Who owns iHerb? iHerb, LLC is a privately held company, but its current public corporate materials do not provide a complete shareholder list or ownership percentages. Emun Zabihi is the company’s chief executive officer, a role he has held since 2021, but being CEO does not by itself mean that he owns or controls the company.
This distinction matters because founder, owner, investor, board member and CEO are different roles. The most accurate answer is to state what iHerb officially discloses and to avoid treating an executive title or historical association as proof of current ownership.
Who Owns iHerb? The Short Answer
- Legal company: iHerb, LLC.
- Company status: privately held rather than publicly traded.
- Current CEO: Emun Zabihi.
- Current shareholder percentages: not listed in the official public materials reviewed for this article.
- Founder: iHerb says the business began as a one-person operation in California in 1996, but its current official history page does not name that individual.
Claims that one person is the sole current owner should therefore be treated cautiously unless they are supported by a current company disclosure, corporate filing or transaction announcement.
What iHerb Officially Says About the Company
iHerb’s corporate history says the company was founded in a California apartment in 1996. It later developed its own e-commerce platform, introduced owned brands and expanded its fulfillment network. The same page lists the current leadership team, including Emun Zabihi as chief executive officer.
The company’s About page describes iHerb as an international health and wellness retailer that sells and ships its own inventory instead of operating as a third-party marketplace. These operating facts explain what the company does, but they do not disclose who holds every ownership stake.
Who Owns iHerb: What Public Sources Confirm
Current first-party sources confirm the company name, history, leadership and operating model. They do not publish a cap table showing each shareholder and percentage. That means this article does not identify a sole owner or assign a percentage to a founder, executive or investment firm without a current primary source.
The previous version included internally inconsistent founder and owner names, an outdated CEO statement and an investment-firm claim without a current primary disclosure. Those statements were removed. Official 2026 material identifies Emun Zabihi as CEO.
Who Owns iHerb? Source Checklist
- Does the source identify the exact legal entity?
- Does it say owner, investor, founder, director or CEO?
- Is the information current or tied to a dated transaction?
- Does it disclose a percentage or merely describe a relationship?
- Is it a company statement, filing or other primary record?
Who Founded iHerb?
iHerb’s current corporate timeline says the company was founded in 1996 and began as a one-person operation. The official pages reviewed for this update do not name the individual founder. Secondary pages use different names and spellings, which is not enough to choose one as confirmed fact.
If iHerb publishes a founder biography or a reliable corporate filing becomes available, the name can be added with a dated citation. Until then, the responsible wording is that the business began as a one-person California operation in 1996.
Who Is iHerb’s Current CEO?
Emun Zabihi is iHerb’s current CEO. An official June 2026 announcement states that he became CEO in 2021. The CEO leads the business and is responsible for executive management, but this title does not disclose his equity stake or establish that he is the owner.
For more about the current leadership, see our article on iHerb CEO Emun Zabihi.
Is iHerb Publicly Traded?
No public iHerb stock is listed for retail trading. iHerb does not publish the shareholder reporting expected from a listed public company, and its official pages do not provide a public ticker symbol. Customers should not confuse the ability to buy products from iHerb with the ability to buy shares in the company.
Does iHerb Have a Parent Company?
The official pages reviewed here identify the operating company as iHerb, LLC and do not name a separate public parent company. That does not prove that no holding or investment structure exists; it means a parent-company claim should not be made without a reliable current disclosure.
What Is Known About iHerb’s Investors?
Private companies can have founders, employees, executives and institutional investors as shareholders without publishing a complete ownership table. Search results and older business profiles may describe historical investments, but a dated investment is not automatically proof of current control.
This page will only add a named investor when a current primary source establishes the relationship and date. It will not infer ownership from a board seat, advisory role, endorsement, executive position or promotional partnership.
iHerb Company Timeline
- 1996: iHerb begins as a one-person operation in a California apartment.
- 2005: the company launches its proprietary iHerb.com technology platform.
- 2009: iHerb introduces owned brands.
- 2018: iHerb reports passing $1 billion in annual sales.
- 2021: Emun Zabihi becomes CEO, according to the company’s 2026 press release.
- 2026: the corporate timeline lists a Riyadh fulfillment center and the acquisition of Vitacost.
Read the broader history of the iHerb company for more operating milestones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns iHerb now?
iHerb is privately held, and the official public materials reviewed for this update do not disclose a complete current shareholder list or ownership percentages.
Is Emun Zabihi the owner of iHerb?
Official sources identify Emun Zabihi as CEO. They do not establish through that title alone that he is the owner.
Does Dr. Oz own iHerb?
The official iHerb corporate sources reviewed for this article do not identify Dr. Mehmet Oz as the owner. An endorsement, advisory role or financial interest should not be described as ownership or control without a primary disclosure.
Who founded iHerb?
iHerb says it began as a one-person operation in 1996, but its current official corporate history does not name the founder. Conflicting secondary-source spellings are not treated as confirmation.
Why does the ownership question matter?
Ownership can influence governance and long-term strategy, while the CEO manages day-to-day leadership. Keeping those roles separate prevents an executive title from being misreported as an ownership claim.
For a separate look at the company’s retail model, read why iHerb prices can be lower in some markets.