Young Living is a major player in the essential oils category. According to Technavio, global sales of essential oil are growing more than 11% a year and will reach $10.3 billion by 2028.

At Young Living, sales were flat in 2023, but bees had another great year. A new study published in the scientific journal Diversity surveyed the bee species present on the Mt. Nebo Botanical Farm and Distillery in Utah. Results demonstrated how the lavender plant, along with agricultural lands, can support a diverse community of bees by implementing pollinator-friendly practices, according to YL. It wasn’t the first time that the company’s research focused on bees. Two years ago, Young Living published a study in Diversity regarding bees and lavender. Conducted from May through October 2022 at the Mt. Nebo Botanical Farm and Distillery in Utah, this study shed light on lavender’s role in supporting a wide variety of bee species and showcasing how responsible agricultural practices can foster robust bee communities.

In April, Young Living’s Make a Shift campaign won a Direct Selling Association (DSA) Award in the sales and marketing campaign category. Make a Shift is a wellness initiative designed to inspire individuals to take charge of their health and well-being through simple, yet transformative, solutions. The campaign emphasizes the power of making small shifts in daily routines to achieve a more balanced and environmentally conscious lifestyle.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition from the Direct Selling Association for our Make a Shift campaign,” said Reyn Soffe, SVP-marketing. “At Young Living, we are committed to empowering individuals to lead healthier, happier lives, and Make a Shift embodies that commitment. This award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team and the unwavering support of our community.”

Sales: $2.0 billion

With pandemic worries easing, demand for Young Living’s essential oils slipped a bit. Sales fell 10% last year. Nearly a year ago, the company announced a strategic restructuring. In statement, the company said:
“To continue our global mission to bring essential oils into every home, we have begun making necessary adjustments to strategically align our resources and focus on core business operations. To best move forward in this new, very different world, Young Living will continue to monitor key performance indicators across all of our international markets and make necessary business decisions in the best interests of our Brand Partners, customers, and employees, including reducing force and optimizing our inventory.”

The company suspended operations for Young Living Brazil in September.

Sales may be down, but Young Living is out and about in nature. Last month, its Lavender Farm and Distillery in Mona, Utah was recognized as the first Monarch Farm USA. The distinction was granted by Monarch City USA, a non-profit corporation based in Washington that encourages American municipalities to plant milkweed and nectar plants to help the at-risk monarch butterfly population recover.

In May, Young Living announced second-year plans for its research project on the pollination relationship between lavender and bees. The effort expands on a previous study and reflects Young Living’s ongoing commitment to pollinator conservation and natural farming methods.

This year, YL scientists are studying the immediate and long-term effects of bee pollination on the lavender botanicals, examining how native pollinators interact with these plants in Utah to determine if Young Living should reevaluate the pollination process to help its farms flourish further.

Sales: $2.2 billion

Privately-held Young Living is one of the largest multi-level marketing (MLM) companies in the world. While the bulk of sales come from essential oils, in recent years, Young Living’s lineup has expanded to include home care products and supplements.

The US represents the bulk of YL’s business. Together with Canada, it accounts for 49.8% of global membership in 2021. Asia Pacific is next at 31.4%, followed by Latin America (10.8%), and Europe, Middle East and Africa (8%).

The top five markets outside the US, based on revenue, were: Malaysia, Mexico, Indonesia, Canada and Philippines. Overall, YL sold 54 million bottles of essential oils last year. The top-selling global blends were Thieves, Christmas Spirit and Purification. The top three non-oil products sold globally were Thieves household cleaners, Thieves laundry soap and Life 9.

Most folks know they’re not going to get rich selling essential oils for an MLM. But one former sales representative or “Happy Oiler,” as the company calls them, says she left Young Living a year ago because demonic forces were spreading “darkness” among Young Living members. This isn’t the first time that Satan has played a role in the MLM business. For years, some Amway representatives told anyone who would listen that Procter & Gamble’s Moon-and-Stars logo represented the company’s link to the devil himself.

Of course, Young Living denied the Satanic rumors. And the real truth is probably that one-time YL rep Madison Vining left the company to join Modere, another MLM company that sells collagen products.

Sales: $1.7 billion (estimated) estimated for essential oils, home and personal care products
Corporate sales: $2.2 billion

Corporate sales jumped nearly 16% to a record $2.2 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic has consumers thinking wellness, and that bodes well for Young Living.

The pandemic has driven a greater level of awareness and understanding of personal wellness and heightened the importance of self-care and mental health, according to a recent survey conducted by Young Living in which 5,000 adults from around the world were asked about their wellness habits.

The survey found that more than half (57%) of global participants report they place more emphasis on taking care of their mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Furthermore, 53% of participants report they’ve developed new wellness habits during the pandemic; 42% of participants resolved to set aside more time for their personal wellness in 2021; and 36% want to maintain the wellness habits they established during 2020.

The survey also revealed that stress is a huge barrier to happiness, affecting participants’ daily lives, jobs and more. And with typical outlets for stress relief unavailable due to the pandemic, the survey revealed that more individuals conceptualize wellness as a component of mental health now than they did before the pandemic. For example, 48% of participants stated they are stressed on a typical day, and 5% are so overwhelmed they almost can’t function; 73% of participants spend less than an hour a day engaging in wellness practices; and 28% of women who responded didn’t take any days off work in 2020, compared to only 23% men. Also in the US, 23% of women who responded report they feel guilty spending time on themselves, compared to 11% of men. The reason most participants cited for not spending more time on wellness right now are COVID-19 restrictions. This is a particularly high factor in the UK (47%), Brazil (47%) and Indonesia (42%).

Sales: $1.5 billion (estimated for essential oils, home and personal care products).
Corporate sales: $1.9 billion

Young Living makes a good living selling essential oils. It is ranked No. 13 (Amway is No. 1) among the 500 largest direct sales companies in the world by Business for Home. Like every other company in The Top 50 and around the world, coronavirus has had a major impact on business. In May, YL told its more than 1,200 employees at headquarters that they could work from home through the end of 2020. Young Living’s work-from-home order began on March 13. During the next two months, the company recorded increases in employee productivity and happiness as workers adjusted to their new, more flexible working environments. Notably, the IT department reported a 25% productivity increase while the sales department saw a 13% increase. The company also estimates that by allowing 95% of the global headquarters workforce to continue working from home, they will eliminate 20,175 pounds of carbon emissions a day. Extending working from home through the end of the year, may eliminate over 3 million pounds of carbon emissions.

“Prior to the current crisis, I didn’t believe in working from home on a regular basis,” said Jared Turner, president and COO of Young Living. “But seeing the positive impact the additional flexibility has had on our employees, their families and the environment has given me a new perspective. I now believe Young Living can be even more successful and innovative as a work from home company.”

Last month, Young Living held a virtual worldwide convention. Young Living One2020 featured workshops to address current challenges including: Happy, Healthy Family—Improving family time, reducing stress and creating a healthier home; Happy, Health Home—Enhancing your natural home and living a harsh “chemical-free” lifestyle; The Science of CBD—Led by Dr. Olivier Wenker, a discussion on CBD and why it has tremendous health benefits and why CBD is a vital component to its product line; Essential Oils 101—Designed for those who are unfamiliar with essential oils’ benefits and how to use them; and Happy Beautiful Me: Skincare—A workshop to discuss the power of essential oils in beauty lines.

Sales: $1.5 billion (estimated).

There’s money in oil. Plenty of it. Young Living lives by a quality commitment known as Seed to Seal, which means that the company will only sell 100% pure, natural, uncut oils that maintain their vital potency. This is how Young Living produces some of the best essential oils in the world and provides pure, powerful products infused with essential oils.

The company celebrates its silver anniversary this year. Since its founding, Young Living has shipped products to more than 200 countries, formulated 600-plus health and wellness products, offered the largest range of essential oil products on the market and employed nearly 4,000 global employees. In the next five years, the company plans to expand to at least 25 new global markets and achieve zero waste in all of its global facilities.

In January, the company announced that it had hired Wayne Moorehead as executive vice president of marketing. Prior to joining Young Living, Moorehead was CMO for a large, publicly traded natural supplement company, as well as CMO for an Inc 500 company, where he was instrumental in building a billion-dollar brand.

At the same time, Michael Green was promoted to the position of chief information officer. Green, who joined Young Living in 2017 as senior vice president of information technology, has more than 17 years of experience with start-ups, direct sales, and global consumer product companies.

Also in January, Young Living announced that its Vitality dietary essential oils line was Non-GMO Project Verified in the US and Canada. As such, the products will now bear the Non-GMO Project Verified seal after receiving comprehensive third-party verification.

“Consumers are increasingly concerned with what is in their food, and Young Living believes that transparency is key when providing consumable goods to the public,” said Jared Turner, president and CEO. “Young Living continues to make a great effort to offer our customers the highest quality of oil-infused products through our strict Seed to Seal process, and we proudly fulfill that promise with third-party validation of our Vitality dietary essential oils line under the industry’s best practices for GMO avoidance.”

In April, Young Living promoted Sarah Bjorgaard, who joined the company in 2018 as VP-beauty essentials, to general manager, US market. At the same time, Irvin Bishop Jr. was promoted to executive VP-digital and strategic planning.

“Irvin is a proven leader in our company. His leadership was instrumental in ensuring a smooth shopping experience during last year’s Black Friday record-breaking traffic,” explained Turner.
Young Living celebrated the opening of its global headquarters in Lehi, UT in May. Keeping with Young Living’s dedication to nature and its zero-waste goal, the building boasts more than 20 eco-friendly features, including roof solar panels, interior glass walls to maximize natural lighting, regionally sourced construction materials, vehicle-charging stations, and extensive recycling systems.

Sales: $1.5 billion.

There’s gold in essential oils. Company founder D. Gary Young discovered the therapeutic powers of essential oils more than two decades ago. Most recently, he discovered the power of line extensions, expanding the EO concept into beauty and home care.

In the 1980s, Young studied essential oils in France. When he returned to the US, he planted a field of lavender behind his office in Spokane, WA, from seeds he acquired while in France and started his farm in St. Maries, Idaho, in 1992. Two years later, he built two small distillers for his first extractions at the farm and then in 1994 built his first stainless steel stationary steam distillery. He formed Young Living Essential Oils in 1993 and incorporated it in 1994 in Utah.

Today, Young Living has 16 corporate and partner farms, over 3,000 employees, and well over 4 million customers.

Sadly, Young died on May 12, at 68, due to complications following a series of strokes. His wife and company co-founder Mary Young, along with Jared Turner, president and chief operating officer, will run the firm.

“Young Living will continue to honor Gary’s life’s work of sharing essential oils and their benefits with people around the world,” said Turner. “Over the years, he and I have had many discussions about his vision for the future of the company, and we are determined to follow the path that he set forward for Young Living.”