Do you love essential oils? Would you love to use them more but they’re too expensive?

In my house last winter, we had 2 sick kids, a sick mom… and the worst… a dad with a cold! All at once! It was miserable. Have you been there? You know how bad it can get, mama!

My friend suggested we try some essential oils and I was intrigued.

As a mom, I’m always interested in something that claims to help my family’s health in a natural way. If diffusing oils can prevent or shorten even one winter cold, I’m all in!

Many people have been introduced to the concept by the multi-level marketing (MLM) companies Young Living and Doterra. While Young Living and Doterra have high-quality essential oils, their prices are outrageously high.

I went looking for cheaper alternatives to Young Living and Doterra. Thankfully, there are tons of high-quality essential oil companies out there.

Which Brands Are Comparable to Young Living & Doterra?

I think there are many high-quality essential oil brands out there. I chose three companies that came up repeatedly in my research as offering high-quality oils at much lower prices than Young Living and Doterra.

To keep it simple for this blog post, I am comparing these three brands:

• Edens Garden
• Plant Therapy
• Now

Are These Essential Oils “Therapeutic Grade”?

“Therapeutic Grade” is a meaningless marketing term. There is no independent agency that certifies oils to be therapeutic grade.

In fact, the term “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” is a registered trademark of Doterra, as they state on their website:

CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade is a registered trademark of dōTERRA Holdings, LLC representing internal standards of quality assessment and material control. The CPTG testing protocols require the use of independent laboratories for CPTG standardization and quality testing. The CPTG protocol is not administered by government or industry regulatory agencies and does not imply regulatory approval of dōTERRA products.

So technically Doterra is the only company who can use that term because they own the phrase. How does it mean anything then? It doesn’t. It’s just marketing.

Are They High-Quality and Thoroughly Tested?

All of these brands produce high-quality essential oils that have undergone rigorous testing.

You can compare the quality & testing procedures of the various companies yourself by reading the information from the manufacturers:

• Edens Garden
• Plant Therapy
• Now

Are These Essential Oils Safe To Ingest (Edible)?

Many of these oils are not labeled as food grade or safe to ingest. This is not necessarily because they are unsafe, but because the companies have decided not to label their products as food or nutritional supplements.

This is because most experts agree that people should not consume essential oils without the guidance of a medical professional or trained aromatherapist.

If you are consuming them under the guidance of a professional, he/she will advise you on the amounts, types, and brands they recommend for your situation.

Should I Become a Young Living or Doterra Consultant?

Many people considering joining Young Living or Doterra just to get discounted prices on the oils. I think shopping around for cheaper alternatives is the better route.

If you’re considering becoming a Young Living or Doterra consultant, please check out my post about why joining an MLM will not solve your financial problems first.

Cheaper Alternatives to the Most Popular MLM Essential Oils

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at the alternatives to the specific essential oils. I couldn’t cover all of the possible essential oils, so I looked at Young Living and Doterra’s most popular items.

I tried to choose the most similar size comparable option, but please note that many of the options are different amounts. Also, not all oils and blends are available in all of the brands.

When looking at blends, I tried to choose the most comparable mix of oils, but compare the contents of the blends yourself.

You’ll see that almost every example I have given will save you around 50-75% of the price of the comparable MLM essential oils.

There’s more detail below, but here’s an easy chart of all the cheaper alternatives to Young Living & Doterra oils:

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living & Doterra Lavender

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Lavender: $30.92 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Lavender: $28.00 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Lavender
• Plant Therapy Lavender
• Now Lavender

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living Thieves & Doterra On Guard

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Thieves: $44.41 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra On Guard: $42.67 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Guardian
• Plant Therapy Germ Fighter
• Now Nature’s Shield Blend

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living & Doterra Copaiba

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Copaiba: $56.58 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Copaiba: $46.67 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Copaiba
• Plant Therapy Copaiba

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living Purification & Doterra Terrashield

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Purification: $24.67 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Terrashield: $14.00 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Repel
• Plant Therapy Nature Shield

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living DiGize & Doterra DigestZen

Prices to compare:

• Young Living DiGize: $43.09 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra DigestZen: $41.33 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Digest Ease
• Plant Therapy DiGiZen

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living & Doterra Peppermint

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Peppermint: $28.29 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Peppermint: $27.33 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Peppermint
• Plant Therapy Peppermint
• Now Peppermint

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living & Doterra Frankincense

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Frankincense: $96.71 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Frankincense: $93.00 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Frankincense
• Plant Therapy Frankincense
• Now Frankincense

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living Lemon & Doterra Lemon

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Lemon: $14.80 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Lemon: $13.33 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Lemon
• Plant Therapy Lemon
• Now Lemon

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living RC & Doterra Breathe

Prices to compare:

• Young Living RC: $29.93 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Breathe Respiratory Blend: $26.66 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Deep Breath
• Plant Therapy Respir-Aid
• Now Clear the Air

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living PanAway

Prices to compare:

• Young Living PanAway: $104.61 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Muscle Relief
• Plant Therapy Rapid Relief

Cheaper Alternatives to Doterra Deep Blue Soothing Blend

Prices to compare:

• Doterra Deep Blue Soothing Blend: $42.67 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Massage Therapy
• Plant Therapy Muscle Aid

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living Stress Away & Doterra Balance

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Stress Away: $39.14 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Balance: $26.67 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Option:

• Plant Therapy Worry Free

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living Tea Tree & Doterra Melaleuca

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Tea Tree: $34.21 for 0.5oz (15ml)
• Doterra Melaleuca: $25.33 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Tea Tree
• Plant Therapy Tea Tree
• Now Tea Tree

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living & Doterra Vetiver

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Vetiver: $27.96 for 0.17oz (5ml)
• Doterra Vetiver: $46.00 for 0.5oz (15ml)

Comparable Options:

• Edens Garden Vetiver
• Plant Therapy Vetiver

Cheaper Alternatives to Young Living Peace & Calming

Prices to compare:

• Young Living Peace & Calming: $45.72 for 0.17oz (5ml)

Comparable Options:

• Plant Therapy Let It Go

Table: Cheaper Essential Oils

To summarize, here are all the cheaper alternatives to Young Living & Doterra oils that I found:

Our Experience

We’ve tried a variety of essential oils, when we were sick and when we were healthy. It’s hard to know if they made any difference, but we enjoy it and they smell nice.

Our favorite is the Now brand lavender oil to help with relaxation.

Have you tried any of these essential oils? How do you think they compare to Young Living or Doterra? I’d love to hear your comments below!

More Cheaper Alternatives

If you enjoyed this post, you might like to read some of my other cheaper alternatives posts to save even more money. Especially, check out the post about cheaper alternatives to Norwex cleaning products for some excellent inexpensive natural cleaning products!

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Cindy Scott

Cindy is a number-loving, money-saving expert. She pulled her own family out of debt. Now, she cuts through the nonsense and crunches numbers to find you the greatest value. When you join the Smart Family Money community, you'll get the tools you need to take control of your money. You will gain confidence in your financial future and freedom to spend your time on the things that matter most to you today.

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