TIME Names Melaleuca One of America’s Best Private Companies

TIME’s inaugural list of America’s Best Private Companies is far more than a traditional ranking of successful businesses. Created to recognize leading privately held companies, the list asks bigger questions: What good does a company create for the world, and how well does it care for its people?

For Melaleuca, those questions go to the heart of its mission. For more than 40 years, The Wellness Company has worked to “enhance the lives of those we touch by helping people reach their goals.”

Out of more than 34 million private companies, Melaleuca was selected for TIME’s America’s Best Private Companies list, joining a respected group of nationally known companies that includes Patagonia, Publix, REI, Chobani, Carhartt, Trader Joe’s, and Chick-fil-A.

Notably, many of these companies are known not only for what they sell, but for the principles they stand for. That kind of earned reputation is built on trust, consistency, and a commitment to doing good for the people and communities they serve.

A Ranking Built Around Impact

Created with research firm Statista, TIME’s 2026 list recognizes private companies that combine positive impact with strong workplace culture.

Half of each company’s score was based on company impact. To measure it, Statista used data from The Upright Project, which evaluates how a company’s products and services affect society, knowledge, health, and the environment.

The other half was based on employee satisfaction, gathered through independent surveys of more than 217,000 U.S. workers.

Together, those measures ask whether a company is creating real value for the world and caring for the people who make that work possible. The full methodology explains how TIME and Statista evaluated both company impact and employee satisfaction.

That is where Melaleuca’s story stands out.

Products That Help Families Live Better

For 40 years, Melaleuca has helped families live healthier, safer, and better lives. Its wellness products support nutrition, personal care, cleaner homes, safer household choices, and overall well-being.

They are everyday products families use in their kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and medicine cabinets, giving the company a daily opportunity to help people make safer, healthier, and more affordable choices.

The company’s ingredient philosophy is inspired by nature and proven by science, with products developed to be effective and to outperform the national brands families might otherwise bring into their homes.

One example is Sol-U-Guard Botanical Disinfectant, which uses ingredients such as thyme oil and citric acid to kill 99.9% of germs without chlorine bleach. It demonstrates the kind of product standard Melaleuca has pursued for decades.

And that impact goes beyond the products themselves.

Melaleuca also helps educate families about health, wellness, nutrition, product safety, and everyday choices that can improve quality of life. That knowledge is often shared person to person by Marketing Executives, who help families discover products and habits that support healthier, more vibrant living.

Environmental Responsibility

Melaleuca’s environmental impact is built into the way it develops products. The company was one of the first in the world to use phosphate-free detergents and has developed patented super-concentrated technologies that help reduce waste.

That commitment shows up in everyday choices: formulas made without unnecessary harsh ingredients, products designed to reduce excessive packaging, reusable pumps that help save plastic, and botanical cleaners that perform without chlorine bleach.

A Business Model Built to Share Value

Melaleuca’s business model is part of its broader impact. Rather than relying primarily on traditional advertising, retail markups, or layers of middlemen, the company uses a direct referral model that shares economic value with the people who help introduce customers to Melaleuca.

Since 1985, the company has paid more than $7.9 billion to those who refer customers to Melaleuca. In a conventional model, much of that money might have gone to advertising, retail distribution, or corporate margins. Melaleuca’s model directs a significant portion of that value to individuals and families instead.

In TIME’s ranking, which measures how a company affects society, that distinction matters. Melaleuca’s model contributes to social impact by creating a way for everyday people to benefit from the company’s growth without taking on the inventory, overhead, or financial risk often associated with starting a traditional business.

That model reflects the vision of Melaleuca founder Frank VanderSloot, who recently ranked No. 43 on Forbes’ list of the 250 greatest self-made Americans. Forbes noted that Frank labored on the family farm while his father worked the railroad and lived in a laundromat during college. Having grown up with very little, Frank wanted to build a company that would help “the little guy,” a phrase he has often used to describe how he sees himself.

Idaho State University described Melaleuca’s model as a “unique direct referral marketing approach where people can work hard and achieve their goals.” The university noted that, unlike a multi-level marketing approach, “there is no investment or inventory required” and “there is no risk to the business builder.” That vision helped shape Melaleuca’s model then, and it continues to shape the company today.

Service Beyond the Business

Through the Melaleuca Foundation, the company has supported children in need, including the Santa Lucia Children’s Home in Ecuador. When natural disasters strike, Melaleuca has also responded with products, food, supplies, and financial assistance for families, first responders, shelters, churches, and relief organizations.

The company has long supported law enforcement, veterans, military families, and other American heroes who serve and sacrifice for their communities and country.

Together, Melaleuca’s products, educational outreach, environmental commitment, referral model, workplace culture, and charitable work all point in the same direction: helping families, strengthening communities, and enhancing lives.

A Workplace Built on Mission

The TIME ranking also considered employee satisfaction, using independent surveys of more than 217,000 U.S. workers. Employees evaluated companies on workplace culture, working conditions, compensation, equality, company image, and whether they would recommend the employer to others.

That measure fits Melaleuca. The company has built a culture around mission, loyalty, advancement, and shared success.

Melaleuca recognizes long-term loyalty in a tangible way. In 2025, the company awarded more than $2.8 million in Longevity and Long-Term Contribution Bonuses to 240 Team Members across the United States. Since the program began in 2007, Melaleuca has paid nearly $45 million to loyal Team Members, with every employee eligible based solely on length of service.

Career growth is also a key part of that culture. Since 2024, Melaleuca has awarded 642 internal promotions to Team Members, supported by development programs, mentorship and opportunities across the company. That promote-from-within approach helps Team Members build lasting careers while developing leaders from inside the company.

That balance is what makes this TIME recognition so significant. It reflects both sides of Melaleuca’s story: the good its products and services do in the world and the culture created by the people behind them.

Independent Recognition Is Adding Up

The TIME recognition adds to a remarkable series of independent national honors.

Just days before this announcement, Forbes ranked Melaleuca the No. 2 Best Brand for Value in America, second only to Costco. Earlier this year, Forbes also named Melaleuca one of America’s Best Midsize Employers for the fourth time, while USA Today recognized Melaleuca among America’s Best Stores and Most Trusted Brands.

U.S. News & World Report also named Melaleuca one of the Best Companies to Work For in America.

These honors are based on independent research, consumer feedback, employee input, or third-party analysis. Melaleuca does not apply for the rankings and does not know when the research is taking place.

The Best Chapter Is Still Being Written

While earning a spot on America’s Best Private Companies is a wonderful honor, the thoughtful approach TIME used to analyze Melaleuca’s positive impact makes it especially fitting.

The ranking looked at the same things Melaleuca has focused on for more than 40 years: enhancing lives, strengthening families, creating opportunity, caring for the environment, and building a workplace where people can grow.

That is why this honor means more than a place on a list. It reflects a mission that has guided Melaleuca from the beginning and continues to do so today.

After four decades of keeping promises, serving families, and building trust one customer at a time, Melaleuca is being discovered by more independent organizations than ever before.

And the best chapter of the Melaleuca story is still being written.