Essential Oil is a term I hear around every corner, as well as; I hear they are so beneficial in the treatment of many ailments. But today, let’s talk about the Young Living MLM review portion of the essential oils.
Can I make money with this MLM plan? At the same time, if I can, then why not make a ton of cash while I use the essential oils.
We will also look at the essential oils that Young Living promotes; after all, what is a company without their product; not to mention, I don’t know enough about them and want to learn more.
| Company | Young Living |
| Cost To Start | $0 |
| Training Included | No |
| Trustpilot Rating | 2.8/5 |
| My Overall Rating | 2/5 |
| What Is Better | The Laura Method (Affiliate Marketing) |
Who Is Young Living
Gary Young founded Young Living in 1993 in Riverton, Utah, but today, his third wife, Mary Young, is the CEO and owner; at the present time, Young Living is an MLM-based company that produces and markets essential oils.
Gary Young has a fascinating history with Young living; that is to say, he had a back injury and searched for holistic medicine to treat the pain; meanwhile, Gary met a french lavender distiller in California and traveled to France to learn distillation.
Consequently, before his trip to France, Gary was cited with a misdemeanor and pled guilty for practicing medicine without a license. In spite of this, from 2015 – 2017, Young Living had annual sales that exceeded $1 Billion.
It is sad to say that Gary Young passed away on May 12, 2021, at 69.
What Products Does Young Living Offer?
On the Young Living website, one can shop for different oils by category, exclusive brands, need, personal care, and infused supplements.
Young Living has:
- capsules
- tablets
- single oils
- blended oils
- powders
- and animal care products
How Can You Become A Young Living Brand Partner?
With this in mind, there are two ways to join the Young Living MLM program
- As a customer to buy products at retail pricing
- As a Brand Partner to buy product at wholesale pricing
Price To Join
Now, keep in mind, this is where the wording gets into the sketchy part of stretching the truth. So you don’t have to pay anything to join, yet, on the other hand, the website says you never have to buy a thing. In the end, if you don’t buy oils, you will not qualify for commission payouts. How about that for wording?
Under those circumstances, you can be a customer and purchase all products at retail prices, while, at the same time, when you join Young Living MLM as a Brand Partner, you will get a 24% discount. As long as you buy $50 in products per year, you can still get the 24% discount.
With all things considered, when you become a Brand Partner if you want to make a commission; all in all, you will need to purchase a kit for $30. Not to mention, if you still want to make a commission, you will need to buy $100 in products per month.
In essence, they are saying that you don’t have to pay any money unless you want to make money. Young Living can say this because they put the choice back on you. How convoluted is that?
Oh, and on top of this pricing, you can buy a starter bundle for $25 to $265 to “try the products.”
Nonetheless, it looks like a person who doesn’t have to pay anything has just paid as high as $1500 in one year.
Young Living MLM Review
Right off the bat, we see a quote by the founder that lets us know the earning potential of a Young Living Brand Partner is not important; whereas, he suggests that becoming a Brand Partner is a service to the world.
“I want everyone to focus on the caring and sharing with people, not the caring and sharing of money.”
Young Living Founder D. Gary Young.
Gary is saying here, statically speaking from the income disclosure below, that 98.7% of all Brand Partners in 2020 did not even break even but lost money.
The Young Living company itself has had numerous lawsuits and investigations over the years:
- 2019 claiming Youn Living is an unlawful pyramid scheme
- 2017 trafficking oils illegally
- 2000 safety violations for a blast that fatally wounded an employee resulting in death
- 2013-2014 adverse reactions to products
- 2014 poor marketing proceedures (claims that the oils treat and cure some conditions)
- 2020 cited for claiming their products are “therapeutic grade”
The company is not BBB accredited yet has a score rating with the BBB of 1.71 out of 5 for the products and the MLM plan.
- Horrible customer service
- 50% restocking fee to return opened box
- Poor knowledge and help with the MLM plan
- Unable to cancel subscription orders
- Send out and charge for orders months after account closed
It doesn’t sound like Young Living is a well-oiled machine.
Young Living MLM Compensation Plan
The chart here is the simplest form of the compensation plan, but it is confusing like all MLM compensation plans.
- PV – (Personal Volume): The total monthly volume of personal orders
- OGV (Organization Group Volume): The monthly volume of your entire organization
Video Of The Young Living MLM Compensation Plan
Pros And Cons
Young Living MLM has a few pros as well as cons. On the positive side, we will list a few pros and on the negative side, we’ll talk about some cons.
Pros
- As a Brand Partner you can get 24% off of products
- Longevity-been in business 28 years
- Young Living is transparent with their income disclosure
Cons
- The company has had numerous lawsuits and investigations
- The statement “It cost nothing to start” is a twisted truth
- 98.7% of Brand Partners never recoup their money let alone make money
- The reviews for customer service are horrible
- Products are expensive
Young Living Income Disclosure
This report says that 98.7% never recoup their money or break even.
According to a report by Fundera, “Only 25% of MLM participants turn a profit.“
Please note that this says “turn a profit.” It does not say that 25% make money; generally speaking, very few make money after you take out expenses. Ultimately, only 0.05% made the big bucks that all MLM companies try to make us think everyone earns.
Is Young Living MLM A Scam?
A scam is a fraudulent business where the company is dishonest in what they offer; in light of this, I don’t think the products produced by Young Living are a scam, although they are expensive. While they may provide some valuable outcomes, on the whole, I also do not believe the MLM portion is a scam, but they do border a scam.
In other words, they stretch the truth when they say you don’t need to pay money to join.
Is Young Living MLM A Pyramid Scheme?
To answer this, I have to go off of the definition of a pyramid scheme, and with this in mind, I have to say Young Living is not a pyramid scheme, be as it may, it does closely resemble one, as do all MLM companies. Although this may be true, in 2019, Young Living was involved in a lawsuit claiming they are an unlawful pyramid scheme.
The Problem With MLM Companies In General
According to an FTC Government file, an MLM operation does not have a clearly defined definition, but in reality, it calls MLM’s a” product-based pyramid scheme“ and compares it to an illegal chain letter. You know the letters you receive in the mail, it says to put a dollar in an envelope with a copy of the letter and send one to 10 people. Then if you do this, you will make a ridiculous amount of money.
The FTC Government document also states that MLM “is inherently flawed, unfair, and deceptive.”
Video Overview Of The Young Living MLM Review
My Recommendations Regarding Young Living MLM
My Young Living MLM review has been an interesting eye-opener, to say the least; with this in mind, I did not learn much about the products and if they work, but, on the other hand, I did learn a lot about the company.
In fact, what I have learned, is if you want to use the products and as a result, you can get a 24% discount, it is wise to become a Brand Partner provided, you can tolerate horrible customer service.
As for making money as a Brand Partner, I would not count on it. You are likely the 98.7% who never recoup what they put into their business, which makes me sad because I was so hoping Young Living was a bit different.
Young Living boasts paying the highest commission of any MLM plan; however, the amount of commission you make isn’t going to matter, given that the statistics in their income disclosure don’t say this.
I leave the decision up to you. Will you make money? I can’t say for sure, but I think not.
Other MLM reviews that may be helpful:
Scentsy MLM Review
Color Street MLM Review
Matilda Jane Clothing
