Young Living and doTerra Essential Oil Companies Cited by FDA for Non-Compliance Sept 2014

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Warning Letters to three essential oil companies this week citing violations from activities and promotions which would classify these companies' products as drugs under section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The companies, Young Living Essential Oils, doTerra International LLC, and Natural Solutions, were found to be in violation of FDA rules and regulations for labeling, advertising, and distributing products intended to be drugs without FDA-approved applications.

The companies as well as their independent paid sales representatives were found to be distributing claims that their main product, essential oils, can diagnose, mitigate, treat, and/or cure diseases including cancer, tetanus, Alzheimer's disease, and the Ebola virus, which classifies their product as unapproved pharmaceutical drugs by the FDA.

The warnings issued by the FDA address the marketing practices including distribution and labeling of essential oils used by these companies, not the existence or availability of essential oils themselves.

The FDA states in the warning letters that they approve new drugs based on scientific analysis of the substances efficacy and safety.

Proponents of safe essential oil use including licensed practitioners, research writers and certified aromatherapists are celebrating the warning letters, seeing this as a huge victory for the safe and ethical use of essential oils.

"We've wondered for years how these larger, multi-level marketing based essential companies can promote unsafe use and wild claims of an otherwise well-respected and cautiously utilized potent natural component of natural medicine" says one such concerned proponent, a member of the Facebook group "300 Strong Against Essential Oil Ingestion". "Today we learned they can't - and that's a real relief. We feel this will help justify ethical and safe use of essential oils to newcomers who may otherwise learn improper and unsafe usage techniques from home-parties or social media."

"At long last" says Martin Watt of the warning letters. Watt is a long-time advocate of responsible essential oil use and author of articles addressing unethical essential oil practices at aromamedical.org.

Recipes for essential oil use, including internally, topically, and via inhalation found on independent sales representative websites and social media accounts made up the majority of violations cited in the individual warning letters. The companies have 15 days to contact the FDA about correcting their violations.

To read the FDA Warning Letter issued to Young Living, click here.

To read the FDA Warning Letter issued to doTerra International LLC, click here.