Unlisted Ingredients – Honest Mistake? Or Serious Safety Issue?
Results for the DoTerra Deep Blue Soothing Blend are in!
Well by now we are no stranger to the seemingly endless quality issues in the world of aromatherapy. Even large companies with strict quality control measures do not appear to be immune. The results for the DoTerra Deep Blue soothing blend are in and they were very interesting (for a number of reasons.) Essential Oil blends can be difficult to analyze and sometimes can present challenges to the labs performing the analysis. Be sure to read the labs “conclusion” statement on pages 4 and 5 of the report below. [Note: Mobile device users, clicking the link below will download the PDF copy of the test report. You must have a PDF viewer app on your device to view the report.]
I was confident in PhytoChemia’s conclusion that this blend contained an unlisted ingredient – Ylang Ylang. You can see a picture of the DoTerra bottle label and ingredient list below which is missing Ylang Ylang. The website listing, also below, failed to mention the use of Ylang Ylang as well. [Since notifying DoTerra on June 3rd, the website listing has been updated to show the addition of Ylang Ylang]
Bottle label as of June 3rd 2016
Website Listing as of June 3rd 2016 before notifying DoTerra
The presence of an unlisted ingredient is a serious concern for obvious reasons to many people. I notified DoTerra of the results June 3rd 2016 and provided them with 3 business days notice of the publication of the results and the opportunity to provide a statement if they wished to do so. You can see a copy of that e-mail below. [Note: Mobile device users, clicking the link below will download the PDF copy of the test report. You must have a PDF viewer app on your device to view the report.]
I received a phone call Tuesday June 7th from a DoTerra representative who informed me they have received my notice and the test results. They thanked me for allowing them the opportunity to reply and asked when the results would be published as they would like to provide a statement for me to post with them. They advised me they would send it to me via e-mail the following morning and confirmed my e-mail address verbally. I’ve waited until now to publish the results pending receipt of their statement, however I have received nothing from them this morning as they indicated. If I receive anything at a later time, I will update this article.
UPDATE: DoTerra sent me the following statement in response to the results. It was issued at 4:04pm (well after the “morning” period they had mentioned, but it got flagged as Spam and took an extra hour before it arrived to me. I immediately posted the update below. [Note: Mobile device users, clicking the link below will download the PDF copy of the test report. You must have a PDF viewer app on your device to view the report.]
Use the comment section below to discuss the results and your thoughts on the statement from DoTerra. As always, I’m happy to help answer any questions I can. As a reminder, all previous test results are posted on the Test Reports page
-Yours in health,
Miles
Dawn says
April 5, 2017 at 3:31 amThank you miles for doing this research, you have become the food babe of essential oils, and that in itself is essentially important, no pun intended. I question frankincense in every company, they all smell so different to me and vary is color and thickness. I often wonder if oils are complete distilled or just the first distill……. I’m curious if you have any understanding of that topic as I am becoming more hesitant in trusting any of these companies. I would be interested in sending off an oil to a lab, especially frankincense.
Any info would be helpful, thank you.
amor says
July 5, 2016 at 4:13 pmThe report issued for failing due to mistakes in omitting an ingredient is very misleading. Your report should have an exception statement..ex. potency, purity passed except for an omission of an ingredient on the label. I’m not an expert when it comes to oils testing but an auditor by profession. Also, the basis of what you are testing should be listed.. like purity of the oils, listing accuracy and etc. People without knowledge about it may be easily mislead by your statement of not passing over all about the oil. And for sure you don’t want to mislead people. Your statements that they fail, sounds like they are fake or not real in they are misrepresenting.
Brem says
June 23, 2016 at 4:56 pmI appreciate how DoTerra quickly responded and took action to resolve the issue. Mistakes happen, even in big companies. DoTerra obviously strives to have the highest standards.
It’s amazing to me how little we know what is actually in our personal care products because companies are not required to list all ingredients. “Fragrance” can be anything… And some added chemicals to preserve a product do not even have to be listed in the ingredients.
So many companies can be put under the microscope and exposed. Good for DoTerra for constantly remaining strong under the constant pressure of a microscope. It just makes them stronger and their standards higher.
Sharon says
June 22, 2016 at 7:04 pmdoTERRA stated that sales would be halted until the labels have been updated, however they have not done that. Service and Support says “We are still shipping the Deep Blue with the incorrect label, and are working hard to update the label for the product as soon as possible.”
Kristi says
June 10, 2016 at 3:04 amI LOVE YLANG YLANG!
teri says
June 9, 2016 at 9:04 pmThis speaks volume on the true Integrity Corporate maintains!! I have been using Deep Blue for 5 years and haven’t had any bad reaction to the blend. Corporate would never intentionally leave an oil out on purpose. I am happy with doTERRA products.
Gerrie says
June 9, 2016 at 3:12 pmI have to admit I’m excited to read all of your findings. It has really made me open my eyes to the quality of oils even more. In this case, I’m proud at the way dōTERRA responded quickly, did not insult, and actually are taking course of action. I’ve been using dōTERRA for over a year now and the company has very high ethical standards and customer service.
(For someone saying they had issues with their upline, you can talk to someone on your team or transfer your account. That is not something dōTERRA would be responsible for, I don’t think.)
Roszey says
June 9, 2016 at 2:34 pmI love a good conspiracy theory like anyone else, but I think in this case it’s not in the realm of unjustifiable to not declare every ingredient if you consider that this blend is proprietary. By listing “other ingredients” I consider it covered. However, good analysis and thanks for the info.
Miles J says
June 9, 2016 at 5:20 pmYou are mistaking the oil blend for the rub. The rub said “and other ingredients” but the oil blend DID NOT, and thus the issue.
Dan Stephens says
June 9, 2016 at 2:15 pm“fortunately doterra has not faced the situation where an incorrect label could potentially cause a health concern.” ?!?! if a bottle of that was even opened near me i would have a massive allergic reaction. even the smallest amount of ylang ylang starts to close my throat! (i even had a reaction to an cologne my client was wearing the other day) no health concerns is rubbish! any trace of an EO should be on the label as a lot of the time less is more with EOs!
Annette says
June 11, 2016 at 11:52 pmWow, I am so glad you didn’t try the deep blue. These mistakes appear to be industry wide. It concerns me!
RC says
May 23, 2017 at 5:14 amYou may or may not have a bad reaction to pure Ylang Ylang essential oil. Cologne is not pure essential oil and it very likely contained many ingredients most of them synthetic. When you are allergic to a plant it is usually the protein in the plant that you are actually allergic to. Essential oil contains no protein. Considering the volume that doTERRA sells, the fact that no bad reactions were reported lends credence this.
Becky says
June 9, 2016 at 12:30 pmIt’s funny how people will read this and still have negative things to say…..super glad for the testing! Thankful it was pure, as they claim, and thankful they have updated the label and included the ingredients. I love this company. Human error is part of life, fixing it rather than denying it, speaks volumes of their character.
shelly says
June 15, 2016 at 12:56 amI have had no problems using the deep blue. I also love doterra products
CMG says
June 16, 2016 at 6:17 pmNot pure – it contained another ingredient.
KK says
April 13, 2017 at 10:19 pmanother ingredient doesn’t render something impure. The oils found were all pure.
Kelley says
November 13, 2017 at 4:44 amBy definition, if something is “mixed with a foreign matter” it is impure. If ylang ylang was not on the label, the labeling was inaccurate at best. It is perplexing that so many people are not concerned with knowing what is in a specific blend of oil and that the company continued to distribute it with inaccurate information on the label.
Julie grant says
June 9, 2016 at 6:12 amI am glad that dōTERRA updated their contents list on deep blue. I believe that Ylang Ylang is what makes me feel totally relaxed when I smell it, so it’s a win win for me…. And really have you ever heard of a Ylang Ylang reaction? No.. So relax everybody.
AlaRed says
June 12, 2016 at 2:04 amUh, scroll up a few comments to Dan Stephens. He’s highly allergic to ylang ylang.
KK says
April 13, 2017 at 10:16 pmBut did he use it?
Tasha says
June 9, 2016 at 2:31 amThe article focuses on the missing ingredient versus, hey the oil blend is pure. Wasn’t that the point of the test? This could’ve been added as well that there was a missing ingredient but the twist on the article is lame. Great now the label is updated. Deep blue is amazing and we’ve been using it for 5 1/2 years no problems.
Miles J says
June 9, 2016 at 5:23 pmThat may be the point of the test for you, but for myself and thousands of other consumers, they want to know what is in the products they are buying as well. If missing ingredients does not concern you, that is absolutely your prerogative. I expect companies to follow proper labelling practices and be transparent about their ingredients (especially when they constantly promote how transparent they are)
Liisa Priyanka Lugus says
June 11, 2016 at 7:53 pmi’m with you, miles!
Kelley says
November 13, 2017 at 4:46 amI agree. Thank you for sharing your findings.
jaime says
June 9, 2016 at 1:59 amI find it very troubling that in their letter of reply, they state that “fortunately doterra has not faced the situation where an incorrect label could potentially cause a health concern.” Ylang-ylang most certainly does have safety concerns, which include a maximum dilution of 0.8% in topical use for adults and should not be used topically on children under age 2, as per Essential Oil Safety, Tisserand & Young.
Brittany says
June 9, 2016 at 2:39 amI would like to say that deep blue is typically not an oil used on children under 2, as it is for pain, and most people know to dilute all oils for babies. So if someone were to choose to use deep blue on a child under 2 years old, I’m sure that they would heavily dilute it, as it is a very hot oil.
Sherri says
June 9, 2016 at 4:59 amWould you use Deep Blue on a child under two? I wouldn’t!
Naomi says
June 9, 2016 at 5:28 amI use there ylang oil non diluted all the time and have no problems
Holan says
June 9, 2016 at 5:29 amIf you are being cautious with Deep Blue’s other ingredients such as Wintergreen Essential Oil, you are probably already diluting Deep Blue and not using it topically on children under 2.
Maria says
June 9, 2016 at 3:11 pmWell, they’re simply saying that they have not faced the situation, meaning that it hasn’t happened (not that it wouldn’t be a concern if it did, of course it’s a concern). That is all that quote literally reads.
Of course going forward they need to make adjustments to ingredient labeling top priority because one day it may end up being an actual situation.
Gerrie says
June 9, 2016 at 3:13 pmThe quality and safety of dōTERRA oils are behind the purity any other company produces, ylang ylang may have different properties than you think. Maybe you should call their product number to confirm the statements you used above, about the safety and in children. I’d be curious to know what they say.
Jill says
June 9, 2016 at 3:51 pmI don’t dilute Ylang-ylang!
Leslie says
June 9, 2016 at 1:18 amI’m glad that they admitted the error and will make the corrections instead of denying that they error existed. I think this outside testing is good. Keep up the good work. I do use doTERRA, and I appreciate the quality, so I do want to know if there are problems.
Margaret Fo says
June 9, 2016 at 1:02 amI think that the quick clear response is good and whilst I understand concerns that not all ingredients are on the label when I check the information page for the Deep Blue rub it actually says / said “and other ingredients” ….We can argue that that is unacceptable in case someone has a reaction to a particular ingredient or that this is a practice replicated in other fields for minor constituents but in my opinion this was not a deliberate fraud or con (using a cheaper ingredient to fool the public). I see this as either an oversight or poor judgement call that the ingredient list was not complete.
On a personal note Ylang Ylang in the diffuser gives me a headache but Deep Blue does not. Indeed I have even used DB to relieve stress headaches when all else has failed. (I will delete the last statement if asked to).
Kattie says
June 9, 2016 at 12:24 amI read the statement. I don’t see what advantage doterra would have to omit an ingredient on purpose…nonetheless, I’m relieved to see it was at least a pure ingredient! ?
Liisa says
June 11, 2016 at 7:54 pmso that people who try to copy the blend will never be able to get it exactly right
Gary says
June 8, 2016 at 11:42 pmI do not use doTerra or YL any longer. Both are very over priced and quality control of the past makes leery of ever buying from them again.
Pat says
June 9, 2016 at 2:15 pmIs the company you use now getting tested?
Gerrie says
June 9, 2016 at 3:15 pmI think this is one of my biggest fears also, but if you had amazing results with essential oils, one unlisted ingredient in dōTERRA wins in my book vs the “others” synthetics and toxic chemicals 🙂
Ang says
June 8, 2016 at 11:33 pmI am not surprised in the least that they failed to respond. They have failed to respond to several compliance issues; they failed to respond to when I sent screen shots of unacceptable behavior from uplines; and they are known for promoting unsafe usage.
Miles J says
June 8, 2016 at 11:34 pmThey have now responded and I’ve updated the post to include their reply.
Gerrie says
June 9, 2016 at 3:17 pmI included you in my original post, but I guess I should reply here.
I wonder if you contact someone higher up in your upline or if you transferred your membership would fix your issue. I’m not sure dōTERRA has a say about the issues you’re facing with your upline (as I do not know the details either).
Jackie M. says
June 9, 2016 at 9:47 pmI agree with Gerrie here, please contact someone higher in your upline. If there are non-compliant practices going on within the organization, I think it’s important for them to know- and it’s your duty as an advocate to be transparent also. dōTERRA is very much an advocate for compliance, and I have to tell you that it really comes from your higher uplines. I hear a lot of compliant talk from my Diamond upline and I know when I have had issues they have been the advocates for me to the higher ranks. Good culture starts at the top and must travel all the way to the bottom 🙂
Margaret says
June 14, 2016 at 11:49 amI am sorry you didn’t get the redponse you wanted. I have had excellant responses from their compliance team.
Heather Trowbridge says
June 8, 2016 at 11:18 pmIt says the pdf of their statement is missing. Is everyone having this issue?
Miles J says
June 8, 2016 at 11:30 pmThere are known issues for those that use Safari but other browsers including Google Chrome are working properly.