dōTERRA Discontinues Health-Related Product Performance and Earnings Claims Pursuant to DSSRC Compliance Inquiry

McLean, VA – November 15, 2021 – dōTERRA discontinued certain product performance and earnings claims as part of a compliance inquiry initiated by the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), an action that DSSRC deemed necessary and appropriate. dōTERRA is a direct selling company that sells essential oils and related products. Central to this inquiry was a concern that these challenged claims were similar to claims from a 2019 DSSRC inquiry with dōTERRA.

The inquiry was commenced by DSSRC through its ongoing independent monitoring of advertising and marketing claims in the direct selling industry, and dedication to the independent review of advertising from direct selling companies that have previously been the subject of a DSSRC inquiry. The claims that were the subject of the inquiry were disseminated by dōTERRA salesforce members on social media. 

Product and earnings claims included:

• “need an all natural headache reliever? One that’s free of harsh over-the-counter drugs, but actually works?”
• “Got jaw pain? Here is my quick easy trick…”
• “Top 3 dōTERRA Oils for PMS and Cramps”
• “ESSENTIAL OILS FOR STRESS – MY STORY – ANXIOUS THOUGHTS, Essential Oils for Panic Attacks”
• “I made this rollerball last night after being told to keep our children home from school due to a confirmed case in their year. I have rubbed it all along the family’s spine and will keep doing this to support our immune systems as it has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties.”
• “Thyme dōTERRA Essential oils, Top Properties: Analgesic, Anti-oxidant, Anti-rheumatic, Anti-viral; Mucolytic and stimulate.”
• “Excellent for: Colds, Flu & Viruses, Asthma, Croup & Pneumonia; Candida & Parasites. Incontinence & Bladder Infection. Pain & Sore Muscles. Fatigue, Stress & Depression.”
• “I want to create a legacy and create generational wealth not just as a policy.”
• “Essential Oils you can use to help support when your sick.”

As noted in previous DSSRC cases, health-related claims must be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence, as defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). DSSRC informed dōTERRA of its concern that the product claims may convey unsubstantiated health-related and wellness benefits. dōTERRA did not contest DSSRC’s concerns. 

DSSRC requested that dōTERRA immediately remove any and all social media posts and YouTube videos indicating that its products are efficacious against serious health-related conditions as well as the claim that dōTERRA business opportunity can result in generational wealth. 

DSSRC appreciated dōTERRA’s good faith actions to remove the social media posts from circulation. However, DSSRC remained concerned that some of the YouTube videos, now designated as ‘private,’ are still shareable. 

DSSRC recommended that dōTERRA contact the owners of the YouTube videos in question to have them disabled in their entirety and recommended that dōTERRA heighten its efforts to enforce its compliance oversight of salesforce social media posts.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For full text of DSSRC decisions, visit the DSSRC Cases and Closures webpage.

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About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council: The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent, impartial monitoring, dispute resolution, and enforcement of false product claims and income representations made by direct selling companies and their salesforce members across digital platforms. The DSSRC seeks to establish high standards of integrity and business ethics for all direct selling companies in the marketplace.