DoTERRA MLM Review – Another Essential Oils Scam?

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If you have been here before, welcome back!

Thank you for taking the time to check out my DōTERRA review!

One of the common questions I get asked often is if DōTERRA a scam or not.

We’re going to take the next few minutes to take a look and get some answers.

The main concern I have for people who are researching this opportunity is that I don’t want them to get burned. In the profession of network marketing, anything could happen.

A company ends up shutting down in a few months due to bad business decisions for being non-compliant, compensation plan change, or the company not paying it’s distributors.

Even worst, your direct sponsor or upline leaves the company. Leaving you hanging to dry.

I understand that many of you are new. Sometimes we are not in a position to make a solid business assessment due to inexperience.

Additionally, I am going to offer you a way for you to escape the ‘9 to 5’ if you decide that this company is not for you.

More information about this program will be at the end of this post.

You landed on this blog because you are thinking about joining DōTERRA because someone approached you about it or you just want to try out their products.

Unlike all the other DōTERRA reviews on the internet, this is completely third party unbiased.  I have no relationship with this company what so ever so when you read this blog post all the way through and pay attention, I can assure you that I am not going to ask you to join or buy.

By the time you have read this unbiased review, you will be able to decide if DōTERRA is a fit or not. I do not promote, nor I am affiliated with DōTERRA.

With that said, let’s dive in!

What is DōTERRA?

DōTERRA is an MLM company that sells essential oils. The name “DōTERRA comes from the Latin meaning of “Gift of the Earth”. 

DōTERRA was founded in the spring of 2008 by a group of 7 founding health-care and business professionals who concluded that with commitment, hard work, and the help of others with similar passion and vision, they could and would bring a new standard of therapeutic-grade essential oils to the world.

The products are sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, and many other countries; including more of Central America.

What I find interesting is that four of the founding DōTERRA professionals were former Young Living employees. Of course, this didn’t exactly go over so well, and Young Living started a lawsuit – but the five-year battle between Young Living and DōTERRA finally ended in 2017 in dismissal, where charges against DōTERRA were removed.

The DoTERRA business model is similar to Uforia, SeneGence, and Paparazzi Accessories

Related Post:

Young Living Review

The company revolves around two main objectives:

1. Educating people about the many benefits of using essential oils and promoting a wellness lifestyle.
2. Offering an ever-expanding line of essential oils for their distributors to sell and recruit others into the MLM business.

Who is the leader behind DōTERRA?

David Stirling is the founder of DōTERRA and former Young Living associate. The company consists of approximately 1,300 employees and over three million independent distributors. The business generates over $1 billion in global sales annually and achieved the billion-dollar mark in the first seven years.

What products does DōTERRA offer?

They sell “Certified pure therapeutic grade products. DōTERRA created its own testing process called Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG). This testing process ensures that DōTERRA’s oils are of the highest quality and purity. 

In order to meet these standards, products must be free from added fillers, harmful contaminants, and synthetic ingredients.

All of DōTERRA’s oil blends, oils, and other oil-infused products must also be rigorously tested for chemical composition standards and cross-tested using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to make sure purity and composition are at exact standards.

Essential Oils are still their main products but they’ve since expanded their product line to include other areas like personal care products, supplements, and weight loss products.

• Essential Oils – Include both Single Oils & Proprietary Blends (Some Single oils include lavender, peppermint & lemon. Proprietary blends include peace, elevation & serenity)

• DōTERRA Breathe Series – Respiratory drops, vapor stick (Things that help with your breathing & respiratory issues)

• DigestZen – Essential oils and supplements for people with digestive issues

• Personal Care – Skincare, body care, hair care products

• Supplements – Daily fruits & vegetables, daily vitality, children’s supplements, women’s supplements.

• Weight Loss – Meal replacement shakes, metabolic gum, soft gels, etc.

• Other products include essential oil diffusers and other relevant gadgets/accessories.

Related Post:

Young Living Review

How do you earn commissions with DōTERRA?

There are 4 main ways for you to get paid:

1. Retail Bonus – You earn 25% commission from all the retail sales you make (pretty straight forward)
2. Fast Start Bonus – Within the first 60 days, this Fast Start Bonus allows new distributors to earn higher percentage commissions from their first 3 levels of downlines (Level 1: 20%, Level 2: 10%, Level 3: 5%)
3. Power of Three Bonus – Additional cash bonuses when you and/or your downlines successfully recruit 3 downlines and meet the requirements (Cash bonus include $50, $250, $1,500)
4. Unilevel Bonus – This is where true residual income happens in your doTERRA MLM business. You’ll earn a percentage of your downlines’ overrides down 7 levels deep. (The difference between doTERRA and other companies is that in doTERRA, the deeper you go, the higher the percentage of your unilevel commission)

DōTERRA Affiliate Ranks

There are twelve affiliate ranks in the DōTERRA compensation plan.

Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:

• Wellness Advocate – sign up as a doTerra affiliate and generate at least 50 PV a month
• Manager – generate at least 100 PV a month and have a total downline volume of at least 500 GV a month
• Director – maintain at least 100 PV a month and have a total downline volume of at least 1000 GV a month
• Executive – maintain at least 100 PV a month and have a total downline volume of at least 2000 GV a month
• Elite – maintain at least 100 PV a month and have a total downline volume of at least 3000 GV a month
• Premier – maintain at least 100 PV a month, maintain at least two Executive ranked personally recruited affiliates and a total downline volume of at least 5000 GV a month
• Silver – maintain at least 100 PV a month and at least three Elite ranked personally recruited affiliates
• Gold – maintain at least 100 PV a month and at least three Premier ranked personally recruited affiliates
• Platinum – maintain at least 100 PV a month and at least three Silver ranked personally recruited affiliates
• Diamond – maintain at least 100 PV a month and at least four Silver ranked personally recruited affiliates
• Blue Diamond – maintain at least 100 PV a month and at least five Gold ranked personally recruited affiliates
• Presidential Diamond – maintain at least 100 PV a month and at least six Platinum ranked personally recruited affiliates

Note that PV stands for “Personal Volume”, which is sales volume generated by a doTerra affiliate’s own purchases and retail orders.

GV stands for “Group Volume” and is PV generated by an affiliate’s entire downline.

Retail Commissions

All doTerra retail orders attract a 25% commission.

Preferred customer orders (retail customers who sign up for a monthly autoship order in exchange for a discount), generate a 9% commission.

Residual Commisions

Residual commissions in DōTERRA are paid out via a unilevel compensation structure.

A unilevel compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a unilevel team, with every personally recruited affiliate placed directly under them (level 1):

If any level 1 affiliates go on to recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 2 of the original affiliate’s unilevel team.

If any level 2 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 3 and so on and so forth down a theoretical infinite number of levels.

DōTERRA cap payable unilevel levels at seven, with commissions paid out as a percentage of generated sales volume as follows:

• Wellness Advocate – 2% on level 1
• Manager – 2% on level 1 and 3% on level 2
• Director – 2% on level 1, 3% on level 2 and 5% on level 3
• Executive – 2% on level 1, 3% on level 2 and 5% on levels 3 and 4
• Elite – % on level 1, 3% on level 2, 5% on levels 3 and 4 and 6% on level 5
• Premier – 2% on level 1, 3% on level 2, 5% on levels 3 and 4 and 6% on levels 5 and 6
• Silver or higher – 2% on level 1, 3% on level 2, 5% on levels 3 and 4, 6% on levels 5 and 6 and 7% on level 7

Fast Start Bonus

The Fast Start Bonus is paid out on any product purchases made by a newly recruited affiliate, within their first 60 days with the company.

The Fast Start Bonus is paid up through three levels of recruitment, with the recruiting affiliate earning a 20% commission, the affiliate who recruited them (2nd level upline) 10% and their upline (3rd level upline) 5%.

Note that in order to qualify for the Fast Start Bonus, a standing 100 PV a month autoship order must be maintained.

Power of 3 Team Bonus

The Power of 3 Team Bonus requires a DōTERRA affiliate to have a monthly autoship order, with a bonus paid out when they recruit others who do the same.

In order to qualify for the Power of 3 Team Bonus, a standing 100 PV a month autoship order must be maintained.

Three affiliates must then be personally recruited, each who also sign up for a 100 PV a month autoship order. A total downline volume of at least 600 PV a month must also be generated.

For each month the above qualification criteria is met, a doTerra affiliate is paid a $50 bonus commission.

This monthly bonus commission is increased to $250 if three recruited affiliates, in turn, qualify for their own $50 bonus commission.

If three personally recruited affiliates then qualify for a $250 Power of 3 Team Bonus, the payout is again increased to $1500 a month.

This $1500 monthly bonus is paid out as long as the structure of three generations of affiliate autoship recruitment is maintained.

Infinity Performance Pool

The Infinite Performance Pool is made up of 3% of DōTERRA company-wide sales volume.

The pool is split into two smaller pools, with 2% going into a Leadership Performance Pool and 1% into a Diamond Performance Pool.

doTerra affiliates ranked between Silver and Platinum can earn shares in the Leadership Performance Pool, and affiliates ranked Diamond or higher in the Diamond Performance Pool.

Based on company-wide sales volume, shares in the Infinity Performance Pool are paid out monthly.

Acquisition of shares in both pools is as follows:

• Silver rank = 1 share in the Leadership Performance Pool, plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Elite rank
• Gold rank = 5 shares in the Leadership Performance Pool, plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Elite rank
• Platinum = 10 shares in the Leadership Performance Pool, plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Elite rank
• Diamond = 1 share in the Diamond Performance Pool, plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Premier rank
• Blue Diamond = 2 shares in the Diamond Performance Pool, plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Premier rank
• Presidential Diamond = 3 shares in the Diamond Performance Pool, plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Premier rank

Diamond Pools

There are three Diamond Pools in doTerra’s compensation plan, each made up of 1% of doTerra’s company-wide sales volume.

As with the Infinity Performance Pools, shares in the Diamond Pools are paid out monthly as follows:

• Diamond Pool (must be Diamond rank) – 3 shares in the Diamond Pool plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Premier rank
• Blue Diamond Pool (must be Blue Diamond rank) – 3 shares in the Blue Diamond Pool plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Premier rank
• Presidential Diamond Pool (must be Presidential Diamond rank) – 3 shares in the Presidential Diamond Pool plus 1 additional share per personally recruited affiliate who qualifies at the Silver rank

Related Post:

Young Living Review

How to join DōTERRA?

The cost to join is a $35 signup fee to join as an “independent DōTERRA product consultant” to make money with DōTERRA. There are no monthly charges for the consultant’s websites. Consultants earn 25% on retail sales of the doTerra products. They also earn commissions on the sales of the people they sponsor, and their sponsors, and so on; meaning you earn money from the consultants you recruit. There are other aspects of the home business opportunity and bonuses offered. They are “fast start bonus (paid weekly), power of 3 team bonus, (paid monthly), and also a preferred member sponsor bonus of which a percentage of (up to) 25% can be earned.

DōTERRA allows people to join as a wholesale member or as a Wellness Advocate. Wholesale membership provides access to wholesale prices, which are 25-55 percent below retail prices. To become a wholesale member, you must purchase one of the following enrollment packs:

• 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)

Wellness Advocates must also choose one of these starter kits to enroll as a distributor.

My Final Thoughts

Before you decide to join DōTERRA. I would recommend that you try out the products first. See if it’s a fit for what you’re looking for.

If you don’t believe in the products that you are selling, chances are others wouldn’t. Makes sense, right?

If you’ve decided that you want to join DōTERRA, you must have the following if you want to succeed:

• A support team and system that will help build your business.
• A mentor that will take you by the hand and help you reach your dreams and goals.
• A constant flow of new leads and prospects that want to join your business.

It is not easy to be successful in the DōTERRA business and which is why more than 95% fail.

If you feel the person you are going to sign up with is not going to be able to give you the necessary tools to help you succeed…

You might want to check this out by clicking here! 😊

DōTERRA Is Not A Fit For You?

Now, if you feel that DōTERRA isn’t for you. But determined to find a home-based business so that you can create a legacy for you and your family.

I would suggest that you check out my number #1 recommended program.

This program is the reason why so many people are having success with a ‘work from home business’.

Last but not least (drum roll please)…

I would love to hear from you if you are looking to join DōTERRA or if you were an affiliate.

Please share your experiences by leaving your feedback below.

The feedback will help out those who are doing research on the company.