Women who worked for a Somaliland supplier for essential oil seller doTERRA say that they've faced threats and intimidation from the supplier after coming forward with allegations of poor working conditions, assault, and sexual harassment. 

In April, doTERRA released a statement saying that an investigation into Asli Maydi – a supplier of frankincense based out of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa — "revealed significant breaches of contract." That investigation was sparked by reporting from The Guardian and nonprofit women's advocacy outlet the Fuller Project in January of 2023, when women who sorted resin for the supplier claimed that they would frequently work 12-hour days, six days a week, in facilities with no toilets or running water. Others reported numerous instances of sexual assault by Asli Maydi owner Barkhad Hassan and several of his male associates.

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Since they were interviewed by doTERRA for the company's investigation, the workers claim that they have been approached by Asli Maydi and told to "change our story or face the consequences," one worker said.

“The women who have diligently participated in the investigation have faced a lot of danger,” resin sorters Saynab Faarax Diiriye and Muna Ahmed Ali said in an email to the Fuller Project. "The situation we are in today is very scary.”

Although a lawyer for doTERRA reportedly vowed to provide security for the women to protect them from Hassan, workers say that the company has not made good on that promise, forcing them to hire their own security, and relocate themselves to new homes. The women also say that they have not received owed wages, with doTERRA's attorney claiming that the company does not have any official records of who may or may not have worked for the supplier. 

Many of the resin sorters who worked for Asli Maydi have since formed their own collective, where they pay themselves between $7.50 and $10 a day for their work, boasting buyers in the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand. The collective has also put its profits toward internet access and cellphones for sorters, and currently rents offices in six locations. 

DoTERRA officially cut ties with Asli Maydi in December 2023 after completing its investigation.