Your environment affects your physical wellness!
That’s the slogan that pulled up on the website when I went to dig for household cleaning ingredients on the Melaleuca website.
Melaleuca, also coined ‘The Wellness Company’, is a direct sales company that prides themselves in distributing clean, safe products for the entire family.
If you’ve spent any time on social media, especially Instagram, you might have heard people signing the praises of their wellness box.
The word ‘Wellness’ is shown on the exterior of the shipping box when you place an order from Melaleuca.
The Wellness box is what they are known for. At least, that’s how I became aware of Melaleuca products to begin with.
I was initially intrigued by the marketing of their products.
They are sold by reps who seem, as a whole, very passionate about supporting small & staying away from big box corporations like Target & Walmart.
In my personal experience, the products have been promoted as safe & natural from several natural-minded social media influencers.
When I was first introduced to their products, it was at the height of the 2020 pandemic. People were passionate about voting with their dollars & scrambling to find extra income when they were forced to leave their jobs temporarily. Melaleuca was a solution to this problem – and I get it.
Taking charge of your spending and adding an extra income is all well and good, but the fact of the matter is that this company is an MLM and it’s not exactly supporting small.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no issues with MLM companies or their products.
In fact, I am a rep for a few because I love them. But the truth remains that it’s not a small company.
But, we aren’t here to discuss MLMs and small business. I am strictly here because I have a beef with their product descriptions and the way that they market.
This is what I have a problem with
In nearly every case, we find natural ingredients to be the best, most effective, and healthiest option. Of course, “natural” does not always mean safe or effective. In some cases, man-made compounds have been proven to be more effective or safer than raw, volatile natural sources. In our opinion, only natural ingredients sufficiently proven and documented as safe and effective should be used.
Melaleuca offers a variety of wellness products, including nutrition supplements and healthy snacks, fitness products, personal care products, eco-friendly home cleaning products, cosmetics, and essential oils. As one of the largest online retailers in North America, Melaleuca ships directly to each of its customers.
Along with these descriptions found on their website:
-Innovative products set you on track to a home free of toxins and to living your best life!
– Melaleuca amplifies the power of nature, delivering a holistic approach to wellness.
-Clean Homes. Clean Streams. Clean Conscience. making safer, more effective, eco-friendly, and affordable products you will love.
I am not here to ruffle feathers, but their products are far from clean & eco-friendly.
In fact, most of their cleaning products have a F rating on the EWG website (that’s the worst rating that a product can get by the way).
However, the majority of their products are not even listed on the EWG website.
So I did a tiny bit of digging on my own & I realized something very quick.
Melaleuca is NOT anywhere near safe, natural, and non-toxic.
I did a quick scan of ingredients while the toddler was busy trying to steal my coffee mug . So, not my best detective work, I admit that. But, you shouldn’t have to DIG in order to see whether or not a product has clean ingredients.
I didn’t need to look very long.
I quickly skimmed and stumbled across ingredients that are NOT safe for people & the planet. Ingredients that are carcinogenic and have been linked to cancer, allergic reactions, brain degenerative diseases, and hormone disruption.
sodium laureth sulfate – This compound can be contaminated with ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, and 1,4- dioxane, reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen by the NTP. 1,4 dioxane is a huge health concern for people & the planet.
fragrance – a blanket term that can hide a multitude of harmful chemicals such as phthalates, which are known hormone disruptors and can contribute to respiratory conditions.
aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly – there is conflicting evidence about the connection between aluminum in deodorants is cancer-causing. But, it’s best to be safe than sorry.
Loose titanium dioxide – The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identifies inhalable titanium dioxide as possibly carcinogenic.
PEGs –Pollutants found in various PEG compounds include ethylene oxide (used to manufacture mustard gas), 1,4-dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals (lead, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, arsenic).
Phenoxyethanol – Infants exposed to phenoxyethanol can experience a depressed central nervous system leading to a decreased appetite, difficulty waking, skin color change, damaged DNA, and limpness of extremities.
Methylisothiazolinone – This widely-used preservative has been associated with allergic reactions. Lab studies on the brain cells of mammals also suggest that methylisothiazolinone may be neurotoxic.
If you’re wondering about SPECIFIC labels, here’s one from a product that is pictured above.
Renew moisturizing lotion ingredients: Deionized water, glycerin USP, Petrolatum USP, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl alcohol, Dimethicone, allantion, T36-C5 Melaleuca Oil, Benzyl alcohol, fragrance.
I could probably dig up many more ingredients, but you get the idea. Many of these ingredients are on my INGREDIENTS TO AVOID list.
As a whole, Wellness Box products are not natural OR safe.
In my experience, I have been told that their products are the best. But, really??? Come on.
Again, I am not here to stir up trouble.
I am here to call out the claims of these products being safe, natural, non-toxic, and eco-friendly.
And they just aren’t.
A company can toot their natural product horn all day long, but the real truth lies in their ingredients and the way they make their products.
Sadly, Melaleuca does not get my seal of approval.
But, this is just my opinion. You don’t have to agree with me. You can go to their website and look up ingredients for yourself (although, fair warning, they are near impossible to find and many of the photos are hard to read).
I am simply here to say that I cannot define this company as eco-friendly and non-toxic because their ingredients speak for themselves. Even if it’s not every single product in their lineup, the fact that they do indeed use harmful ingredients in some of their products is bothersome. ESPECIALLY when they claim to be a safe choice.
This is not me bashing a company. It’s calling out deceitful marketing.
If you’re not into low-tox living or organic ingredients, then these products might be fine for you. But if you were led to believe that their products are healthy, safe, non-toxic, and eco-friendly (like I was), then I’m sad to say that you fell victim to the green-washing too.
I welcome healthy discussion here. But I do not tolerate toxic behavior and words on MY blog & in my comments section. So feel free to leave a comment, but anything deemed negative or vile will immediately be deleted.
We can be adults here.
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Looking to ditch your current products and switch to safer options?
Check out my product reviews here (more to come!)
Check out Ingredients you should avoid here (continually being updated)
Shop my FAVORITE products here. These are products that I use daily that are much cleaner, safer options.
You can’t label all of their stuff as “toxic” when you only checked one label. Also anything this is man-made will not be perfect. Even something as “safe” as baking soda is made in a plant… my husband works in one. Lots of people shop with Melaleuca because they follow the EU guidelines for product chemicals and ingredients. This is by no means perfect, but the EU has over 2000 ingredients not allowed in their products compared to the USA’s 9.
Also, many people join Melaleuca because everything is made in America (except mascara which is Italy). Where are your products made and where do the ingredients come from? I doubt it’s America.
I too have found them to market with deceitful intentions. We that want as clean as possible products, like truth. I’ve been on a ckean diet and healthy path for years with household cleaners, to vitamin supplements. I was so excited when I joined this company. However, I cannot eat any of their foods, due to harmful ingredients and the supplements are not organic and definitely are not clean. They are full of fillers which eliminates what we actually need from them. I have done my research and didn’t want to believe otherwise, but due to health complications I HAD TO DIG DEEPER FOR MYSELF. I work closely with a nutritionist and eastern medicine doctor who have also confirmed, buyer beware. I have been pleased with most of all the other products, but I understand where the writer Heather is coming from. Just be honest! Let the consumer decide if they want your merchandise based off facts and not misleading info. My favorite thing about their products is how concentrated they are, but after this last shipment I think I will just go back to my basic distilled vinegar and sticking to what I know to be clean supplements and snacks. I truly believe Heather posted this to be honest because she cares about people getting the best, but Sharon, you do you. It wasn’t a ploy to make you stop buying, but rather a warning that you are being deceived and for me, that’s where I draw the line. Those of us who want the cleanest of ingredients in our products tend to dig deep. Thank you Heather for doing so. This is actually how I found this blog, I was doing more digging and I’m so glad I did. Bye, bye Melaleuca it’s been nice, but I need honesty along with pure, clean products. Side note: some things are pure with this company and very clean, such as essential oils, but a lot of other things are not and it’s most of those that I need, I cannot use.
thank you for your kind and HONEST comment. It takes a lot to admit that what you have and I admire you for it! I too have left companies for the same reasons…we can choose to learn and evolve or stay stuck
I worked for Meleluca for a few years until my hair started falling out and other clients were consistently returning products due to side effects and allergic reactions. I thought the company was all natural no toxins and clean ingredients that’s why I got on board. I eventually went down the rabbit hole and researched all the ingredients in all the products and was blown away. Number one I started with was the mouse I loved it used it every day gave tons of bottles as gifts and noticed my hair was falling out and intense headaches plus many other side effects. Not until others complained about hair loss and same issues I was having did I stop to look at the ingredients in Sei Bella Mousse.and was horrified. I feel your response to this article is not taking the facts presented and recognizing the danger in these toxic chemicals. The same type of response is what owners and reps gave me when I wrote up a formal complaint about the ingredients they use in most of their products. We can look over turn a blind eye or learn truth and do better. This article is one that saves lives and informs people of the products that claim to improve health and wellness but instead harm us. Your husband you and many others need to do your own research and look at the truth instead of the money
I am so sorry you experienced this, but thank you so much for sharing! These kind of testimonies help others make better choices for their health.
Who care where the products are made IF the products have toxic ingredients? I want safe products for my body and my family. Just because it’s made in the United States does not mean everyone should be buying it. We need to look for products without chemicals that are harmful. It is quite the process, and Melaleuca is not in my opinion, at the top or the bottom of the list of toxic free. They are somewhere in the middle. I completely agree that their marketing is misleading.
for some people, that is important. I am a little more lax about my products, BUT I cannot stand by the green-washing and misleading marketing
Heather,
I must thank you deeply thank you for this article. It’s fair and top notch how you presented it. I did get a little put off by the comment from Sharon and had to reply. I feel deeply that facts don’t lie if they are proven. The fact that baking soda comes up as a defense is a perfect example in how many don’t understand that toxic is toxic and natural is natural but the cause action side effects are the facts that show what is safe and what is not. You have given a gift of knowledge a door to open and allow others to take steps accountable to our own health and what we eat breath and put on our skin. Clean is clean. I now make my own skin hair products even tooth paste and cleaning products because I could not find clean commercial products… I teach in my workshops “if you can’t put it on your tongue it’s not safe to breath or put on your skin…” Our wellness relies on our knowledge and ability to make choices and learn what is harmful and what is beneficial to our longevity. Thanks very much
beautifully put, thank you for the kind and thoughtful comment!
Your review is exactly what I’ve been thinking. I am on my 3rd box, (because you have to buy a box a month) and have been feeling the same, about quality and non toxic. I noticed the most highly spoke about Renew lotion ingredients too. I got the Simply Fit snack bars, 3rd and 4th ingredients were corn syrup and sugar…I don’t associate those with fit. Same amount of sugar as lucky charms. The Silver soap smells like week Dove that fades to fish, the Gold bar smells like week Dial. I do like made in America.
I am so sorry, but better late than never! Thanks for your honesty – it means a lot!