What you can and cannot say (and do)

Anyone who builds with essential oils runs into two kinds of rules: European law and the company's house rules. Most builders only get to know them when something goes wrong somewhere, and that is a shame, because knowing them makes for calmer building. Below are the questions that come up most, in plain language.

For clarity up front: I am a partner with the company this is about. And this page is a fellow builder's explanation, not legal advice; the official documents always lead.

“What am I allowed to say about essential oils, and what not?”

The main rule is simpler than you think, and stricter than you hope: in the EU, health claims are prohibited unless they are officially authorised. That is exactly the other way round from America, where much of the content you see online comes from. So American texts cannot simply be copied here.

What is allowed? Everything about the experience. The calming scent of lavender in your diffuser. A refreshing aroma to start your day. “Supports a healthy lifestyle.” A quiet moment after a busy day. And for the skin, cosmetic language is fine: softens, hydrates, conditions.

What is not allowed? Naming diseases and complaints, in any form. No “treats”, “cures” or “prevents”, no “antibacterial” or “antiviral”, no “boosts your immune system”. And watch out: this also covers what you imply. A before-and-after photo, a testimonial in which someone describes a complaint, or “many people find it helps with...” followed by a condition: it all counts as a claim.

The company has its own official guide for this, with example sentences per product: the claims sharing guide (PDF). Print it and keep it next to your texts; it is one of the most useful documents there is.

“Can I say an oil helps with something?”

Not if that “something” is a complaint or a condition. And I know how illogical that feels at first, because all you want is to tell honestly what you experience.

The difference sits between experience and promise. “I roll this blend on my wrists every evening and I love it”: that is your experience, and you may share it. “This oil helps with poor sleep”: that is a promise about an effect, and that is not allowed, even when it is truly how you experience it. So talk about the scent, the ritual and the moment, and let the product promise nothing.

This applies everywhere you write and speak: on your page, in messages, in groups and in comments. Also check now and then what others put underneath your posts, because a comment full of medical statements on your page is your responsibility too. Removing it is fine, with a friendly word alongside.

“Can I advertise on social media or Google?”

Advertising is allowed, but you are dealing with two referees at once.

The first is the company. The brand name cannot appear in titles, headers or page names of your channels, and a page or channel named after the brand is not allowed at all. Everywhere it must be clear that you are the sender, not the company itself. And sending unsolicited bulk messages is prohibited, including to people who once came to a workshop.

The second is the platform itself. Advertising platforms are strict on health statements and on anything that smells like an earnings promise, and this industry lands in that corner quickly. An ad that passes the company's rules can still be rejected by the platform.

The safest route: build and advertise under your own name, with your own stories and your own site, and check the guidelines for your country in the company's back office before you start. Then you advertise with something that belongs to you, and in the long run that works better anyway.

“Can I name the brand on my own website?”

Yes, you can, with a few clear conditions. The brand name cannot be part of your domain name, nor of the titles and headers of your pages. Your site must be recognisably your own; visitors should never think they are on a site of the company itself, so you state clearly that you are the owner. If you use official imagery or brand names in your text, proper attribution belongs with it. And you need a privacy policy that complies with European data protection law.

Besides that, every builder receives a personal ordering website from the company, where customers can order directly. A site of your own is not an obligation; it is something you build alongside it when you want to tell more than sell. You can see it here in miniature: this book and this site deliberately never name the brand, and that is no coincidence.

“Can I start my own webshop?”

Selling is allowed, but the place matters. Selling through marketplaces and auction sites, think of Amazon or eBay and similar platforms, is prohibited. What is allowed: selling through your personal ordering website from the company, or through a site of your own that meets the conditions from the previous question.

Also important: products stay in their original packaging. Repackaging, printing your own labels, or splitting a kit and selling the bottles separately is not allowed. And if you want to offer products in a physical shop or practice, that only works with written permission; for businesses that work with the products, such as a spa, a salon or a gym, there is more room.

And honestly: even where a webshop is allowed, it is usually simply not a good idea. With a shop of your own you take on a whole stack of extra rules and obligations, from consumer law to administration. And you break your own business with it: a customer who buys from your webshop instead of through their own account counts nowhere in your compensation plan. You want people to open their own account; they order and pay for themselves, and you build. How that works, you read at “do I have to buy stock?”.

“What are the rules around people from other teams?”

Coffee, friendships, going to an event together, learning from each other: all fine, and it is exactly what makes this craft warm. Two things are not allowed, and both exist to protect everyone's building, including yours.

The first: moving existing members into your own line. Someone who already has an account, or had one recently, belongs to the team where they started. Persuading, luring or “just quickly re-enrolling” is not allowed, not even when the other person asks for it themselves, and not indirectly through your website either. The second: approaching members for another company or another business. That counts even when the other person starts the conversation and you go along.

And then the honest part, because it belongs here too: sometimes switching is understandable. Someone enrolled in a place without help or guidance has an uncomfortable time as a customer, and a genuinely harder one as a builder, because without an active team you build alone. Switching can be done, but only through the official route: stopping completely for half a year (after a higher rank a longer period applies) and then starting entirely anew, without approaching or bringing your downline. It is a heavy route, and exactly that is why it pays to choose well, right at the start, with whom you begin.

So what do you do when someone from another team knocks on your door? Receive them warmly, and then refer them warmly back to their own support line. That feels strict at times, until you remember that the same rule protects your team on the day someone tries it with you.

More questions? The questions everyone asks have their own page, and the numbers and ranks are in the online appendix.

This page is an explanation, not legal advice and not an official plan document. The company's official documents and applicable law always lead, and rules can change. Product experiences are personal experiences; they promise nothing about what a product will do for you.