doTERRA essential oils are simply amazing. And to be honest they are the reason and source of my passion towards essential oils and the journey to become an Aromatherapist. I am not member of doTERRA, and i never was. I do not sell their oils, even for affiliate gain. I simply enjoy using their blends. This is a non-biased doTERRA Essential Oils Review where i will cover the following:
- Information about the doTERRA brand.
- Quality and purity of the doTERRA essential oils
- From where they are sourcing their essential oils
- What are their extraction methods
- How they test the essential oils
- Information about grading and certifications
- I also review their Essential Oil offers
- doTERRA essential oil costs and a comparison link
- Brand Reviews by professionals
- Final Verdict
- Key Review Takeaways
About doTERRA
The company dōTERRA (a word that means “Gift of the Earth”) was created in 2008 by a group of healthcare and business professionals. Today doTERRA “sources, tests, manufactures, and distributes essential oils and related products to over five million dōTERRA Wellness Advocates and customers.”
According to their About Us page, the company found that there were no quality standards for essential oils. In response they created “a new standard of quality: CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®.”
The brand sources oils through “partnerships with local growers around the globe through Co-Impact Sourcing®. The dōTERRA Healing Hands Foundation®, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, offers resources and tools to sourcing communities and charitable organizations to raise self-reliance, increase access to healthcare, promote education, advance sanitation, and fight against human trafficking.”
doTERRA uses the MLM model of marketing, justifying it thus: “In order to facilitate the best personal essential oil experiences, dōTERRA utilizes a direct selling model. This approach allows distributors to work with customers, which allows customers to learn about and experience essential oils from somebody they know and trust. This model also creates the opportunity for individuals and families to achieve their dreams of financial independence.”
The company is headquartered at Pleasant Grove, UT 84062.
Quality and Purity
The CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® protocol created by the company itself involves “a rigorous examination of every batch of oil, along with third-party testing to guarantee transparency.”
Pure essential oils without adulterants, contamination and synthetic fillers can deliver the full natural benefit of the original plant. Such purity is ensured by checking whether:
- Are the oils extracted from high quality plants that did not use chemicals and pesticides?
- Do production procedures ensure that no contamination occurs? Do these strictly avoid adulterants and synthetic fillers?
- Does the company test each batch of essential oil? Is impartial, third-party testing used? Are test results available to the public?
- Are the oils carefully processed, packaged, and stored to avoid chemical alterations caused by exposure to heat or light?
Sourcing
The doTERRA brand sources essential oils from farmers and distillers in over 40 countries. The local growers and producers have acquired a wealth of expertise over generations, which is not easy to replicate. dōTERRA taps this expertise by partnering with them instead of creating its own farms.
Working closely with these partners over several years, dōTERRA has established relationships of trust. The suppliers adhere to the rigorous quality standards under dedicated agreements.
More than half the countries from which dōTERRA sources essential oils are developing countries where the living conditions and access to education and healthcare are often inadequate. Under the company’s Co-Impact Sourcing® and Healing Hands Foundation® programs, dōTERRA seeks to make a difference in the lives of farmers, harvesters, and distillers who contribute to dōTERRA’s oil production.
Extraction Methods and Distillation
Common methods for extraction of essential oils are:
- Low-heat steam distillation process. In this process, pressurized steam is circulated through plant material. The essential oils are liberated from the plant and carried away by the steam. When the steam cools, the water and oils naturally separate and the oil is collected. This is the most common method used for dōTERRA oils.
- Expression, sometimes referred to as “cold pressed,” does not involve heat. In this process, oil is extracted from the product under mechanical pressure. dōTERRA® uses expression to extract all of its citrus oils, such as Wild Orange, Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, and Grapefruit, from the rind.
The essential oil product pages indicate the extraction method used for each.
Testing
The company uses its own CPTG® Quality Testing. The company describes the process as follows:
- It begins shortly after distillation, when each oil is reviewed for its chemical composition
- A second round of testing happens at the production facility to ensure that the oils distilled and tested during the first round are the same ones that arrived at our facility
- A third review of the chemistry of the oils is conducted as the oils are packaged into the bottles before they’re shipped out to consumers
- The testing process includes eight main steps to guarantee that every batch of dōTERRA essential oil is pure, unadulterated, and safe for use. The eight tests are Organoleptic testing, Microbial testing, Gas chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Chirality testing, Isotopic analysis and Heavy metal testing
- All the tests seem to be carried out in-house as there are no details about any external testing
Grading and Certification
dōTERRA does not seem to place much emphasis on organic or external certifications even though it says that it sources oils from farmers who do not use pesticides or other chemicals.
Product Offerings
Essential Oil Singles
dōTERRA lists 68 products under single essential oils. Prices given below are for 15ml bottles unless mentioned otherwise. Product pages contain description, usage instruction, warnings, method of extraction, ingredients and benefits, among other details.
This line of products include Wild Orange ($13.33), Tea Tree Touch with Fractionated Coconut Oil ($16.67 for 10ml), Peppermint Touch with Fractionated Coconut Oil ($19.33 for 10ml), Douglas Fir ($26 for 5ml), Tea Tree ($28), Peppermint ($29.33), Copaiba ($46.67), Blue Tansy ($113.33 for 5ml) and Rose ($366.67 for 5ml).
Proprietary Blends
Blends are combinations of two or more essential oils and carrier oils such as fractionated coconut oil. By combining different essential oils, unique aromas and benefits can be created. Adding carrier oils can enhance the benefits, and also saves on the use of expensive essential oils. dōTERRA lists 58 products under this line.
The line includes TerraShield ($14), Rescuer ($20 for 10ml Roll-on), dōTERRA Arise ($25.33 for 5ml), Zendocrine ($32) and Deep Blue ($78.67 for 10ml).
dōTERRA Onguard
The Onguard line consists of OTC products that might contain essential oils. dōTERRA lists 16 products under this line.
The line includes Natural Whitening Toothpaste Samples ($4.66 for 10 samples), Sanitizing Mist ($8.67 for 0.9 fl. oz.), Protecting Throat Drops ($17 for 30 drops), Cleaner Concentrate ($19.33 for 12 fl. oz.) and OnGuard Oil ($45.33 for 15ml).
Diffusers
Diffusers spread the aroma and benefits around your space.
dōTERRA offers different kinds of diffusers from the Pilot Portable model ($50) to the Lumo Sleep Collection (including 15ml Serenity Blend Oil – $93.33).
Accessories
Accessories include bottle cap stickers ($0.50), Bottle Pump ($3), Pipettes 50 pack ($3.67), 30ml Sprayer Bottles ($6.00), Logo Engraved Wooden Box ($19.93) and more products.
Personal Care Products
dōTERRA personal care products include skin care, body care, salon and spa lines of products.
Skin care products include toners, cleansers, moisturizers and hydrating serum ranging in price from $29.33 to 86.66.
Body care products include diaper rash cream, deodorants, coconut oil, body wash and body renewal serum ranging in price from $11.33 to $86.67.
Salon Essentials include hair care products ($11,33 to $66.67)
Spa line includes lip balms, bath bars, hand lotions, body wash, mud masks and body hydrating mist ($8.67 to $33.33)
Supplements
The line of supplements includes weight management, daily vitality, women, digestive health and children’s products.
Other Products
Other significant products include Deep Blue, DigestZen and dōTERRA Breathe under essential oils, enrollment kits and other collections, and product and business literature.
Costs
dōTERRA prices are at the upper end along with Young Living. EssentialOilHaven compares the prices thus: Lavender (YoungLiving $32.73 / dōTERRA $23.10 / Plant Therapy $11.23); Peppermint (YoungLiving $29.21 / dōTERRA $22.55 / Plant Therapy $11.92); Frankincense (YoungLiving $77.95 / dōTERRA $78.88 / Plant Therapy $28.42). Here is more detailed comparison of the essential oil brands.
dōTERRA Essential Oil Reviews
dōTERRA products have generally received good reviews at Amazon. Metareview indicates some products with a rating of 4.9/5 and others with 4.4/5.
However, web reviews by aroma therapists indicate dissatisfaction with their practice of appointing unqualified persons as sales representatives under the MLM arrangement. Some of these representatives might make false claims about the products in their eagerness to sell these and this could harm the users.
The company has received FDA warnings for false claims on social media and for making exaggerated claims about the income earning potential of representatives.
Better Business Bureau Review
dōTERRA International, Inc. is a BBB accredited company that has been given an A+ rating. Average of 39 customer reviews is a rating of 3 out of 5. There have been 36 customer complaints against the company during the past 36 months.
BBB page mentions about an FDA warning to dōTERRA for claiming on social media that Covid19 can be treated or prevented with their products, and also for stating the dōTERRA representatives are likely to earn substantial incomes
Final Verdict
Even though the company has got into trouble with FDA for exaggerated claims by some of their members, the quality of their products is good based on customer reviews. They have implemented extensive quality control practices and their blends are awesome.
Their prices can be on the high side and you have to make your own decisions whether you get value for money.
However, i think doTERRA is an awesome way to make side income by enjoying aromatherapy. Yeah some of the oils can be expensive, but let’s be real…. How many essential oils do you buy each year?
Even though i never became a member, i know dozens of people who make a nice side income by sharing doTERRA products with their families and friends.
Key Takeaways
- dōTERRA has achieved impressive growth over the years since it was founded in 2008
- They have pioneered establishing quality standards for essential oils and creating testing protocols
- However, it is not clear whether the company depends only on in-house testing or uses independent external testing
- The company uses MLM model of marketing. Though this model allows customers to buy the company’s products from someone they know, it also leads to unqualified salespersons making unwarranted claims about the products
- dōTERRA had got into trouble with FDA over claims about the products and about the likely earnings potential of sales representatives
- The company is actively engaged in helping the communities of farmers, harvesters and distillers located in developing countries from whom they get their supplies through their Co-impact Sourcing® and Healing Hands Foundation® programs
- doTERRA is an awesome way to make side income by enjoying aromatherapy.
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