Donald Gary Young (July 11, 1949 – May 12, 2018) was an American businessman specializing in essential oils and alternative medicine.He was the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Young Living, a Utah-based multi-level marketing company that sells essential oils and dietary supplements. I started researching all over again, as if I was a brand new customer. When they found out for sure they did the right thing and. Wanting to provide some kind of proof to my family, clients, and friends that Young Living products were pure, I decided to … Young Living was found guilty of violating the Lacey Act by illegal trafficking of rosewood and spikenard oil. In December 2002, I wrote an article exposing Gary Young, Young Living Essential Oils, and the Young Life Research Clinic as dishonest and misleading. You said there are no sustainable sources of rosewood and spikenard but these oils have been around for a while, so where exactly do they come from? On July 20, 2015, once the internal investigation was complete, the Company made an initial written voluntary disclosure to the Government of various facts indicating their potentially illegal violations. On March 23, 2016, a Company employee filed an application for a CITES permit for this shipment after the fact, and without providing the required copy of the permit authorizing its original export from the United Kingdom. In 2008 the US Government added endangered plants to the Lacey Act (prior to 2008 the Lacey Act only dealt with animals). You can read more starting with this post, or skip ahead to the final post here. doTERRA produces and distributes a wide variety of health and wellness products that contain essential oils. The rosewood was intended for distillation and export to the United States and some had already been illegally brought over. Many people in the aromatherapy community asked me how I Robert J. FInd out why I cancelled my Young Living Essential Rewards. I’m really confused and would love some further clarification. This book is a GREAT resource: Free Essential Oils Report and VIP Newsletter Access As far as sourcing Spikenard through the Nepalese govenrment, I have not been able to find source documentation for that, so if you have it, I’d love to be able to review it . I was an employee for Young Living Essential Oils from the end of summer to after Christmas. If the global demand for an oil outpaces the global supply, often the plant becomes more and more difficult to source ethically. Basic starter kit is relatively cheap. Also, it was my understanding that Spikenard can be supplied if through license with the Nepalese government. The Justice Department announced today that YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS, L.C., (the Company), headquartered in Lehi, Utah, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal misdemeanor charges regarding its illegal trafficking of rosewood oil and spikenard oil in violation of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act. However, because Young Living is an MLM company, you will also get paid by recruiting other people to join Young Living too. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Jo Beth Young has died at the age of 80, Second Baptist Church announced on Facebook. Now as they source oils that they do not personally grow they bring SPF Global with them. “The importation of illegally harvested wood and timber products harms law-abiding American companies and workers and threatens forest resources around the world,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Environment and Natural Resources Division. Young Living Essential Oils has a consumer rating of 2.11 stars from 46 reviews indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. The bottom line is that 1 sourcing error that was properly disclosed and rectified in the course of 23 years is pretty much an amazing feat. I worked at their Call Center located in American Fork, UT. An official website of the United States government. A Utah judge has ordered the therapeutic oils company Young Living Essential Oils LC to pay competitor doTERRA Inc. about $1.8 million in attorney … I so love this article!!! The conditions include the implementation of a corporate compliance plan, audits, and the publication of statements regarding its convictions. Young Living claims in their case against doTERRA that they are conducting false advertising and that doTERRA’s misleading advertising is severely cutting into the profits of Young Living’s profits. It’s like when animals that once were plentiful become over-hunted, they must be protected or someday they will become extinct. They later faced the legal sanctions that were required by their mistake. Young Living oils are expensive though and I found it hard to be able to afford them so I signed up for Essential Rewards so I could earn free products for my family. Imagine how a company with far less stringent requirements might currently handle situations like this? Again, please note that I am no longer using Young Living Oils. Spikenard Essential Oil Essential Oils Young Living Scandal Acting Face Faces Smoke Young … Company History. But the fact that people actually still fall for it does make me scratch my head a bit. SPF Global is an independent Environmental Watch Group. Young Living put together a plan that satisfied the authorities that they would not repeat the infraction. Young Living removed rosewood and spikenard from their product offerings. “This sentence reflects both the seriousness of the offenses and the acceptance of responsibility and cooperation by the Company.”. Add to that fact that YL sells over 1 1/2 billion dollars in essential oils/essential oil-infused products currently per year and an error made several years ago that is already long rectified suddenly seems a lot smaller of a deal. The Justice Department released a press release (linked at the bottom of the article) that detailed how Young Living had violated the Lacey Act by importing Spikenard Essential Oil and Rosewood Essential Oil without proper documentation from their source. Applause Kristen! “Our Division was proud to work alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Utah, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Hear about Nancy’s personal experience at the Young Living Clinic in Ecuador. I was so sure the ruling would go in Young Living’s favor, that this prompted me to dig deeper. Neither of those oils has sustainable sources, so that begs the question of. Consumers complaining about Young Living Essential Oils most frequently mention customer service, member number and essential oils problems. 289 Young Living Essential Oils reviews. This brought out the usual band of Young Living bashers, as they dusted off their internet megaphones and trumpeted the “hopeful fall” of the essential oil giant to anyone and anything within digital listening distance. They also have their own distilleries on the farms and use organic methods of farming. Interested in learning more about using essential oils for healthy living? The Company lacked an internal compliance program or formal procedures, training, or means to review and resolve problems and identify and stop potential violations. Going up in my Top 5 for sure!! Young Living’s Lacey Act Compliance Program, Delicious Wholegrain Einkorn Waffle Recipe. So, with that said, these oils USED to be able to be sourced plentifully, but the demand rapidly outpaced supply, and it will take decades, perhaps longer, to replenish the sources of these plants to the point where they could be ethically and sustainably source again. Between 2010 and 2014, a few Company employees harvested, transported, and possessed a total of approximately 86 tons of rosewood, all of which was harvested in violation of Peruvian law. The market for essential oils is worth more than $5.1 billion, and expected to reach $25 billion by 2024. Gather & Grow Virtual Event. I promise you that every single other essential oil company has made a sourcing error or mistake, but I promise you they’ve not turned themselves in, they’ve also not publicly shared their detailed plan to further increase their sourcing safeguards and requirement. Because they’re just that good. Then, they distilled the ill-gotten oil next to Walter White’s RV before bottling it using child labor. He claimed that the methods that were used to harvest and extract the oils were "customs that were practiced during the period of Christ." Thank You. Covered this topic to Perfection. With a network of farms that reaches from a sandalwood restoration project in Hawaii to an Arabian Frankincense Distillery in Oman, the Lehi, Utah-based company has built a burgeoning wellness business. According to the plea agreement, from June 2010 to October 2014, several company employees and contractors harvested, transported, and distilled rosewood (Aniba roseaodora or Brazilian rosewood) in Peru and imported some of the resulting oil into the United States, through Ecuador. No one busted in their door and caught them with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. Young Living Essential Oils, developed by D. Gary Young, are the focus of a multi-level marketing program that have brought essential oil products to the mainstream. Join us on January 9, 2021 for a message from the Young Living Canada team. Essential oil lies –what you need to know about doterra and Young Living. They told the government themselves. The Company voluntarily disclosed its rosewood oil violations and has been cooperating with government investigators.” (emphasis mine). There are still other companies who sell rosewood and spikenard. Young Living could have quietly fixed the problem and hoped no one found out, but they chose to do the honest thing and rectify the problem with the government. Many of their suppliers have said that YL is the ONLY one of the companies they sell to who have 1. actually visited them 2. checked their compliance with local labor and ethical sourcing laws 3. test their oils and monitor their distillation). In an era of so-called “fake news”, this probably shouldn’t be a surprise. What about the Seed to Seal program and the fact that this shows that is not the completely true? Because of years of increasing demand (not just for the oil, but in the case of rosewood for the wood for furniture and jewelry), these two plants have become endangered. I mean come on. “Young Living falsely represents to its Members that participation in Young Living—which necessarily requires hefty monthly payments—will result in material riches as long as they continue to solicit additional recruits to become Members of the Young Living family,” the Young Living class action lawsuit alleges. Yes, you are correct, spikenard and rosewood have been around for years. Official websites use .gov This summer, the years-long lawsuit between Young Living and their competetor doTerra was thrown out, and doTerra was exonorated of all wrongdoing. The Justice Department announced today that YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS, L.C., (the Company), headquartered in Lehi, Utah, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal misdemeanor charges regarding its illegal trafficking of rosewood oil and spikenard oil in violation of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act. Best Meal Boxes Reviewed: I tried SunBasket, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh and more! This week a news story broke with Young Living at the center of a new scandal. doTERRA Membership Options If you’re curious to learn about my personal favorite essential oils that have already helped 1000s of people get the powerful results they were looking for, click here to learn more. by Kristen | Sep 23, 2017 | Essential Oils | 6 comments. The Company did not obtain any CITES export permits from Peru. A lot of essential oils like doTerra and Young Living claim to be “therapeutic-grade” or medicinal. The company’s latest claim, that its oils can kill the Ebola virus, has had distributor websites shut down by the FDA. Jo Beth helped shepherd Second Baptist Church alongside her husband for … In the case where trees must be completely cut down to distill oils, that means that the tree must have been planted sometimes decades before it is needed. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Homeland Security to bring this case to a positive conclusion.”, “While the natural resource violations by certain employees of Young Living were intentional and substantial, the Company’s decision to conduct an internal investigation, voluntarily disclose the initial violations to government enforcement authorities, and cooperate throughout the ensuing investigation is to be commended,” said U.S. Attorney John W. Huber for the District of Utah. That is the case with rosewood and spikenard. Now, can we admit that a mistake WAS made? (FYI, YL is not only the largest company, but the most quality controlled company in the whole industry. While there they chopped down an entire plantation full of endangered trees and then smuggled them out on speedboats, dodging the coastguard. Peruvian law prohibits the unauthorized harvest and transport of timber, including rosewood. The investigation was conducted by the Law Enforcement Offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance of the U.S. The investigation also revealed that between November 2014 and January 2016, the Company purchased over 1,100 kilograms of rosewood oil from a supplier/importer in the United States without conducting sufficient due diligence to verify lawful sourcing of that oil. Yes, but EVERY company makes mistakes. Because I was the front line for dealing with #bossbabes, I had access to a lot of information concerning product and inner working. PART 1: WHY DID I INVESTIGATE THIS OUTFIT? It’s meant to illustrate how silly and disingenuous most of the stuff you’ll end up reading actually is. Young Living still leads every single other essential oil company in gross annual sales (exceeding 1 BILLION per year since 2015). I It is my hope that sharing these documents will prevent you and your family from being hurt. The Government calculates the fair market retail value of the plant products involved in the violations and relevant conduct, including but not limited to product equaling approximately 1,899.75 liters of rosewood oil, to be more than $3.5 million but not more than $9 million. OK, that’s it. And as the demand for them has risen, the places where they are purchased and grown have not kept up with the demand. Ironically, some of the companies with the loudest surrogates actually do sell spikenard or rosewood and products made with them. This is my last Young Living Unboxing. Later in 1993, Gary was arrested in Fife, Washington for unlicensed medical practice, again. The essential oil debate is raging and I can’t help but jump in at this point. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. So, interestingly enough I wonder how many of the other essential oil companies in the United States are currently selling products formulated with illegally sourced rosewood or spikenard essential oil? Young Living was recently faced with a violation of the Lacey Act for sourcing of rosewood and spikenard essential oils. Look how dishonest I say they are! The Young Living Lacey Act Scandal as it Actually Happened Young Living established a farm in Ecuador in 2000 and was sourcing oils in South America through their network of other local growers and distillers at that time and going forward. In 2015 Young Living approached the Justice Department and disclosed this sourcing issue. Earlier today, Young Living COO Jared Turner informed the company that Donald “Gary” Young has passed away due to complications from multiple strokes. One of the first essential oil companies around, Young Living opened its doors, figuratively, in 1993.Donald Gary Young started the company, and Young Living was off to a start with scandal as Donald has convictions on his record for practicing medicine without a license. Young, and; Mark Wolfert. Honestly, looking back that makes me upset because there’s a good number of people like myself that start distributing just so we could afford the oils. Neither the Company nor its suppliers, employees, or agents had any valid authorization from the Peruvian government. 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