was that the study was done on generic eucalyptus oil rather than on the Young Living Thieves oil itself. 

I reached out to Young Living's headquarters and got this response:

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we cannot comment on any
research articles or provide this information as it would be in direct
violation of FDA regulations. You may want to contact Life Science
Publishers at 1-800-336-6308 or www.lifesciencepublishers.com and Sound
Concepts at 1-888-285-6317, 801-225-9520 or
www.essentialproductinfo {dot} com. These companies both carry several
items or research that contain useful information concerning essential
oils and supplements and may be able to assist you further.

While in a sense, the “proven to work” claim was accurate, their blend wasn't tested. In my mind, this comes across as misleading marketing.

Possible Chemical Smell

When evaluating oils from different companies, we did a “smell challenge” with my not-so-specially-trained Smell Testing Panel (a.k.a. my family).

Of course this wasn't an official spectrometry test, and none of us is a certified aromatherapist, but we noticed that Young Living seemed to have a chemical (synthetic) overtone.

Does that mean there were synthetics added? No, but we still didn't care for it.

Unknown Country of Origin

As of the 2018 update of this post, many or all of the oils from Young Living do not have a country of origin indicated on the site.

Illegal Sourcing of Oils

In 2017, Young Living was caught illegally sourcing rosewood and spikenard oils between 2014 and 2016.

However, this whole topic is very confusing because Young Living turned themselves in, and there are more details to consider.

Misleading Seed to Seal Claim

Many Young Living reps claim that their products are superior due to the company's Seed to Seal practices. However, as you can see from the illegal sourcing of oils above and the information below about sourcing from the same places that doTERRA does, this claim does not appear to be accurate.

Problematic Spiritual Associations

In 2022, Young Living sent out the book My Word Made Flesh to many high-ranking Young Living distributors. The book was co-written by Robert Tennyson Stevens, who runs a company called Mastery Systems, and Vonn Harting, a Young Living Royal Crown Diamond. Mary Young (Gary Young's wife) wrote the forward. 

The book had a lot of questionable content, including a passage that encouraged people to basically do a “seance with oils” in which they would repeat,

I am the resurrection and the life of my lineage.

Of course, in the Bible, Jesus calls himself “the way, the truth, and the life” and says “no one comes to the Father except through me,” which made this book problematic for many, including me. Basically, this quote appears to be telling people to take the place of Jesus.

Here are some more problematic quotes from the book (source):

Jesus taught the use of oils to the disciples, not the masses.

I am sovereign in my god self.

I am the brilliant mind of my creator.

You can see The Word Made Flesh here for now so you can see a bit more about what caused all the hubbub. And gee, you can purchase it for $255 if you'd like. Wow.

Ways doTERRA Excels

Education and Support Network

While both companies have a lot of educational resources, it seemed to me that the support network available with doTERRA was stronger.

Testing Transparency

doTERRA, unlike Young Living, shares GC/MS test results on its website. Yes, essential oil testing can be falsified, but it's a more transparent situation than Young Living has.

Indigenous Plants

doTERRA claims that all of their oils are from plants grown in indigenous areas. I haven't looked into this completely, but if it's the case, their oils should be of higher quality than Young Living's. 

Problems With doTERRA

Following are concerns that showed up about doTERRA years ago, but also a few that are more recent, with one of them being quite disconcerting. 

OSHA Violation

While other sites claim that doTERRA has no OSHA violations, as of July 2024, that simply isn't true any longer. Note that after writing this section of this post, I see that doTERRA's name isn't on this page, but the internet search information associated with this page indicates that it is connected with doTERRA.

Workers in Vulnerable Situations

In 2023, an investigation into poor employment practices, including substandard pay and unsafe working conditions, by a doTERRA supplier was launched. During the investigation, workers were told to “change their stories ‘or face the consequences'.”

doTERRA claims on its website that every oil it sells is “responsibly and sustainably sourced”  and that it's their “top priority to protect the environment during the production process and provide fair treatment of all harvesters and growers.” However, in this case, doTERRA didn't protect the women involved, and they were left in fear for their safety. To be fair, Emily White was quoted as being distraught about this situation, but there are no reports of this being resolved in a positive way.

Odd Marketing Claim About Oil Scents

One thing I really like about doTERRA is their educational resources, and also, their oils smell great.

But their great smell is part of what concerns me.

A lot of doTERRA reps (and corporate employees as well) say something like, “You'll know it works by its smell.”

A quote from doTERRA's website: “A 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil should have a balanced, broad fragrance profile and should smell crystal clean.”  I'm not sure about you, but I don't know what “crystal clean” means.

And is “crystal clean” what you want your oils to smell like? I'm not so sure about that.

Organoleptic testing is something that many essential oil companies and experts do, but it's harder for the typical consumer to do. And it's quite possible that a consumer will be aiming for something more pleasing, rather than what an oil actually should smell like.

No Definitive Answer About Peppermint Oil Distillation

Essential oils are distilled by putting plant parts and water in a distiller and, under low pressure and low temperature, removing the oils from the plant.

The oils travel down a tube and into a vat. The oil collects on top of the water and is then removed.

The most coveted and most expensive (and thought to be the most therapeutic) oil is that which is collected during the first part of the distillation period, which is called “first distilled.”

This “first distillation” apparently only applies to ylang ylang oil, but possibly to peppermint oil as well.

doTERRA's peppermint smells good enough to eat, as in “candy cane” good. So yummy, in fact, that if you have kiddos in the house, you'd best keep it out of arm's reach.

But is that a good thing?

Most peppermint essential oils smell like the peppermint you find growing out in nature, which is herby and not like candy canes.

Candy cane-smelling peppermint is apparently, according to several sources, possibly from a redistill. Either that or some components are taken out (meaning these are adulterated oils) to give the oil a clean pepperminty candy smell.

Is doTERRA's Peppermint a Complete Distillation?

This is the email response I got from doTERRA stating that their peppermint oil is a complete distillation.

You can let her know that our Peppermint uses complete
distillation.  There is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and complete and we use complete. 

If the first distillation of peppermint oil is the most valuable (and there is really a first and later distillation of peppermint), then their peppermint oil might not be top quality.

If there is truly no such thing as more than one distillation of peppermint, as many say, then why is doTERRA stating that there is a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and complete distillation of peppermint? 

In one video, one of the founders of doTERRA stated that their peppermint smelled amazing because it was from Washington. However, many other peppermint oils are sourced from Washington as well, so doTERRA's isn't special for that reason.

Then later, a representative told me that the doTERRA headquarters said that the peppermint smell was different because their oil is distilled only from the leaves and the flowers.

The most disconcerting part of this is that I couldn't get information from doTERRA themselves about WHY their peppermint smelled the way that it did. 

Inferior Quality Ylang Ylang Oil

doTERRA prides itself on having high-quality standards and top-quality oils. Their ylang ylang, however, is a complete distillation. Some may say that this is a matter of preference, but in the essential oils industry, the first distillation of ylang ylang is absolutely more valued and therefore a higher-priced oil.

To their credit, doTERRA is transparent and does call their ylang ylang a complete distillation on their website.

Ylang ylang first distillation (which is referred to as “extra”) is typically considered to be the quality of oil that is most sought after and is of the highest therapeutic quality.

Ingredient Labeling Problems

Thanks to Kitchen Stewardship, I found out that doTERRA at one point didn't disclose all of the oils in their bug-repellent blend. At the time she wrote that post, the label stated that it was a “proprietary blend.” No thanks. Not including ingredients on the label of something that you are going to be eating or putting on your skin is a big problem.

Thankfully, doTERRA now discloses the ingredients of their Terra Shield blend; however, at the time that I initially wrote this post, that wasn't the case.

Lower Quality Frankincense Oil

I often get questions about doTERRA's pricing for their frankincense oil as to how it compares to other brands, with people citing that doTERRA's appears to be less expensive.

The reason for this has to do with the composition of doTERRA's frankincense oil. Most companies sell either just one variety of frankincense oil or several varieties, but doTERRA's frankincense is, at least as of August 2016, a blend of different varieties.

Following are the types of frankincense in their blend:

– carterii (typically the least expensive)
– serrata
– frereana

Sacred Frankincense is typically one of, if not the most expensive, varieties of Frankincense oil, so if you compare doTERRA's Frankincense to another company's Sacred, doTERRA's will likely come out to be cheaper.

Lack of Country of Origin Transparency

As of the 2018 update of this post, all or many of the oils from doTERRA did not have a country of origin indicated on the site. This is interesting, especially since the company and/or its reps repeatedly say that they can't get organic certification due to it being hard to get it in the countries where their oils are sourced.

I heard from a reader that there is a source map for doTERRA oils, but I couldn't find it. I did, however, find one page that shows sourcing for spikenard and petitgrain.

The map shows that their petitgrain Oil is sourced from Paraguay. Other companies have organic petitgrain from Paraguay, so their claim about organic oils being too hard to source just doesn't seem to make sense.

Undesirable or Unknown Ingredients in Other Products

Some of doTERRA's other products have ingredients I don't love.

For example, doTERRA's On Guard toothpaste used to contain titanium dioxide, a metal that I initially thought I should avoid due to the possibility of heavy metal toxicity. I'm not that worried about that now, but it's an unnecessary ingredient, so if it's at all in question, why use it? Thankfully, that ingredient is gone now. To be fair, it seems that doTERRA has cleaned up a lot of their personal care line.

However, initially, when I wrote this post, they had PEG 100 in their Deep Blue Cream. Now, there's no complete ingredient list on their site, so I don't know what is in there.

They also used to have carrageenan (which, depending on the form, is thought to cause inflammation) in their capsules. Right now, when searching “carrageenan” on their site, some capsules come up in the search results, but I can't see why that is because the ingredient list doesn't seem to be complete. I think it's fair to assume that they still contain it.

Misleading Portrayal of Earning Possibilities

At some point, direct sales companies have to produce an income disclosure statement so that those interested in selling with the company can have a realistic idea of how much money they can (or, in this case, likely won't) make.

doTERRA's top income disclosure chart here seems to show that there are some great opportunities with doTERRA, but it is misleading. It shows some impressive income levels, but you have to notice the fine print that it's only for top-ranking leaders. To see a more realistic (and not very enticing) view, you have to look at the next chart, which is farther down on the page. 

Young Living, to their credit, spells it all out in this Young Living Income Disclosure statement.

It's important to note that the earnings with both companies are reduced by fees to redeem your reward points or even to get paid. 

Smaller Oil Selection

When I first wrote this series, doTERRA had very few oils, so if you were looking for a company that could be a one-stop shop, then it wasn't a great option.

They've increased their selection over time, but Young Living still has the advantage here.

Problems with Both Companies

As you can see, when comparing Young Living vs. doTERRA, there are ways in which each is better than the other. However, there are also some negatives that both companies share, mostly due to them being MLM essential oil companies.

There is, however, one particularly odd thing that I found out about both of them.

Young Living and doTERRA Source from the Same Companies

Both companies claim to have a corner on selling the best oils, so it's very problematic (for both of them) that they appear to share the same source for at least some of their oils.

Bio Young Aromas

See the following sources that show that Bio Young Aromas is a supplier for both Young Living and doTERRA.

• https://www.seair.co.in/us-import/i-doterra.aspx (Sadly, it appears that the information about Bio Young is now behind a paywall.)
• Here, however, is documentation showing other purchases from Bio Young by doTERRA.

And here are some Bio Young Aroma purchases made by Young Living.

• Purchase 1
• Purchase 2

Kunshan Toxen

doTERRA and Young Living have both purchased from this company as well.

Here is documentation showing Young Living purchases from Kunshan Toxen.

And here is documentation showing that doTERRA purchases from Kunshan Toxen as well.

Basically, despite their claims of being the best, neither company seems to be that special if they are purchasing from the same companies.

I personally am not opposed to the multi-level marketing industry as a whole, but it is important to consider whether essential oil MLM companies are worth it or not.

Who Should Choose Young Living or doTERRA?

• Young Living may appeal to you if you want a very wide selection of oils and blends and prefer a long-established brand with a strong following.
• doTERRA may appeal to you if you value access to GC/MS testing reports and a large support network for learning and using essential oils.
• However, in my experience, both companies have significant concerns—particularly regarding marketing practices, sourcing transparency, and their MLM structure—which is why I ultimately chose not to continue with either one.

For most people, I think it’s worth looking beyond both of these companies—but understanding how they compare is still helpful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Young Living or doTERRA?
Neither stands out as clearly better overall. Each has strengths, but both have concerns that are often overlooked.

Are doTERRA oils higher quality than Young Living?
doTERRA is more transparent with testing, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee higher quality across the board.

Why are Young Living and doTERRA so expensive?
Both companies use a multi-level marketing model, which increases costs due to commissions and incentives.

Conclusion

Both Young Living and doTERRA have some good qualities, but clearly there are a lot of problems with both companies. While both companies have strengths, the concerns outlined above are significant enough that I no longer feel comfortable recommending either one.

My Preferred Source of Essential Oils

I hope to revisit this topic soon, but for now, you can see what happened when I started looking to find a quality essential oil company that I wanted to purchase from.

I started this whole series after spending some time working with both Young Living and doTERRA, but I left both of them and tried to find out what the best essential oil company was.

I plan to revisit this topic in the future and hope to have additional options that you can feel really good about buying.

What do you think about doTERRA vs. Young Living?
Which do you think is better and why?