Company page
Young Living
Public-record notes and questions to ask before joining Young Living Essential Oils as a member or Brand Partner.
Quick decision snapshot
- Cost to start
-
- Brand Partner Kit: Required to join (a current price was not shown on Young Living’s site)
- Annual fee: None
- To earn commissions: 100 PV a month
- Disclosure headline
- Young Living’s own U.S. disclosure (2025 data): the median Brand Partner earned $0 for the entire year, and the average was $778, before expenses.
- Main limitation
- Young Living's income figures are gross and before expenses; they do not show what members kept after product, events, travel, or other costs.
- Ask before paying
-
- Does the income disclosure show net income after expenses, or earnings before expenses?
- Read the Young Living income disclosure guide.
- Request the income disclosure, compensation plan, expense list, and exit rules.
- Use a short script if you need time, documents, or a clear no.
What it costs to get started
| Brand Partner Kit | Required to join (a current price was not shown on Young Living’s site) |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | None |
| To earn commissions | 100 PV a month |
What people actually earn
Young Living’s own U.S. disclosure (2025 data): the median Brand Partner earned $0 for the entire year, and the average was $778, before expenses.
| Data year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Median (all Brand Partners) | $0 for the year (average $778) |
| Lowest rank | 73.9% of Brand Partners (median $0) |
| Reported as | Gross, before expenses |
Read the full Young Living income disclosure guide →
Company overview
Young Living Essential Oils is a direct selling company that sells essential oils, supplements, and related products through independent members and Brand Partners.
This page focuses on income-opportunity disclosures and public regulatory records, not on product quality or individual testimonials.
What the company discloses
- Young Living publishes a U.S. Income Disclosure Statement that reports the share of members at each rank, with the large majority in the lowest, unranked category.
- The statement defines active members as those who made at least one purchase in the previous 12 months and notes that figures are earnings before expenses.
- The disclosure also reports that a majority of members who enrolled in prior years made no purchase in the reporting year.
What is not clear from public disclosure
- How many members net a profit after expenses such as product purchases, events, and travel, which the before-expenses figures do not show.
- How members who enrolled but did not purchase are treated in the totals.
- The typical net outcome for a newly enrolled member, which the company states it does not guarantee.
Regulatory/public record
- In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Young Living pleaded guilty to federal misdemeanor charges regarding illegal trafficking of rosewood and spikenard oil in violation of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, and was sentenced to pay $760,000 and serve five years of probation.
- In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter stating that certain Young Living products were, as marketed, unapproved new drugs and misbranded drugs under federal law.
- These records concern environmental and product-marketing law and are separate from the income-opportunity questions above.
Questions to ask before joining
- Does the income disclosure show net income after expenses, or earnings before expenses?
- What percentage of comparable new members earned more than they spent in their first year?
- How much product am I expected to buy to remain active or qualify for compensation?
- Does the person enrolling me earn from my purchases, my recruits, or both?
- What can I return or cancel, and by what deadline, if I leave?
Is Young Living a pyramid scheme?
People often search whether a company like this is a pyramid scheme or a scam. This page does not apply those labels: whether a company meets a legal definition is a matter for regulators and courts, not a label to settle during a recruiting conversation.
A more useful first question is where the money comes from: whether pay depends on real sales to customers outside the business, how much depends on recruiting, and what participants keep after expenses. See how to evaluate the pyramid-scheme question before relying on a label either way. Any regulator or court record specific to Young Living is summarized in the public-record section above, with attribution.
Common costs to check:
- Product, samples, shipping, and taxes.
- Starter kits, renewal fees, websites, apps, or back-office tools.
- Training, events, tickets, travel, meals, lodging, and childcare.
- Advertising, giveaways, displays, packaging, or payment fees.
- Licensing, exam prep, background checks, or required continuing education.
- Unsold inventory and unpaid time.
Gross income is not the same as money kept after these costs.
Useful related pages
Choose the next page by your situation:
- If you have not paid, start with Before You Pay.
- If you already paid, review records, recurring charges, and cancellation rules.
- If you feel pressured, use a script before continuing the conversation.
Sources
-
Company disclosure
2026 U.S. Income Disclosure Statement (2025 data)
-
Regulatory public record
Essential Oils Company Sentenced for Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act Violations to Pay $760,000
-
Regulatory public record
Young Living Essential Oils Corporate - 615777 - 06/10/2022 (Warning Letter)
-
Regulator guidance
Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing
Correction request
To request a correction, email corrections@boringanddevastating.com with this page URL, the specific text at issue, and supporting public sources.