How Melaleuca Built Its Reputation in the Health and Wellness Market

by William Jones / ⠀Health & Fitness / July 31, 2025

How does a company rooted in the ever-evolving health and wellness space continue to thrive after four decades? For Melaleuca, stability comes down to innovation and anticipating market trends instead of following them. Case in point: the company’s embrace of all-natural, eco-friendly products before “going green” was popular. Founded in 1985 by Executive Chairman Frank VanderSloot, Melaleuca is now one of Idaho’s largest employers, competing against consumer packaged goods (CPG) giants Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson to become one of the top e-commerce companies in North America.

Indeed, its line of over 400 health and wellness products — which includes nutritional supplements, health foods, personal care items and home cleaning products — reaches over 2 million households worldwide each month and generates over $2 billion in annual revenue. Recognized by Inc. for five consecutive years as one of the 500 fastest-growing privately held U.S. companies, Melaleuca is a member of the Inc. 500 Hall of Fame. Forbes has listed Melaleuca as one of the nation’s best employers, and in 2025, USA Today ranked Melaleuca on its lists for Most Trusted Brands and America’s Best Stores. Here’s how Melaleuca built its reputation in health and wellness to get to where it is today:

Tea Tree Oil and Beyond: The Early Days

Melaleuca’s early days focused on cleaning and wellness products, with an emphasis on products derived from melaleuca oil (tea tree oil), which has long been recognized for its natural antiseptic and healing properties. From the start, the company set itself apart from other brands that relied on traditional retailers and distributors by embracing a direct-to-consumer business model. In the 1990s, the company expanded further with vitamins/supplements and protein bars, before reinvigorating its eco-friendly household cleaning product line again with additional non-toxic products. The mid-1990s also saw the company’s entry into personal care products, including serums, moisturizers and foundations, all infused with tea tree oil. Following its initial success in the United States, Melaleuca entered the Canadian market. By 1995, the company passed $100 million in revenue. In 2011, Melaleuca hit $1 billion in annual revenues for the first time and in 2017, Melaleuca crossed $2 billion in annual revenue.

Overcoming Challenges and Changing Perceptions

To outsiders, Melaleuca’s success may seem like a mystery, but its formula is simple: the company flourishes because it found a marketing niche that it has been filling successfully for decades. What makes Melaleuca different is the way it combines affordable, natural and safe products with its unique business model of consumer direct marketing. Melaleuca sells its products exclusively on its website and through its catalog. A customer can purchase products at regular price or receive a discount by enrolling in a membership program and committing to ordering a certain number of products each month. While members can become product advocates who refer others and receive a commission when their referrals make purchases, they have no right to resell products purchased for their own household use. According to the company’s 2021 annual income statistics, 81% of Melaleuca customers buy their products without making any referrals. Product advocates, who make up 9% of the company’s customers, have referred between one and seven customers. As the number of referrals increases, product advocates can eventually move up into the company’s marketing executive levels. Despite the differences between Melaleuca’s business model and MLMs, labels can be hard to shake. VanderSloot has gone to great lengths to differentiate his company’s consumer direct marketing model from the practices and pitfalls of MLM companies, particularly by avoiding practices like multiple levels of distribution or requiring an upfront investment from individuals.

Committed to American-Made Sustainability

Pledging “to be a force for good and a force for growth,” Melaleuca carefully considers its impact, locally and worldwide, for current and future generations. Keeping pace with scientific research, Melaleuca believes that natural, biodegradable cleaning products are at least as effective as harsh chemicals — without harming the indoor environment or the nearby rivers and streams. As part of its commitment to the environment, the company concentrates its products to minimize waste and save customers money. Thanks to these and other practices, Melaleuca has spared the environment over 260 million pounds of plastic waste, 45 million gallons of fuel consumption for shipping and 1.4 billion pounds of harmful gas emissions. VanderSloot also takes great pride in his company’s ability to make its products in America, with almost all of its products manufactured in Idaho, Tennessee and Missouri. In addition, despite a global presence in 19 countries, roughly 2,000 of its 5,000-plus employees work in the United States.

A Healthy Future: Innovating for the Next 40 Years

“Melaleuca loves to share the wealth with our team members who go the distance with us,” VanderSloot said at a November 2024 ceremony in which he handed out $2.4 million in bonuses to reward longtime employees for their loyalty. As Melaleuca celebrates its 40th anniversary, it remains committed to creating and marketing products that help people live healthier, more fulfilling lives — including by continuing to launch new products for home and personal well-being. In January 2025, Melaleuca introduced a new iron supplement, a fruit and vegetable wash to remove contaminants and dirt, a new formulation for its plant-based glass cleaner and a skin-firming neck and chest cream. Even as Melaleuca continues to evolve and innovate, it remains rooted in the principles that have driven its success. By staying true to VanderSloot’s original mission, embracing sustainability and prioritizing customer and employee well-being, the company is well-positioned to thrive for decades to come.