Essential Oils Direct Sales: How to Sell Essential Oils from Home

Selling essential oils from home can be a great way to earn money. There are a number of companies that use direct sales (also known as multi-level marketing) to sell essential oils, and you can sign up with these companies to sell their products. The biggest names include Young Living, doTERRA, Be Young, and Purely. Here’s everything to know to make your entrepreneurial venture selling essential oils successful.

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What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the highly concentrated and fragrant essences derived from plants. They are what gives a plant its characteristic odor. Essential oils are typically found in the secretory structures of plants like leaves, petals, flowering tops, roots, fruit zest, and resins. These substances are usually obtained by distilling through steaming the roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of a plant. Since the extraction process collects the true essence of a plant, essential oils are highly concentrated. Despite their name, essential oils aren’t really oily substances.

When choosing essential oils, you’ll want to look for ones that are as pure as possible. You don’t want to use something with unknown additives. Since essential oils are so potent, most of them cannot be used directly on the skin. They usually need to be diluted with a carrier oil like sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil. However, pure essential oils can be used for aromatherapy since you aren’t ingesting them or applying them to your skin.

Why Get Involved with Essential Oils Direct Sales?

Why become an essential oils consultant? Essential oils are versatile. They can be used in anything from aromatherapy to home remedies. Many people are looking for alternative and safer methods to treat minor ailments, and as a result, the use of essential oils has risen in the past few years. With so many people turning to essential oils to fulfill their needs, now is the time to tap into essential oil sales. Since essential oils are so popular, there are a number of ways for you to make money selling them online.

How to Sell Essential Oils: Educate Clients on the Many Ways Essential Oils May Help Them

Essential oils have a wide range of uses. Besides being highly fragrant, many essential oils have healing and cleansing properties. Here are some common essential oils and their uses:

Bergamot, grapefruit, or peppermint oil can increase your concentration when inhaled.
Cinnamon essential oil has anti-microbial properties and can be used in a diffuser to clean the air.
Eucalyptus oil in a diffuser may help open airways and alleviate coughing.
Ginger oil, lavender oil, and peppermint oil can be inhaled to relieve nausea.
Lavender oil, basil oil, and cedarwood oil can be added to shampoo to alleviate an itchy scalp.
Lavender oil is commonly used to reduce tension and stress or to alleviate insomnia.
Lavender oil mixed with aloe vera can be used to treat burns.
Lemongrass oil, citronella oil, and eucalyptus oil can be combined with coconut oil for a natural mosquito repellent.
Lemon oil and tea tree oil can be combined with water to create an all-purpose household cleaner.
Peppermint oil is a great way to freshen your breath.

Essential Oil Safety Tips

Although essential oils are generally safe to use, you should take some precautions when using them because of their highly concentrated nature. Most common essential oils are marked as Generally Recognized as Safe for food and cosmetic use. It’s important to look for essential oils with this seal. However, proceed with caution when using essential oils as many of them have not been studied in depth. Always do your own research first. A few things to keep in mind when choosing essential oils are:

Application Method: Essential oils can be applied to the skin, inhaled, diffused, or taken internally. It’s important to note that while an essential oil may be safe to use in one way, it might not be safe to use in a different way. For example, an oil may be safe to inhale but not safe to ingest or apply to your skin even after it’s diluted. Be sure to research whether the essential oil you’re using is safe for the specific use you desire.

Diluting: For almost any application, if you’re starting out with a very pure essential oil, you’ll want to dilute it in some way. They should usually be diluted in some kind of carrier oil, like coconut or almond oil.

Dosage: Be aware of the amount of essential oil you’re using for a particular application. It’s a good idea to use an eye dropper or something similar to measure out your essential oils. Using too much of an essential oil can be harmful.

Purity: When looking for essential oils, try to find ones that are pure and unadulterated. Not knowing what has been added to an essential oil may increase your risk of adverse effects. It’s okay to purchase diluted essential oils as long as they are clearly labeled and mixed with ingredients that are safe, such as vegetable oil.

Essential Oils That Require Cautious Use

The following essential oils are generally safe but have been known to cause dermal irritation, photosensitization, or mucous membrane irritation. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy offers a more complete list of essential oils to use cautiously. Here are some essential oils that should never be used in an undiluted state:

Bay – dermal irritant
Bergamot – photosensitization
Caraway – mucous membrane irritant
Clove bud or leaf – mucous membrane irritant
Cumin – photosensitization
Lemongrass – dermal irritant
Lemon verbena – dermal irritant
Peppermint – mucous membrane irritant
Rue – photosensitization

Essential Oils To Avoid

While many essential oils are safe, there are some that you should stay away from as they are not safe in any application. The following essential oils should generally be avoided:

Bitter Almond
Calamus
Horseradish
Mugwort
Mustard
Rue
Savin
Southernwood
Tansy
Yellow Camphor

How to Make Money with Essential Oils Direct Sales Companies

The easiest way to sell essential oils from home is to become an essential oils consultant through an essential oil direct sales company. By joining this type of company, you’ll be provided with all the information and supplies to run your own essential oil home business in exchange for a percentage of your sales.

With direct sales companies, networking is important because the amount of money you make increases as you recruit people into the company. For example, let’s say your friend recruited you to join a specific company. A percentage of your sales will create income for him or her. The same will be true for you if you can also successfully get others to join the company as well. There are a number of different essential oil companies that operate with this model, and we will go over the best ones in this section.

Remember that the amount of money you earn through these companies will vary largely based on how much time and effort you’re willing to put into your role as essential oils consultant. Here are the best and largest companies that allow you to sell essential oils from home:

1. Be Young

How The Program Works: You can sign up with Be Young to become a distributor to receive wholesale prices on Be Young products and have the opportunity to earn commission on retail sales. You can also earn money through commission on sales made by people you have recruited to the Be Young team.
Requirements: There are no membership fees to become a Be Young distributor. However, you need to order at least 20 point volume ($31), which can be achieved by purchasing the product(s) you want to promote. To maintain your distributor status, you need to make a 20 point volume purchase at least once every three months.
How Sellers Make Money With Be Young: Be Young distributors can expect to make 50% in commissions on your sponsored customers’ purchase volume. At the lowest sponsor level, you will receive a 20% commission of the enrollment order of the person you recruit. At the highest sponsor level, you will receive a 40% commission. See this brochure for more information about the Be Young distributor compensation plan.
How Much Money Can You Expect To Make: Some people have reported that it’s possible to make over $4,000 per month after six months or so in the program, but most people will make much less. The amount earned will vary based on one’s recruitment network and direct sales, but it will most likely be within the range of those work for similar companies (rough $1,000 to $1,600 annually).
How to Join: You can become a Be Young distributor through an existing member or by visiting the Be Young website.

2. doTERRA

How The Program Works: DoTERRA has a membership program where you become a Wellness Advocate and receive 25% off all doTERRA products. With the membership, you’ll receive a free personalized online store where you can sell products, receive business training, access marketing tools, maintain a virtual office, and anything else you might need to help you sell essential oils from home. You make money by receiving a commission on the retail sales you make or by recruiting new members to join the company.
Requirements: The membership costs $35 a year. There are no monthly fees or minimum selling requirements. You don’t have to sell anything if you don’t want to.
How Sellers Make Money With doTERRA: As a Wellness Advocate at any level, you earn a 25% profit on purchases made by retail customers. You have the opportunity to earn more as you level up and recruit more people to your team. Check the website for more information about doTERRA’s compensation plan.
How Much Money Can You Expect To Make: Most Wellness Advocates stay at the lowest rank of Consultant and do not earn any commission. Entry-level Wellness Advocates with the rank of Manager, Director, and Executive earn up to $1,600 annually. At the top tier of the program, in the leadership ranks of doTERRA members, the average annual earnings start at $26,600 and go up to about $1.3 million. See this flyer for more information about projected annual earnings.
How to Join: You can join the Wellness Advocate program through another member or by visiting the doTERRA website.
For more on buying and selling doTERRA essential oils and other products, see our article.

3. Purely

How The Program Works: You join the Purely team as an independent consultant to sell Purely products by hosting parties. As a Purely Host, you will receive a commission on the sales you make at your parties. You also have the opportunity to build a team and recruit new members to the company.
Requirements: To become a Purely advisor, you need to purchase an enrollment kit which costs $169. Check Purely’s website for more information about the kit and program requirements.
How Sellers Make Money With Purely: You will receive a 25 to 35% commission on each order that is made through you. When you host parties, you can earn free products and rewards.
How Much Money Can You Expect To Make: There’s little information posted online about how much money people make through Purely, but most likely, it will be comparable to the similar direct sales companies (which is to say that it varies widely but is likely around $1,000 to $1,600 per year).
How To Join: You can become a Purely advisor through an existing member or by visiting the Purely website.

4. Young Living

How The Program Works: You can buy essential oils directly from Young Living as a retail customer, but many people choose to participate in the company’s Wholesale Member program. Through the program, you receive a 24% discount on all their products, while having the opportunity to earn commissions through selling Young Living’s products.
Requirements: Joining the Wholesale Member program is technically free, but in order to maintain your membership, you need to spend at least $50 a year on Young Living products. Purchasing the premium starter kit, which is initially required to join the program, will fulfill this requirement.
How Sellers Make Money With Young Living: At the basic level of the Wholesale Member program, you earn the 24% difference between the retail price and the wholesale price when you make a direct sale to a retail customer. If you sign someone up to be a Wholesale member, you earn an initial $25 bonus when they order their premium starter kit. In addition to the initial bonus, you will earn 25%, or up to $200, of the sales that your personally enrolled distributor makes for the first three months. As you level up with the company, you have the opportunity to qualify for profit sharing, generational commissions, and all-expense-paid company retreats.
How Much Money Can You Expect To Make: According to a 2015 income disclosure statement, most members remain at the distributor level to make use of the 24% discount and never make any sales. At the next level, which is Star, the average annual income totaled $948. Sellers at the very highest tier, Royal Crown Diamond, earned about $1.7 million per year. You can find the complete list of income disclosures on the website.
How to Join: You can join the Young Living Wholesale Member program through another member or by visiting the Young Living website.

Young Living is the most well-known essential oils retailer in the world and has been in business for over 20 years.

Be Your Own Essential Oils Consultant

Direct sales might not be appealing or feasible for some people who are looking to sell essential oils. Although working through a direct sales company is one of the easiest ways to sell essential oils from home, it isn’t the only way. You can buy essential oils directly from a wholesaler and label and package them yourself. This would also give you the opportunity to mix your own blends of essential oils or make other products containing essential oils.

Unlike a direct sales company, this route requires you to provide your own supplies. Be prepared to do some digging to find the best wholesale company to buy from (unless you plan to make your own essential oils). A Google search for “wholesale essential oils” will turn up dozens of results. Research a number of companies to track down a high-quality product at a good price. Finding the right company for you will depend on your location, the type of essential oils needed, and the scale of your operation.

A few places to sell essential oils on your own would be through Amazon, Etsy, or directly from your own website. While there would be some fees involved with selling through a site like Amazon or Etsy, you would have complete control over your business. You wouldn’t need to worry about recruiting other members to join you like you have to if you want to be successful with a direct sales company. For further details about how to successfully launch and run an Etsy store, read our article about making a full-time income on Etsy. The following are some key tips to starting a successful Etsy store:

Choose a catchy, memorable name that won’t be confused with a similar store. Do a Google search to see if your preferred store name is being used by another business before you register on Etsy.
Take high-quality, well-lit photos of your products to include with your item listings on Etsy. A camera phone is fine for this purpose, but make sure the pictures are bright and in focus.
When listing items, fill in all the available fields for product details and description. This will make it easier for customers to find your listings.
Stores with more items in their inventory rank higher than stores with fewer items. Include a separate listing for each scent or size of your essential oils (rather than a single listing with a drop-down menu to choose scent and size).

Etsy is simple to join and easy to set up, so it can be a terrific option for selling essential oils or any other handmade product. In addition to having an Etsy store or selling through your own website, you can also consider establishing a local presence at arts and craft fairs or selling your line of essential oils with small local businesses. These are great opportunities to complement an online storefront or Etsy account.

In Summary

With the popularity of essential oils rising, there are many opportunities to sell essential oils from home. Whether you choose to go with a direct sales company or strike out on your own, we wish you success.

For more side income ideas, see our articles: BeautyCounter vs Rodan and Fields vs Arbonne etc: Who to Sell With and How to Make Money on the Side: Business Ideas, Jobs from Home, etc.