Young Living Review (2026): Are the Oils Worth It, or Just Expensive Hype?

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I've personally vetted and believe in. See my full affiliate disclosure for details.

Income Disclaimer: The income figures referenced in this review are based on the company's income disclosure statement and do not guarantee results. The majority of MLM participants earn little to no income. Your results will vary based on your effort, skills, and market conditions. See our full income disclaimer for details.

Health Disclaimer: The information in this review is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Individual results may vary. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement or wellness product. See our full health disclaimer for details.

If you've spent any time in the essential oils world, you've heard the name Young Living. Maybe someone in your yoga class swears by their Thieves cleaner. Maybe your aunt keeps sending you articles about how peppermint oil changed her life. Or maybe someone just slid into your DMs with a "hey girl" message and an invitation to join their team.

Either way, you're here because you want the real story. Are the oils actually that good? Is the business opportunity legit? And is Young Living worth your time and money in 2026?

I've been inside 8+ MLM companies over the years, so I know how these things work from the inside out. I dug into the products, the pricing, the compensation plan, the controversies (and there are plenty), and the income disclosures. If you're shopping around and comparing companies, take a look at all of our MLM company reviews for the bigger picture.

Here's what I found.

What Is Young Living?

Young Living is one of the largest essential oils companies in the world and one of the oldest MLMs still operating today. They were founded in 1993 by Gary Young in Lehi, Utah, and they've built their entire brand around what they call "Seed to Seal," a quality promise that their oils are pure, potent, and produced under strict standards from farm to bottle.

Here are the basics:

Detail	Info
Founded	1993
Headquarters	Lehi, Utah
Founder	D. Gary Young (deceased 2018)
Products	Essential oils, supplements, personal care, cleaning products
Business Model	MLM / Direct Sales
Market Presence	100+ countries worldwide
BBB Rating	A+ (Accredited)
Estimated Annual Revenue	$1.5-2B at peak (estimated)

Young Living was essentially the company that brought essential oils into the mainstream in the US. Before Young Living (and later doTERRA), essential oils were a niche product you'd find at health food stores and hippie shops. Gary Young turned them into a multi-billion dollar MLM empire.

At their peak, Young Living had millions of members worldwide and was regularly ranked among the top 10 largest MLM companies globally. They own farms and distilleries across multiple countries, which is a differentiator they lean on heavily in their marketing.

But the company's history is far from clean. And the founder's story is one of the most controversial in the entire MLM industry.

Who's Behind Young Living?

This is where things get complicated.

D. Gary Young founded Young Living and was the driving force behind the company until his death in 2018. Young positioned himself as a visionary healer and essential oils pioneer. He owned farms, spoke at conventions, and was treated almost like a spiritual figure within the Young Living community.

But Gary Young had a deeply troubling past that the company has never fully addressed:

In 1982, he was involved in the death of his newborn daughter during a home water birth. The baby was held underwater for nearly an hour as part of Young's beliefs about water birthing.
He practiced medicine without a license on multiple occasions and was charged for it.
He made unsubstantiated health claims about essential oils for years, including suggestions that they could treat cancer, Ebola, and other serious diseases.
His academic credentials were questioned, with investigations revealing that several of his claimed degrees came from unaccredited institutions.

I'm not bringing this up to be sensational. But if you're going to join a company or buy their products, you should know who built it and what the foundation looks like.

After Gary Young's death, leadership passed to his wife Mary Young, who serves as CEO. The company has also brought in experienced executives to manage operations. The transition has been relatively smooth from a business standpoint, though some long-time members have expressed concerns about the direction of the company without its founder.

Young Living Products: Are the Oils Actually Pure?

Let's talk about what you're actually buying.

Essential Oils (The Core Line)

Young Living's product catalog is massive, but essential oils remain the centerpiece. They offer single oils (lavender, peppermint, frankincense, tea tree) and proprietary blends (Thieves, PanAway, Valor, Peace & Calming). Their signature starter kit includes a diffuser and a collection of their most popular oils.

The big marketing claim is Seed to Seal, which Young Living describes as their quality commitment covering sourcing, science, and standards. They own or partner with farms in over a dozen countries and operate their own distilleries.

Here's my honest take: Young Living oils are genuinely good quality. Independent third-party tests have generally confirmed that their oils are pure, unadulterated, and correctly identified. The company does invest real money in farming and distillation infrastructure, and that's not nothing.

But here's what they don't emphasize: "Seed to Seal" is a marketing trademark, not a third-party certification. There's no independent body verifying their Seed to Seal claims. It's a brand promise, and you're taking their word for it.

Supplements and Wellness

Beyond oils, Young Living sells:

NingXia Red (a wolfberry-based antioxidant drink, one of their bestsellers)
Inner Defense (softgels with essential oils for immune support)
Life 9 (a probiotic)
Multigreens and other nutritional supplements
Various protein powders and meal replacements

Users report positive experiences with NingXia Red in particular, though the research on wolfberry-based supplements is still emerging and not nearly as robust as the marketing suggests.

Personal Care and Home Products

The Thieves product line is probably Young Living's biggest non-oil success story. It includes household cleaner, dish soap, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, laundry detergent, and more. All built around their Thieves essential oil blend (clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, and rosemary).

These products are generally well-reviewed by users. The Thieves cleaner in particular has a cult following. But the pricing is where the conversation changes.

The Pricing Reality

Young Living products are expensive. Significantly more expensive than comparable alternatives.

Product	Young Living Price	Comparable Alternative	Alt. Price
Lavender Essential Oil (15ml)	$28-32	Plant Therapy Lavender (10ml)	$7-10
Peppermint Essential Oil (15ml)	$28-31	NOW Peppermint (30ml)	$8-12
Thieves Household Cleaner (14.4 oz)	$22-24	Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day (16 oz)	$4-5
Frankincense Essential Oil (15ml)	$80-95	Edens Garden Frankincense (10ml)	$15-22
NingXia Red (750ml, 2-pack)	$80-95	Generic wolfberry/goji juice	$15-25
Premium Starter Kit	$200+	Comparable oil starter set	$30-60

That's not a small difference. In some cases, you're paying 3-5x what you'd pay for comparable products from reputable non-MLM brands. Young Living members will argue that the quality justifies the price, but independent testing has shown that brands like Plant Therapy, Edens Garden, and NOW Essential Oils produce pure, high-quality oils at a fraction of the cost.

The MLM distribution model adds significant overhead. When a product has to pay commissions across multiple levels of a compensation plan, that cost gets baked into the retail price. You're paying for the business model, not just the oil.

How the Young Living Compensation Plan Works

Young Living uses a unilevel compensation plan with bonuses and rank advancement tiers. Here's a simplified breakdown of how distributors (called "Brand Partners" or historically "members") earn money:

Retail commissions: You earn 24% on retail sales to customers who buy at full price.

Personal Volume (PV) requirements: To qualify for commissions, you need to maintain 100 PV per month in personal purchases or sales. That's roughly $100/month in product.

Organization Volume (OV) bonuses: As you build a team, you can earn percentages on their volume. The deeper your organization, the more potential bonus pools you can tap into.

Rank advancement: Young Living has ranks from Star to Royal Crown Diamond. Each rank unlocks higher commission percentages and bonus pools. The reality? Most people never advance past the first couple of ranks.

Essential Rewards program: This is Young Living's autoship program. Members commit to a monthly order (minimum 100 PV) and earn points back. This is a smart business move for the company because it creates predictable recurring revenue. For the individual distributor, it means you're spending $100+ per month whether you're making sales or not.

Income Disclosure: The Real Numbers

This is where the dream meets reality.

Young Living's income disclosure statement tells the story that the social media posts don't. While exact figures vary by year, the pattern is consistent with the broader MLM industry:

The vast majority of members (often 80-90%+) earn less than $100 per year in commissions
When you factor in the 100 PV monthly requirement ($1,200+/year minimum), most members operate at a net loss
Only the top fraction of 1% earn what anyone would consider a full-time income
The people at the top of the organization, many of whom joined in the early years, earn the lion's share of the compensation

This isn't unique to Young Living. It's how virtually every MLM compensation plan works. But the gap between what's promoted on Instagram and what the income disclosure reveals is massive.

The Good: What Young Living Gets Right

I always try to be fair in these reviews, so here's what genuinely works:

Product quality is real. Independent testing confirms their oils are pure and properly sourced. You're getting a legitimate product.
Farm ownership is unique. Most essential oil companies source from third parties. Young Living owns farms and distilleries, giving them more control over the supply chain.
Community is strong. Young Living has one of the most passionate member communities in the MLM space. People genuinely love the products and the lifestyle around them.
Product range is massive. If you want to replace most of your household and personal care products with essential oil-based alternatives, Young Living has you covered.
Longevity matters. The company has been around since 1993. They're not a fly-by-night operation. That stability means something for product availability and company support.

The Concerns: What You Need to Know

Now for the harder stuff.

The Founder's History

I covered this above, but it bears repeating. Gary Young's history includes practicing medicine without a license, making dangerous health claims, and involvement in his newborn daughter's death. The company has largely tried to move past this since his death in 2018, but it's part of the foundation.

Health Claims and FDA Warnings

Young Living has received multiple warning letters from the FDA over the years for making unauthorized health claims. Distributors (and sometimes the company itself) have claimed or implied that essential oils can treat, cure, or prevent diseases including cancer, Parkinson's, diabetes, and infections.

The FDA has made it clear: essential oils are not medicines. They may support wellness in various ways, but claiming they treat diseases is illegal and potentially dangerous. If someone tells you Young Living oils can cure your health condition, that's a red flag.

The Pricing Problem

As I showed in the pricing table above, Young Living products cost 3-5x more than comparable alternatives. The quality is good, but independent testing shows you can get equivalently pure oils from Plant Therapy, Edens Garden, or NOW Essential Oils for a fraction of the price. The premium is paying for the MLM distribution model.

Monthly Minimums and Autoship Pressure

The 100 PV monthly requirement creates a situation where many members are their own best customers. When you're spending $100+/month on products just to stay "active" in the compensation plan, you need to generate significant sales volume just to break even. Many people end up with closets full of oils they bought to maintain their rank.

The Pyramid Scheme Question

Is Young Living a pyramid scheme? Technically, no. They sell real products with real customers. But there are structural characteristics that raise concerns:

Income heavily weighted toward recruitment over retail sales
Monthly purchase requirements that blur the customer/distributor line
Most income flowing to top-tier distributors
Emphasis on team building rather than product sales at events and in training

The FTC has not taken action against Young Living specifically, and the company operates as a legal direct sales business. But the income disclosures make it clear that this is a difficult business to profit from for the average participant.

Product Alternatives: Get the Oils Without the MLM

If you love essential oils but don't want to pay MLM prices or deal with the business model, here are some solid alternatives I'd recommend:

Product Need	Young Living Product	YL Price	Alternative	Alt. Price	Where to Buy
Lavender Oil	Lavender (15ml)	$28-32	Plant Therapy Lavender (10ml)	$7-10	Amazon
Peppermint Oil	Peppermint (15ml)	$28-31	NOW Peppermint (30ml)	$8-12	Amazon
Frankincense Oil	Sacred Frankincense (15ml)	$80-95	Edens Garden Frankincense (10ml)	$15-22	Amazon
Tea Tree Oil	Tea Tree (15ml)	$25-30	Plant Therapy Tea Tree (10ml)	$6-9	Amazon
Starter Oil Set	Premium Starter Kit	$200+	Plant Therapy Essential Oil Set (14 oils)	$35-50	Amazon
Household Cleaner	Thieves Cleaner (14.4 oz)	$22-24	Edens Garden All-Purpose Cleaner	$8-12	Amazon

The takeaway: You can get pure, high-quality, third-party tested essential oils from brands like Plant Therapy, NOW Essential Oils, and Edens Garden for 50-80% less than Young Living pricing. These brands submit to GC/MS testing (the gold standard for essential oil purity) and many of them are certified organic. The quality difference, if any, is minimal. The price difference is massive.

Plant Therapy in particular has become a favorite among essential oil enthusiasts who left the MLM world. They offer a kid-safe line, organic options, and transparent third-party testing. And you can buy them on Amazon without anyone trying to recruit you.

My Final Verdict: Is Young Living Worth It?

Here's where I land on this.

If you're considering Young Living purely for the products: The oils are genuinely good. Pure, properly sourced, and well-made. But you are paying a significant premium for the brand name and the MLM distribution model. You can get the same quality from Plant Therapy, Edens Garden, or NOW Essential Oils for a fraction of the price. If you've been using Young Living and love specific products, that's your call. But if you're just getting into essential oils, I'd start with a more affordable brand and see how you feel before committing to MLM pricing.

If you're considering Young Living as a business opportunity: The income disclosures are not encouraging. The vast majority of members don't earn meaningful income, and many lose money when you factor in monthly product purchases. The essential oils market has become increasingly competitive, with high-quality alternatives available everywhere from Amazon to Target. That makes the "our oils are better" pitch harder to sell than it was 10 years ago. And the company's controversial history gives skeptical prospects an easy reason to say no.

Could you build a successful Young Living business? It's theoretically possible. But the math doesn't favor you, and you'd be swimming against a current of negative press, cheaper competition, and an increasingly skeptical public.

Bottom line: Young Living makes quality essential oils. But the products are overpriced for what you get, and the business opportunity is a losing proposition for most people who try it.

One More Thing...

Here's what I've learned after years in this industry: the company you choose matters, but your ability to actually market is what makes or breaks you. And that's the piece most uplines never teach.

Whether you decide to go with Young Living, sell essential oils through another channel, or build a completely different kind of online business, the fundamentals don't change. You need to know how to attract the right people, build an audience, and create content that positions you as someone worth listening to.

That's exactly what we teach inside The Sponsoring System. It's the playbook for building any online business (MLM, affiliate marketing, digital products, you name it) using real digital marketing strategies that actually work in 2026.

If you want to see the training I recommend for building any online business, the right training system.

If you want to learn how to stop chasing people and start having them come to you, check out The Sponsoring System here.

Have questions about Young Living, essential oils, or how to build an online business in the wellness space? Drop a comment below and I'll do my best to help you out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Young Living a pyramid scheme?

Young Living is not technically a pyramid scheme. They sell real products with genuine consumer demand, and they operate as a legal direct sales company. However, like most MLMs, the compensation structure heavily favors those at the top, and the majority of participants earn little to no income. The monthly purchase requirements and emphasis on recruitment over retail sales are characteristics that draw comparisons to pyramid schemes, even though the company operates within legal boundaries.

Are Young Living essential oils actually pure?

Yes, independent third-party testing has generally confirmed that Young Living essential oils are pure and unadulterated. Their Seed to Seal program involves real farming and distillation infrastructure. That said, Seed to Seal is a Young Living trademark, not an independent certification. And equally pure oils are available from non-MLM brands like Plant Therapy and Edens Garden for significantly less money. Purity alone doesn't justify the price premium.

Why is Young Living so expensive?

The short answer: the MLM model. When a product needs to pay commissions across multiple levels of a compensation plan, that cost gets passed to the consumer. Young Living also invests in owned farms and distilleries, which adds real production costs. But the primary reason their oils cost 3-5x more than comparable pure oils from brands like Plant Therapy or NOW is the multi-level distribution model. You're paying for the business structure, not just the oil in the bottle.

Can you make money selling Young Living?

Based on Young Living's income disclosure statements, the vast majority of members (often 80-90%+) earn less than $100 per year in commissions. When you subtract the 100 PV monthly minimum ($1,200+/year in required purchases), most people operate at a net loss. Only the top fraction of 1% earn anything resembling a full-time income. This pattern is consistent across the MLM industry, not just Young Living.

Young Living vs doTERRA: which is better?

This is the most common comparison in the essential oils MLM space. Both companies sell high-quality pure essential oils at premium MLM prices. doTERRA (founded in 2008 by former Young Living executives) has its own quality program called CPTG. The products are comparable in quality. The compensation plans are structured differently but produce similar income distributions. If you just want quality essential oils, skip both and buy from Plant Therapy or Edens Garden at a fraction of the price. If you're set on building a business with one of them, research both compensation plans carefully and look at the most recent income disclosures for each.

Is Young Living safe to use?

Young Living essential oils are generally safe when used as directed (typically diffused or applied topically with a carrier oil). However, essential oils are potent plant extracts and can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, or other adverse effects in some people. Never ingest essential oils unless directed by a qualified healthcare provider, despite what some Young Living distributors may suggest. The FDA has warned the company about health claims made by distributors. Always dilute oils before skin application, keep them away from children and pets, and consult your doctor if you have underlying health conditions.