dōTERRA Compliance FundamentalsdōTERRA Business Fundamentals, Prepare - Business Knowledge, Train | 4 comments

What Is Compliance in dōTERRAIf you are new to dōTERRA chances are that you may have never heard about compliance before, and if you have, it is likely that you have some questions about it.  The purpose of this page is to help you understand everything you need to know about compliance.

Definition of Compliance:

“Compliance is “sharing” dōTERRA’s products within the limits of the law and the company’s policy.”

It’s basically being responsible, confident, and mature about sharing dōTERRA’s products and making claims that are truthful and reliable.

Do You Feel Scared To Say The Wrong Thing?Don’t be.

When we talk about complex rules and regulations that we don’t fully comprehend, many people are worried that they might say the wrong thing and get in trouble somehow.  Worry not.  The purpose of this information is to give you the guidance and information to share confidently.  Your confidence will only settle in with practice.

If you simply focus on sincerely helping people, everything will work out.  You will naturally avoid language that is deceptive or misleading.  And remember, do not try to be a doctor.  Avoid diagnosing, treating, curing, or preventing diseases.  There are laws against doing so when you are not properly licensed.  Just tell people what oils to use to achieve their health goals.  Follow the methods prescribed below and you will be all right.

The History of Compliance and dōTERRAdōTERRA began in 2008.  Within a very short amount of time (7 years), dōTERRA became a billion-dollar company.  This kind of growth is very rare, and of course this attracted attention.  Millions of people were opening memberships and using doTERRA’s products and thousands of people were actively sharing doTERRA’s essential oils with people.

Back then there was little or know direction as to what to say the oils did.  Many people shared personal experiences promising others would experience the same miraculous health experience.  Most people do not intend to misdirect people, but sometimes overzealous distributors say things that create misunderstandings or false impressions.  There was no guidance.

There are two problems with this:

1. Everyone is different and responds to oils differently therefore what works for one may not work the same for another, and

2. Essential oils work on the root cause, but it is not always evident what the root cause is.  Therefore, we have primary, secondary, and other recommendations to try.  It’s a trial-based, intuition approach, unless you have a lot of experience.

 

This growth and the manner in which people were sharing essential oils attracted the attention of the FDA and other regulatory bodies.  They paid dōTERRA a surprise visit in 2014.  From this visit, dōTERRA came up with a new policy regarding sharing compliantly.

They sent a letter out to all the distributors, which you can read on doTERRA.com here.

Among other things, it states clearly that,

“dōTERRA products are not drugs and may not be promoted to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. No one should make any such claim about our products.”

Now dōTERRA has a policy requiring distributors (Wellness Advocates) to be compliant with the way they share essential oils.  There are two sources of compliance rules and two categories these rules cover:

2 Sources of Complianceo dōTERRA’s Policyo Legal Regulations

2 Categorieso Product Claimso dōTERRA’s Trademarks

 

 

The 2 Sources of Compliance

Some of the guidance for sharing compliantly comes from laws and regulations and some of the guidance comes from company policy.

Company PolicyThe company policies are outlined in that 2015 letter and the dōTERRA Policy Manual.  Basically, doTERRA owns their trademark and controls your distributorship.  This is where their authority to impose compliance rules comes from.  Compliance with company policy means

Trademark & Image Use Linking to dōTERRA Sites and Videos Adherence to Laws and Regulations

 

Laws and RegulationsIn the US, the laws that affect dōTERRA and Wellness Advocates come the following areas:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)o This government regulatory body is about protecting consumerso Claims must be truthful ando Not misleading

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)o Only permits disease claims for drugs

 

These types of laws are not unique to the United States.  Many of my readers are in Australia.  Here are the government bodies in Australia:

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)o Prohibits false or misleading statements

Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)o Marketing must be socially responsible and not mislead consumers

dōTERRA’s Policy in Australiao “Under no circumstance should dōTERRA products be likened to therapeutic goods prescribed for the

treatment of specific ailments.” 

Every country will have some laws to the same effect: be truthful in representing your product.

Just remember to use approved claims (or one of the methods below) and use company trademarks as allowed (there is a lot of leeway here – see below).

The 2 Categories of ComplianceCompliance covers two areas when you are sharing doTERRA:

1. Product Claims – what you can and can’t say about what a product does, what it’s used for, and what it’s benefits are (cannot diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease).  More on this below.

2. dōTERRA’s Trademarks – trademarks or trade dress is a name or image associated with a product or range of products.  More on this below.

 

 

I will cover each of these areas in more detail below.

The Benefits of ComplianceWhy should you be compliant?

It’s the law It’s company policy

What are the benefits of compliance?

1. Gives us clarity and confidence in making claims (Where in the past, Wellness Advocates have been unsure about what claims to make, having a list of approved claims direct from the producer, which passes the legal benchmark, should make us feel empowered to share with confidence.  Rather than wondering what we should say

about what each product does, we can just quote directly from the Approved Claims list, or prepare our documents from the approved claims list.)

2. Improves the experience and expectations of those we teach (Each essential oil is different, and so is each individual.  We all know that sometimes an oil that works for one person in one way may not work for another person in that same way.  This is the nature of essential oils.  With this in mind, it can seem deceitful to represent to those we teach that they can expect a certain benefit or a cure.)

3. Preserves these products and opportunities for future generations (by taking these steps now, the largest essential oil company in the world is ensuring that the “Essential Oil Movement” will not be hindered by expensive legal battles and imposed government regulatory constraints.

 

Let me quote some words from the July 2015 letter:In this letter, David Stirling said compliance will give us, “better clarity and clear guidelines”. It will be easier to obtain “absolute compliance”“We hope these reforms will … empower us to speak with greater certainty about the benefits of dōTERRA’s amazing products.” – July 13, 2015 letter“Our mission–to bring wellness and hope to those in need—has not changed. We are taking these important steps to preserve the products and opportunities for future generations.”- July 13, 2015 letter 

Where to Learn About ComplianceLearn more about compliance at doterra.com.  Hover over “Our Advocates”, click on, “doTERRA University”, then select “Building doTERRA,” and finally select, “Product Claims.”

   

This brings you to a page with lots of tools for understanding compliance.  Or click here: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/university-building-product-claims.

There is a list of documentsand videos to help you understandcompliance

You can also read the policy manualfound at doterratools.com

Let’s review a few of these:o dōTERRA’s policy letter July 13, 2015o Visual of the Compliance Policyo The Approved Claims Listo Quick Claims Guideo doTERRA Website Claims Guideo doTERRA Social Media Claims Guideo Compliance Policy FAQ **VERY HELPFUL DOCUMENT

 

 

This is pretty much your go to guide to help you learn how to be more compliant.  If it is not there, you can’t be expected to understand it.

Everything below here is to help you get the most out of and understand the information presented in those guides.

Where to Apply ComplianceEverywhere.  But mostly online.

So, these rules, how or where do we have to use them?  This is a good question.  I have spoken with Emily Wright and Dave Stirling and others at doTERRA about compliance and have even presented on Compliance at leadership retreat in Australia (video and notes below).  Here is what they say:

In your classes, share your experiences openly Use the Modern Essentials book or whatever guide to help people get guidance Refer to body systems (see more below) In handouts and emails you can share compliantly Wellness Advocates (who can earn money) need to abide by compliance guidelines.  Wholesale Customers are not

under the same obligations. Learn what disease claims are and don’t make them

 

In classes, share freely.  At the same time, do not make promises that are not 100% truthful for everyone.  Give recommendations not prescriptions for essential oils.  Say things like, “Try this.  If that doesn’t work, I have some other suggestions.”

Online is where most of this stuff applies.

ESPECIALLY FOR UNAPPROVED WEBSITES.

 

Get Your Website ApprovedIn a nutshell, if you have a website, you may not refer or link to dōTERRA until the website is approved: http://www.doterracertifiedsite.com/registration

The application is so easy to complete and it only takes about a week to get approved.  Upon approval, doTERRA gives you some code they require you to put in your website that adds a badge.  Every once in a while, they check your site to see if it is compliant.  If it is not, they give you suggestions.  See below under, “Bringing your website up to compliance” for an example of an email from compliance giving you instruction to get your site back to compliant status.  Most of it can be done in an hour or two and is very easy (even if it does water down some of the language).

Social media and online training is much more free, and can be included in the above application.

Simply complete the form above.

The benefits* of getting your website certified are as follows:

Trademark Use – You are able to use doTERRA trademark in any way you would like on your site. This means you are able to include pictures of the oils, talk about our trademarked blends using their name rather than a generic name, and help people know which brand you love and trust the most.

Replicated Website Link – You can share your mydoterra link on your website which helps build your team and give them a friend to learn and grow from.

doTERRA Seal – The Certified seal on your site also gives you the ability to link to your Facebook and Instagram pages so that all of your online presence is linked and easy for your followers to find. (not sure how this works, but

YouTube/Vimeo Permission – Having the seal also gives you permission to post videos to YouTube or Vimeo discussing the benefits of the oils, as long as it’s compliant, of course.

Email List – And last but not least, being in the program puts you on the list to receive the Weekly Drops of Wisdom emails.  This weekly email to help you be able to boost your content in a compliant way, giving you tips and sometimes content to share.

*I’d like to thank Collin Tuttle from doTERRA Compliance Team for providing us with this list.  If you have any questions about compliance, please check out my post at https://benbalden.com/compliance/, or email doTERRA at claimseducation@doterra.com.Here is an example of the doTERRA Certified Logo:

 

What Are ClaimsMost of compliance is about making claims.  So what are claims?

Claims – “Talking or writing about the benefits of a products…” Disease Claims – diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease (don’t use) Cosmetic Claims – improves personal appearance (use) Structure Function Claims – helps body stay healthy, function normally (use with FDA disclaimer)

 

 

FDA DISCLAIMER:“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.”

RECOMMENDED DISCLAIMER FOR OTHER COUNTRIES (unless otherwise advised):

“These statements have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities.This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.”

 

Tell Me More…Still not clear?  Don’t worry.  It takes a little reviewing this stuff before you get it.  Your real confidence will come with practice.  Here is a little more information on each type of claim, what it is, and what to do with it.

ClaimsAnything you say about a product, it benefits, features, or even anecdotal stories is a claim.  You can’t just hide your claim in context either.  A claim is judged from the entirety of the circumstances.  For instance, if you are talking about cancer and then somehow in a non-direct way suggest because of how you juxtapose your statements or images that taking some essential oil will treat the cancer, that is the claim you are making.  So don’t try to trick the system.  Just follow the rules and methods here and you will be fine.

 

Disease ClaimsA disease claim is one that promotes a product as able to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease.  The law states that only drugs (which are regulated) may be able to be promoted like this.  The same is true in many nations.

I know.  I hear you.  You say, “Well.  It’s true.  Taking that product does work.”  I agree with you.  These natural remedies are so amazing.  Yet, the law is the law.  And the way it stands now, so we will comply.  And in many cases, this means using far less direct language.  It may even feel like we are somehow speaking in code.  an example of this would be…

head or heck tension

rather than

headache

See below for many examples and guidance.

 

Cosmetic ClaimsCosmetic claims are claims that touch on the physical appearance, such as…

using this cream will diminish the appearance of wrinkles

These claims are allowed without any disclaimer.  See more information below.

 

Structure Function ClaimsStructure Function Claims are those that treat healthy bodies or help people remain healthy.  See more below on The Healthy People Method.  If you are using a claim like this in writing or on a website, be sure to include the FDA Disclaimer.

 

How To Make Compliant ClaimsNow that you have a better idea of the types of claims that can be made, here are several strategies for keeping your language compliant:

The Approved Claims Method Using Other Approved Language The Emotions Method The Physical Appearance / Cosmetic Claims Method The Healthy People Method The Body System Method

We will review each one in turn…

 

The Approved Claims MethodBefore compliance, it was more difficult to list out benefits of a product.  Now there is much more direction.  doTERRA make a list of benefits, claims that are already put together for you on doTERRA’s website: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/flyers-approved-claims-list

Here is an example of claims listed for Frankincense:

Frankincense• Frankincense is one of the most prized and precious essential oils due to its extensive health benefits.*• It was used anciently in everything from perfumes to lotions for soothing the skin.• Frankincense comes from the Boswellia species of tree and is native to Ethiopia, Somalia, India, and the Arabic Peninsula and has been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese health practices.• It induces feelings of peace, satisfaction, and overall wellness.• This essential oil has soothing properties.• Diffuse Frankincense during your morning yoga practice to focus your intention for the day.• Take one to two drops of this essential oil in a doTERRA Veggie Capsule to support healthy cellular function.*The claims with an asterisk (*) are structure function claims and need an FDA disclaimer.  So easy.

Just use these claims when talking about the product.

TIPS:

Print out the Approved Claims list and take it with you to classes.  If someone asks you what a specific product does, just look on the Approved Claims list for a good quick run down of what a product can do.

If you have an approved website, consider placing the FDA Disclaimer on the bottom of the website footer. 

 

Using Other Approved Language (Replacing Disease Claims)Alas, the Approved Claims list cannot and does not cover everything.  We are trying to fill in the blanks.  This is true especially with knowing what to replace disease claims with.  doTERRA only gives a limited amount of examples (found in their Quick Claims Guide.  We have collected others throughout interaction with doTERRA over the years.  They are here. 

Relaxed words to use:

Maintain Help Support Benefit Soothe

Cleansing Protect Strengthen Release Open Relax Cool Fortify Invigorate Relieve Ground

 

Here are some helpful things to look for

From the Quick Claims Guide:

DISEASE CLAIM STRUCTURE-FUNCTION CLAIM

Prevents, treats, cures any kind of sickness, illness, infection, disease, chronic condition, etc.

Supports, maintains, or improves health, wellness, or structures and functions of the body like the brain, the heart, the liver, muscles and joints, the respiratory system, cognitive function, etc.

Fights colds and flu Supports the immune system

Relieves insomnia Relieves occasional sleeplessness

Relieves headaches Relieves head and neck tension

Soothes arthritis pain Supports cartilage and joint function

Reduces depression and anxiety

Reduces sad and anxious feelings; also, helps you relax, calms emotions, soothes away tension, relieves restlessness, eliminates irritability

Lowers cholesterolMaintains healthy cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range

For ear infections For occasional ear discomfort

Helps fight obesity Helps with weight loss plan

Helps with ADD/ADHD Helps with focus and staying on task

For dementia and Alzheimer’s For mild memory problems associated with aging

For toxemia For edema associated with pregnancy

For hyperemesis gravidarum For ordinary morning sickness

Prevents osteoporosis Supports bone health

Treats cystic acne Treats mild acne

Relieves heartburn or acid indigestion (without further qualification)

Relieves occasional or mild heartburn or acid indigestion; also, for occasional upset stomach, aids digestion, and alleviates gas or bloating

For nausea (without further qualification) For occasional nausea or motion sickness

Relieves constipation (without further qualification) Relieves occasional constipation

Relieves pain (without further qualification)Relieves minor pain or pain associated with non-disease states such as muscle pain following exercise

For chronic fatigue or daytime drowsinessHelps restore mental alertness or wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness

Fights germs, viruses, bacteria, or allergens For seasonal or environmental threats

Prevents diabetesUse as part of your diet to help maintain an already healthy blood sugar level

Along with better dietary and exercise patterns, can Along with better dietary and exercise patterns, can

prevent conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. contribute to disease prevention and better health.

From our interaction with the compliance department:

WORDS TO CHANGE REPLACE WITH

anti-depresant reduces feelings of self-doubt

anti-fungal germ-destroying, purifying

anti-infectious germ-destroying and purifying

anti-inflammatory reduces puffiness, inflammation or water retention, helps reduce bloating, water retention

anti-parasitic germ-destroying, purifying, and powerful cleansing agent

anti-viral germ-destroying, purifying, and powerful cleansing agent

antioxidant cleansing properties

antiseptic germ-destroying, purifying, and powerful cleansing agent

anxiety anxious feelings, emotions, or tension

anxiety reduces sad and anxious feelings, calms emotions, and soothes away tension

arthritis supports cartilage and joint function

blood pressure use as part of your diet to help maintain an already healthy blood level

canceruse along with better dietary and exercise programs can contribute to disease prevention and better health

cancer help support/keep/maintain healthy cellular function

cold seasonal or environmental threats

flu seasonal or environmental threats

headaches head or neck tension

healer alleviate, mend or relieve

healing alleviate, mend or relieve

hemorrhoid skin blemishes or skin imperfections

injury soreness, ache, or discomfort

migraine head or neck tension

pain discomfort, ache, or soreness

scar skin imperfections

swelling puffiness

treat alleviate, ease, mend, or relieve

treatment alleviate, ease, mend, or relieve

tumorsuse along with better dietary and exercise programs can contribute to disease prevention and better health

wart skin blemishes or skin imperfections

 

The Emotions MethodAnother method for speaking compliantly about essential oils is to speak about how the products affect the emotions.  Here are some things you can compliantly say:

Lifts mood

Makes you feel happy Promotes feelings of abundance and joy Give you a feeling of comfort Alleviates feelings of disarrangement Help you build courage and confidence Relaxing and calming Soothing and grounding

 

This list can go on forever.

Only one note of caution here: avoid emotional type disease names such as Depression and Anxiety.  Instead of saying, “use for depression,” say something like, “uplifts sad or depressed feelings.”

 

The Physical Appearance / Cosmetic Claims MethodRemember anything you say about how a product improves appearance is compliant as long as it is truthful (to the ordinary person).  Fair game are such things as…

Improves appearances Makes you look younger Reduces the appearance of aging Diminishes the appearance of wrinkles Cleanses Enhances beauty

And much more.  This is a safe area for you to make claims in.

 

The Healthy People MethodGenerally speaking Structure-Function Claims are about keeping a person happy and healthy.  So, pretty much anything you say about how a person can get healthy or stay healthy is fair game.

Just think positive.

Rather than concentrating on the disease, this rule requires us to concentrate on the health goal: rested, strong, energized, vitality, easy breathing, clear thinking, smooth digestion.

It takes some practice, but almost any disease or negative has a positive goal associated with it.  Just focus on the positive, find a product that will help maintain that healthy state and work toward it.  Walla!

 

The Body System MethodThe last trick I have for you is the Body-System-Method.  Rather than link a product directly to a disease, relate the disease to the body system affected or infected and then discuss how your product can improve or support that body system.

This is what page 13 of the 2017 doTERRA Live Guide tells you.  Rather than focusing on the disease or the problem, work on strengthening and supporting that body system.

For example, if someone came to you and asked what essential oils they should use for cancer.  You should say,

“Cancer is abnormal cell growth.  You cells are not healthy.  DDR Prime is an essential oil blend that will support cellular integrity and health.  That’s what you need. …”

Just focus on the body system that helps your body deal with whatever ailment you are experiencing.  You don’t even need to make any promises.  Just say, “Here are a few things we can try.  If those don’t work, I have some other ideas.”

 

Trademarks and Trade DressThe last part of being compliant is using doTERRA’s trademark and trade dress within what is allowed by company policy.

What is a trademarks and trade dress?

“A trademark is a name or image that is associated with a product or range of products.”

This could be many things…

A name such as doTERRA’s name Blend names CPTG or Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade

The Ō Any image or icon exclusively claimed by doTERRA

Where you are allowed to use doTERRA’s name, trademark, images, and link to doTERRA’s website, and videos:

Social Media In Your Classes On an Approved Website

To get an idea of where you can use what, take a look at doTERRA’s Visual Representation of the Compliance policy:  http://media.doterra.com/us/en/flyers/visual-breakdown-new-compliance-policy.pdf  .

If you have any questions, refer to the Compliance Frequently Asked Questions Document: http://media.doterra.com/us/en/flyers/compliance-policy-changes-faq.pdf .

New Possibilities & Some Guidance 

You may think that this doesn’t leave you with much wiggle room.  However, there is so much that you can do and remain compliant.

Social MediaDon’t name your social media profile or page with doTERRA’s name or trademark, and don’t use any of their trademarks, trade dress, or product images for your profile picture.

Do this   not

this   .

When it comes to posting, however, you can post whatever you want in terms of trademark and image use (as long as you are not making disease claims).  If you make any Structure Function Claims, include the disclaimer.  dōTERRA even makes social media posts for you.  Here are some examples:

 

 

You can get some of those here: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/promotions-promotional-material . 

Replicated WebsiteDid you know you have a website hosted by doTERRA where people can shop from you or join under you?

I will make a separate page about your replicated website.  However, for now just know that you can make some changes to that page and compliance also applies to what you can say there.

 

Class Handouts and Business CardsYou may use doTERRA’s trademark and trade dress on your business cards and class handouts.

Email AddressesMany people want to create a separate email address for their doTERRA Business.  Avoid using doTERRA’s trademarks in your email address.

Avoid email addresses that look like this:

I-love-doTERRA@gmail.com OnGuard_is_awesome@yahoo.com doTERRA.Forever@icloud.com

Use simple email addresses:

Bob.Marley@gmail.com SallyRushford@email.com EssentialOilsAlive@oilheaven.com

TIP: just use your name:

SamValley@gmail.com rick.stewart@gmail.com Mike-Kullahan@hotmail.com

(using your name is the best for network marketing as people are connecting with you rather than a brand name you make up.)

 

The same goes for buying a domain.  Don’t use a url domain with doTERRA’s trademark in it.  For example www.iselldoterra.com.  Not good.

This information comes right from doTERRA’s Compliance Policy material.

http://media.doterra.com/us/en/flyers/quick-claims-guide-social-media.pdf 

 

 

 

 

VideosThere is much you can do with videos to promote your business and doTERRA’s products.

If you have your site (and associated social media) channels approved by doTERRA, you can post videos to help people learn more about essential oils and how to get them.

WebsitesBuilding a website is a great idea, and there are so many uses for it.  I have written a whole other page just going into the details of making a website and the benefits of it.  It may not be for everyone, but if you do decide to make a site, just make sure that you get it approved shortly after you begin.

If you want to learn more about making a website (including details instructions on how to do it right) click here. 

 

Bringing your website up to complianceIt can be pretty hard to make everything on your site compliant.  There is very little documentation, so you just need to do your best to follow the policies.  Below is an email from doTERRA’s Compliance Team with information that I, Ben, though was the best training we have ever received.This email was sent to us following what appeared to be a random site check.  The mistakes have all now been corrected. Letter from doTERRA’s Compliance Department:

 

Notes from doTERRA Leadership Retreat Training Presentation in Australia:Here are my notes from a talk I gave at the Australian Leadership Retreat in 2016:

Leadership Retreat NotesHere is a video of training we did for Leadership Retreat in Australia:

 

Online ClassWatch the online class