I'm asking because they are an MLM operation, and also they are headquartered in Utah (or at least manufacture their products there), which makes me wonder if it's a Mormon-owned business. A close friend invited me to a DoTerra "party" she was hosting over the weekend. I hate the overpriced junk sold at such parties, and I hate MLMs even more, but to be nice I usually will attend and make at least a token purchase if a friend is hosting.

A few things about the DoTerra party really bothered me, though, in particular the health and medical claims being made by the presenter (and her many minions who were present) about these insanely overpriced oils. Yes, I know some aromas/plants have been known for centuries to have certain properties, like lavender being calming, tea tree oil helping acne, etc. (And if nothing else, at least most of the oils smell great.)

However, the presenter (not my friend) was spouting utter crap like that "When our bodies encounter a virus, they attack it with fat and surround it with layers of fat. That's why even if you exercise all the time and eat well, you'll never lose those last five or ten pounds"...until you use DoTerra oils, of course, because certain essential oils "dissolve fat."

Much worse was that at one point she called on one of her customers to give a testimonial, and this poor young mother who appeared to be dressed in thrift-store clothes told us, fervently, how she protects her young children from catching H1N1 not be getting them a flu shot...but by dabbing a drop of a certain DoTerra oil under their noses each day. 95 people, including young and otherwise healthy people, have already died this season in California from H1N1. None of them had had the flu vaccine (yes, I do realize that vaccine does not guarantee a virus won't be contracted). Somehow I doubt DoTerra oils would have saved them.

There were also several pregnant women in attendance, and the presenter never mentioned that certain plants have been known for centuries to induce miscarriage. She also said all or most of the oils can be taken internally, and I have read on various aromatherapy websites that ingestion of essential oils can be very dangerous, especially for infants and children.

Basically, the whole thing was pseudo-scientific crap, and had my friend not been hosting it, I would have walked out as soon as that one woman had started talking about fighting H1N1 with oils.

I feel terrible for my friend who is from a poor background, as is her husband, and not well-educated. She is currently unemployed, her unemployment has run out, and her husband does not earn much, yet she has shelled out over $500 (!) on this crap because she is completely taken in by the woman who was presenting. She talks about her like she's a combination of Dr. Oz and Oprah. I was going to purchase one or two of the less costly oils DoTerra oils, just to help my friend out, but when I went to their website as she directed me to, I saw that I had to sign up to be a "consultant" myself in order for my friend to get a cut of the sale.

WTH is that? Has anyone heard of this before? At similar events I've gone to for food, cooking products, jewelry, whatever, I just write a check or fill out my credit card number on a form and then get my product in a couple of weeks...I've never had to sign up to be a "consultant." I can choose to just buy the oils directly instead from the DoTerra website also, but since if I do that my friend won't make any money (and that was the only reason I was going to buy anything), I don't see the point now.

I wish I had some info I could use to convince my poor friend that she is likely going to come out of this with very little money for herself. It's not like most of her friends and family have any more money than she does to purchase this stuff. Thanks for letting me vent!

One of my TBM cousins sold (or tried to sell) DoTerra crap for quite awhile. She ended up losing several hundred dollars, as I recall. Definitely DO NOT sign up to be a consultant. It's wonderful that you want to help your friend, but getting sucked in won't actually help either of you.

And see if any of that feels familiar.
http://www.pinktruth.com/

It's Mary Kay, but the premise is about the same.

I have a couple of friends that sell it - it's a break off of Young Living, that has farms down by Payson Utah. Both my friends are LDS - one is an old mission comp in Texas and the other is a massage therapist in Utah. The massage therapist seems to be doing well enough at it.

Personally, I think that there is a fine line between overpaying for stuff like DoTerra and Young Living and getting crap oils at the supermarket. I'm also firmly convinced that their "health benefits" are psychological. For example, I have their blend Thieves. I know someone who swears it kept them and their family healthy last year so I bought some. I am healthier this year but I don't credit the Thieves. However, I do rub some on in a carrier oil right before bed so I have come to relate the smell with getting to rest and find the scent very relaxing now. I think all health benefits are placebos - but that isn't to say they don't have some benefit if they help you de-stress or if the smell of grapefruit helps you feel more energized. But I'd never, never use them as a cure in place of a doctor's care. My kids have quilts that we tied as a family project and we tell them because of all the love that went into making them, they should wrap up in them when they are sick and they'll get better faster. They believe it and use it as a comfort blankie but there is no real medical magic in the flannel.

DoTerra is the same thing. If you want to use certain scents because they help clear your sinuses when you sniff them or you relax when you smell them (like me with the Thieves) then go for it. Personally, I like the higher quality stuff like DoTerra but I don't own more than a few bottles of my favorites. But I'm a perfume snob too - I'd rather have a bottle or two of the good stuff.

Oh, also with your friend - the problem with these oils is that unless you are a massage therapist or work in some sort of hair salon or know a lot of granola types, you aren't going to sell a lot. I just use essential oils for myself and my family and I don't diffuse them so a bottle will last me for a couple of years. So I buy the $30 bottle of stuff and 9 months later I might buy a $17 bottle of stuff and a year later I might try something else. But there is very little turnover, unless you have one of those diffuser which tend to spray it into the air one drop at a time, faster. She would need a LOT more clients than if she sold Mary Kay - women go through facial cleanser and makeup a lot faster and need a lot more different items than just a bottle of lavender that will last months and months and costs a fraction of what a Mary Kay order would. The key to selling is selling something that gets used up quickly and needs to be replaced, as much as selling something people want and need. You have to convince people they need oil - much harder than convincing them you have a better version of something they are already using - like mascara.

Here's a thread with my particular experience and others with it awhile back.

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,596588,825966#msg-825966

They are a scam. They work the same way most MLM's work - they make straight profit on your membership fees. MLM's don't really care about their products. They could sell it at cost. They make money on you signing up to resell.

As an example, amway claims something like $4 million members worldwide. That's 4 million people paying (let's make it easy - say $100 annually for the membership. I think it's like $50 to register - but then you have to buy some product and tapes and a few marketing materials and website membership etc.)

That's 4 million x 100 = 400,000,000 annually just in memberships. They wouldn't need to sell a single product and they are still profitable. That's why MLM's are a scam. They want distributors signups - not sales. Honest question - do you think any of the executives of these companies are hosting "sign-up" or "sales" parties in their homes? If it's not good for the goose...

I know so many young Mormon moms caught up with DoTerra. I totally was duped (flat out lied to) into going to a party. My VT told me it was a "reflexology workshop". Ha.

For the record, I like using essential oils. I get mine from Sprouts. I use tea tree and lavender a lot. And Eucalyptus in a steamy shower when I'm sick. I totally agree with Ca Girl that the oils are a placebo and are not proven to cure anything.

My SIL is a wackadoo and spends a fortune on oils (and vitamins, supplements, etc). She won't take her kids to the doctor as she insists the oils do something. It's really sad.

Anyway, don't sign up as a consultant. I totally get wanting to help your friend out. My in laws have done every MLM under the sun only to fail every time. The best way to help her maybe to help her get out of it before she loses anymore money (I know, easier said than done.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2014 05:38PM by goldenrule.

Weird name for oils, IMO.

MLMs don't work. Most people realize this after dumping a lot of time, effort, and money into them.

You'll never convince these DoTerra newbies that the products aren't amazing, so don't waste your time. Instead, try talking to them about the math.

Send them here: http://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/mlm-income-calculator.html

Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing

Here: http://homebusiness.about.com/od/homebusinessprofiles/a/The-Likelihood-Of-Mlm-Success.htm

And here: http://www.fairgroundmedia.com/the-truth-about-mary-kay

Mormon women are particularly vulnerable to MLMs because their families usually need money but there's a strong church bias against women who openly plan to have careers. The typical Mormon SAHM is likely to not have a degree or experience that would net her a good job, plus she wants to work from home or only go out in the evenings when hubby is there to mind the kids. Mary Kay, Scentsy, and the like sell these women the fantasy that they will become successful businesswomen with good incomes. It's just not true.

Oh, and this: http://jezebel.com/5942048/shopping+oriented-pyramid-schemes-lure-in-ladies-then-steal-their-friends-cash-and-confidence

It particularly discusses why women and especially SAHMs fall for MLMs and why MLMs hardly ever work for them.

First of all, DON'T sign up as a consultant. Second, I'd politely tell your friend that while you love her and want to support her, you are morally against some of DoTerras business practices and don't feel right about being involved, but can you treat her to lunch soon because you'd love to get together.

I agree that you should NOT sign up to be a consultant as this is yet another MLM scheme that is especially appealing to Mormon women. Many essential oils are actually dangerous if taken internally, and it's best to use a carrier oil as some oils can be irritating to the skin if used directly.

PinkTruth.com is for women who have been in MLMs. It's not too different from exmormon.org in fact. Pinktruth exposes the truth about how MLMs work and how they prey on vulnerable women who think they are going to make a lot of money. They discourage people who are considering joining an MLM from doing so. If your friend is desperate and uneducated that's a terrible combination. She might or might not be able to make use of the information on pinktruth. There are some people you just cannot help. Good luck.

The old rule goes: If you cannot get it on Amazon, its not worth getting.

I don't understand how you people fall for these things? Seriously, Nancy Reagan that b*tch and say NOOOOOOO.

My TBM cousin lives on Reliv and DoTerra Oils. No matter what I say, she just has a deaf ear. I gave up. Yes she is in Utah.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2014 10:52PM by verilyverily.

That's funny because I buy my DoTerra oils on Amazon (at least the Amazon marketplace).

I love essential oils, and I think the DoTerra ones are a nice quality. I didn't want to be involved in the MLM side of it, and hate that it is MLM, but the oils themselves I love (especially their Breathe and Balance blends).

I'm not like the party lady though. I don't think they have medical value. I do find them to be calming and nice, though. I also use them for cleaning (especially lemon or peppermint).

The claims people make about lavender are crazy.

I grew a 50ft hedge of it for 10 years. Every year I harvested it, dried it, and took the buds off the stem. I ended up with several gallons of it every year.

I basically have wallowed in lavender at times. I love the smell. However, it has never made me feel relaxed, relieved pain, or anything else. It just smells nice. That's it.

I'm starting to feel like a broken record for talking about the BBC LDS board, but this is just begging for it...

The ladies on babycenter seem to LOVE oils, DoTerra in particular. I frequently see threads that are so full of nonsense- oils will solve/cure this and that or protect from everything under the sun... And of course many of them swear by DoTerra and that none of the other brands will work/are pure/etc. Oh, and most of them don't even say essential oils or whatever, or give context. A lot of the women on that board will talk about "oils" in a vague way kind of like how we say "medicine." They just assume everyone knows what they are talking about. And yes, there are a few moms on there that subject their kids/husbands to all sorts of ridiculous oil treatments/regimens that do little more than make them smell differently all in the name of "Science" and "medicine."

I live in an incredibly "crunchy" zip code. It's an absolute haven for vegetarian/veganism, gluten free, keeping chickens in your own backyard, composting, anti-vax, organic everything, etc. So alternative medicine is pretty common here. As such, I have a natural curiosity about it and have done some dabbling in research on it all. My take on oils is simple: Some of them have well known properties and uses, and when used appropriately can help alleviate mild symptoms. I don't think they are complete nonsense, but I would hardly consider them to be "medicine." Claims like lavender having a calming effect are stretching it at best. I mean, yes, peppermint oil might be *slightly* awakening to the senses and as such be marketed for mental clarity or whatever, but it's still not going to replace my ADHD meds, or even my coffee for that matter! Peppermint and orange/citrus oils do perk me up, but only slightly. Lavender is calming/comforting to me, but only slightly and most of that is probably due to conditioning. I think everyone has their own degree to which they are affected by such things, but I'm skeptical of anyone who goes around sputtering about them being perfect, safe, awesome medicine. That's delusion at best, manipulation/marketing at worst.

If you need essential oils they are easily acquired through grocery stores and health food stores these days. I can't imagine a situation where I would want to sink significant time and energy into getting my hands on something that is already so easy to get.

But I don't find it relaxing. I hate the smell. Recently I got a tiny vial of it from the SLC farmers market for about $3. That ought to last about 10 years. I can't imagine why I'd spend a ton of money on it, or involve a friend as a middleman in my purchase.

A common thread I've seen in the MLMs selling health products, including vitamins, is that they'll sell something you can get at any store, but for 5 times the price, and then tell you it's because it's better quality. Of course it is. It couldn't be because they are paying a long line of distributors a commission from your purchase.

Here the truth about helping your friends by buying from them: You aren't helping them. You are giving them false hope that they'll make money doing this. And they are taking monetary advantage of your friendship. Someone I know calls this "pimping your friends".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2014 01:14AM by imaworkinonit.

Whoever is in her "up-line" if they still use the term, has probably been giving her a lot of "moral support". What they do is focus on your vulnerability (i.e. going through a financial rough patch, etc.) and then give you a tailor made mix of motivational "I believe in you and your potential" pep-talks.

Slowly over time they convince you that the only reason you're not selling a lot of product/signing people up, is because you need to absorb more of their motivational message - "No problem!" They are happy to give you more "you can do it" pep-talks. But each time you will somehow feel guilty for needing these extra pep-talks and you will feel it is you who is the problem, when in actuality it is the entire construct of MLM's that is bad.

Basically, they gaslight you.

Lavender, rosemary and peppermint alleviated my hives instantly.

That being said, I'd never buy DoTerra. They are overpriced and just another Cult-like MLM that makes outlandish claims about their product. Unethical. Buy your friend a grocery store gift card and walk away.

I too attend such parties and usually make a small token purchase IF a friend is hosting (although I've learned attending is supportive enough and save my money now) but so far I've only encountered products I like. But if I had attended a party pushing snake oil like DoTerra, I don't think I would have kept my mouth shut. I'm not criticising you for not speaking up: I don't know your relationship with your hosting friend, I don't know how well you knew the other guests, etc. so I can't judge--nor do I want to.

I just want to encourage you to speak up now. Anyone from that party that you know well enough, send them an email now. Warn them that the salesperson's claims were exaggerated and potentially dangerous. Encourage them to research the claims she made on non-DoTerra sites. You may need to spell out, "DoTerra wants to sell products to you, so they will make claims these products work wonders. See what is said by researchers who don't make money off you. They will be more honest,"

SCAM

MLMs aren't about products at all. They are business opportunities. A product: oil, vitamins, jewelry, craft items, are required because a bare, pyramid, investment scheme is illegal. But a pyramid investment scheme is what it is. The product is stuff that could be acquired at a retail outlet at whatever purity or quality is wanted, and at a competitive price.

Phony, inflated claims for the product have got to be made to support the pyramid investment scheme. You need to sign up as a consultant and buy something, a membership, a kit, outrageous shipping charges, or something, to support the pyramid investment scheme. No one can simply be a consumer of product as though they were buying something at Walmart because they've got to be recruited as an investor in a business opportunity in order to provide a return to the other investors, as in all pyramid schemes. So, to talk about a particular MLMs product is missing the point. Whatever product they're selling can be gotten retail, like, as was mentioned, at a farmers' market for a couple dollars, or on Amazon.

For the people who start the scheme, and are at the top, the investment is great. The products, like oil, an agricultural product, are very cheap to produce, and can be marketed up to ridiculous amounts because buyers justify buying it as a business investment expense.

It's all wishful thinking, and, as was pointed out, no math or critical thinking skills. It goes hand in hand with Mormonism. Personally, I think it's unethical to buy anything from an MLM because I don't want to give even 5 cents to the scum at the top who prey on the poor, ignorant, and sick.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and feedback; I truly appreciate it. I already knew about MLMs being pyramid schemes, but your feedback has helped alleviate my guilt at not purchasing anything.

Just for the record, as soon as I saw on the DoTerra website that I had to become a consultant in order for my friend to see any benefit, I had already decided not to buy. I was posting to see if I could learn more about the company so that I can convey info to her that (might) help her see the light. However, I am afraid she has drunk a few gallons of the Kool-Aid already.

Since my friend was laid off, I have bought her kids clothes a few times as well as some groceries recently. Unfortunately, knowing now that she blew over $500 on these oils makes me less likely to want to help her again. I know that is very judgmental, and I can understand how she got caught up in the MLM hype...but it frustrates me knowing that they had to take out a loan recently to fix their aging car, that she worries about defaulting on their mortgage, that her daughters' sun dresses over the summer were held together with safety pins, yet she feels she can afford that crap. (I know, I know...no doubt she believes she will earn it all back and then some.)

@imaworkinonit and MCR, Your posts have made me reconsider whether to even make a token MLM purchase in future. I don't think I will. You're right that in the long run it is not helping any friends and actually hurting them by encouraging this delusion.

@mysid, I already talked with the few friends of mine who also attended the DoTerra party about the ridiculousness/dangerousness of some of the claims being made and "info" being presented. One of those friends has a PhD in Chemistry, so needless to say she did not need any convincing from me. Another seemed pretty receptive to what I had to say. I even spoke to my son's preschool teacher about it, because she also attended. I asked her if she'd purchased anything, to which she replied, "I can't afford it. I am thinking of maybe buying a vial of the 'Slim and Sassy' oil, though..." I know no one wants to be lectured by anyone, but I have a pretty good relationship with her and said (in a joking tone), "I will SLAP you if you buy that crap! You know that won't help you lose weight!" We laughed about it, and I told her also how disgusted I was about the claims about H1N1, etc. She agreed.

Unfortunately, I do not know the several other women who attended, and I would have no way of contacting them. I am considering emailing my friend about some of the bogus claims, but as I say, she has drunk the Kool-Aid and is truly under the spell of the consultant whom she buys from. I'm not sure she'd be receptive to anything I say, although we are close. If nothing else, though, I'll probably warn her about the dangers of NOT vaccinating her daughters. (I'm not saying she doesn't; I just worry that after this presentation she might choose not to do so in future.)

Titanic Survivor and IcedTea, I will send my friend the links you've provided to PinkTruth and the Jezebel article.

Again, thank you everyone. I didn't expect to get THIS level of feedback, but I guess that just shows how much these schemes (rightfully) frustrate people.

I live in the land of Meleleuca, all I can say is, run. Don't look back. These MLM's regardless where their home base is, are what is wrong with the free market.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2014 12:24AM by tensolator.

I use Young Living Essential Oils for myself and my animals. I became a distributor solely to get the oils at a cheaper price. I don't sell to anyone else, but i do buy oils for family.

I do diffuse oils - I like the smell of some of them, especially their Thieves blend - and the scent of the oils is not harmful to my parrits like air fresheners are.

I agree that some people go overboard with them, but I do find relief with a few. I put frankinsence regularly on a scar after Moh's surgery on my nose and the scar healed very well- its hardly visible at all. I don't know if the frankinsence helped, but it sure didn't hurt and it made me feel like i was helping the healing process a bit.

My cat has a skin condition and needs to be bathed regularly and i use Young Livings animal shampoo that has oils in it and he stay itch free longer than other shampoos i have used on him.

There are women on Babycenter that not only believe this stuff helps keep their families healthy day to day but also helps to ward off all sorts of big, scary things like cancer.

It's enough to make me want to reach through my computer and slap them.

Then again, they all believe Smith was a prophet and doing temple work is truly serving humanity, so I shouldn't be surprised that they "know" that oils are really ways to heal our bodies.