doTerra

dōTERRA

File:Logo of doTERRA.png
Type	Private
Industry	Multi-level marketing
Founded	2008 (2008)
Headquarters	Pleasant Grove, Utah, United States
Area served	International
Key people	David Stirling, Greg Cook, David Hill, Emily Wright, Rob Young, Corey Lindley, Mark Wolfert
Products	Essential oils, home products
Number of employees	354
Website	www.doterra.com

doTerra (styled dōTERRA) is a multi-level marketing company based in Pleasant Grove, Utah that sells essential oils and other related products.

Company info

File:Doterra kit.jpg

dōTERRA kit

doTERRA—derived from Terra, the Latin word for Earth—was founded in 2008 by David Stirling and former executives, employees, and distributors of Young Living, a company which also sells essential oils. Stirling is its president and CEO.

As of 2013, doTERRA reported about 450 corporate employees; 350 at at the Utah headquarters, and 100 at offices in Taiwan, Japan, Europe and in Australia. As of 2016, doTERRA also listed over 3 million independent distributors and salespeople, which the company refers to as "Wellness Advocates." As a multi-level marketing organizations (some of which are pyramid schemes), salespeople are expected to recruit other salespeople in order to increase their own profits.

The company's product portfolio includes over 150 products, including supplements, personal care items, and oils containing the essence of lavender, peppermint, and lemon. Its products are marketed for usage in cooking, cleaning, and health. As of 2013, approximately 75% of the company's business was in the United States.

In August 2013, Young Living filed suit against doTERRA for theft of trade secrets, alleging that the company had recreated their production process illegally. Chemist Robert Pappas has said the oils, which were tested by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, did not match any oils sold by doTerra. One unintended consequence of the lawsuit between the two companies has been a court deposition by Pappas stating that Young Living and doTerra utilizes synthetic chemicals in their organic products. In October 2014 the Fourth District Court dismissed the claims made against doTERRA.

In September 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an FDA Warning Letter to doTERRA for marketing its products as possible treatments or cures for Ebola, cancer, autism, and other conditions in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. DoTerra marketing executive McKay Brown released a statement that attempted to distance the company from claims that its “products cure or treat diseases including the Ebola virus or any other disease”, and he claimed that they were working to correct marketing materials to ensure compliance with FDA regulations.

In April 2016, doTERRA sent letters to distributors advising them that a breach in a system where personal information was stored had occurred in March 2016. Personal information acquired in the breach included: name, dates of birth, social security number, address, telephone number, email address, debit and credit card numbers, username, and passwords. The company explained that a "third-party vendor" was at fault, but refused to name the vendor. To compensate, the company offered 24-months of credit monitoring through AllClear a credit monitoring company. Many distributors have raised concern at the amount of information that was acquired and the long-term effects.

External links

• Official website