As pioneers in the home fragrance field and the first essential oil enterprise to turn 25, executives at Young Living Essential Oils are eagerly looking toward the future. Since 1994, Young Living has shipped products to more than 200 countries, formulated over 600 health and wellness products, offered the largest range of essential oil products on the market and employed nearly 4,000 employees around the world.
 
Moving forward, Young Living is ready to fulfill its 5x 5 Pledge to open at least 25 new global markets, achieve zero waste in all of its global facilities, develop at least 25 corporate-owned or partner farms, reach five million additional households and impact five times more children through The D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation—all during the next five years.
 
Kristen Knight, senior vice president of global product management and marketing, Young Living Essential Oils, Lehi, UT, took time to chat with Happi about aromatherapy, green cleaning and other features of wellness.
 
Happi:  What qualities are shoppers looking for in wellness and where do they go to find the latest products?
 
KK: Air care is affected by everything used in the home—from cleaning products, to personal care, to air fresheners. We’re seeing a wave of consumers who are systematically dumping synthetic products in their homes for essential oil-infused products that provide a better value and wider range of benefits from chemical-free scent, to effective cleaning, to wellness and balance for the mind, body and spirit.  
 
Gone are the days of “clean” being related to harsh smells and toxic chemicals. At Young Living, we’ve seen a massive rise in our entire line of home cleaning products that are not only effective but feature our most popular, all-natural fragrance, called Thieves. Unique to Young Living, this sweet and spicy blend is made of Seed to Seal certified, 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oils like cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, rosemary and lemon.  Our customers often relay their excitement about the fresh, comforting scent and the peace of mind they feel, knowing they are getting an effective clean that doesn’t spread harsh chemicals or toxins throughout their homes.
 
Pampering personal care products are another category where consumers are leaning into the all-natural benefits of essential oils to enhance their day. Young Living’s personal care products offer unique essential oil blends that awaken the mind and body or sooth and calm the soul after a long day. For example, our Stress Away Relaxing Bath Bombs help you unwind and relax with lavender, vanilla, cedarwood and lime. Customers looking to start their day off right love the invigorating aroma of lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary and juniper oils in our Young Living’s Morning Start Moisturizing Soap or Shower Gel.
 
Happi: What are the hottest trends right now in home fragrance in particular?
 
KK: The personalization trend in beauty and other industries has burst into home fragrance with a bang. All-natural therapeutic grade essential oils actually allow consumers to “craft” their own personal scent based on how they feel in the moment, or how they want to connect with others. Unlike synthetic fragrance which is practically impossible to adjust (or mix) well; pure, all-natural essential oils can be layered and combined beautifully into a personal, “in-the-moment” recipe. We’re seeing a rising trends in personalized combinations using either single oils or building off a pre-mixed blend like our best-selling Peace & Calming with ylang, ylang, tangerine, orange and blue tansy. 
 
Happi: What ingredients are trending in aromatherapy and why?
 
KK: The tried and true floral and citrus scents including lavender, sweet orange and grapefruit are always big. What’s great, is that again, we’re seeing a switch from the synthetic versions of these scents to the more natural, beautiful and purposeful essential oil versions.   
 
In addition, at Young Living, we’ve come across some really interesting essential oils that not only smell beautiful, but actually adjust to their surroundings. One such oil comes from India and is called Davana.  Distilled from a small, yellow daisy, this oil has a rich aromatic scent that adjusts to its environment over time, offering an all-natural, truly personalized home fragrance. This powerful little plant has been used for years by Ayurvedic healers to help their patients destress and is said to help balance all three doshas. We’ve seen a growing following for this oil both as an individual scent, but also mixed in some of our more popular blends like Acceptance, Awaken and Release.
 
Happi: What are the future trends in essential oils?
 
KK: At Young Living, we’re seeing some inventive things happening in the arena of essential oils formulated for children, tweens and teens. Our YL parents are finding that aromatherapy can be a partner in helping them nurture their children. In addition to this, we’re seeing a growing trend around in fun items for kids like aromatherapy spinners, or kid-friendly diffusers like our own Feather the Owl diffuser that acts not only as a diffuser, but a night light and white noise machine as well!