Top Essential Oils and Fragrances for Diffusers

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Along with aesthetic room decor and comfy furniture, there’s something about having a pleasant aroma that makes a room a truly homey environment. Although plenty of folks would prefer to light up a candle, sometimes you can get bored with committing to just one scent (sparking up with Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep is not the vibe if you’re trying to stay alert through your WFH day). If you want some good smells in your house, but don’t want to commit to scrubbing it down with scented floor cleanser or baking pastries daily, the trendy and the easiest way to get the same results is with an essential oil diffuser.

The best diffuser fragrances inject a subtle scent into your space better than a cheap air freshener can — and they last a lot longer too. Although you can certainly use them for aromatherapy, releasing essential oils into the air can help set the mood for any occasion, and is the equivalent of a good room spray or again, lighting a candle. (Our tip: keep some lavender oil and a good diffuser by your bed to help you relax at night).

If you’re in need of a fragrance or essential oil to add a drop of into your diffuser, we’re here to help. After testing some of the best diffuser scents ourselves — and consulting reviews from happy users — we’ve created a list below of the best-smelling diffuser oils.

What Are the Best-Smelling Diffuser Scents?

Some of the most popular and widely-used diffuser scents include floral scents like lavender, chamomile, jasmine, or herbaceous and woody fragrances such as ylang-ylang, bergamot, geranium, frankincense, and clary sage. We’ve chosen picks based on top-rated scents from well-regarded brands and overwhelming positive user reviews.

Best Fragrance and Essential Oil Scents

1. Hotel Collection My Way Essential Oil Scent

Amazon

Want your room to smell like a luxe hotel lobby? This sophisticated scent is inspired by the breezy, natural atmosphere of the 1 Hotel in Miami Beach, FL, and is the most popular fragrance oil in their collection for a reason. My Way uses lush sandalwood, warm Virginia Cedar, and cool iris, for a scent that’s every bit sensual as it is light as the summer wind.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I have spent a small fortune on this and it is so worth it! My home smelling great is my self-pampering, and this has never failed to deliver! Scent lasts a long time, it is strong so you can use as little or as much as you like to suit your preferences.” —Cricket

2. Wild Mint & Eucalyptus Diffuser Oil Drops

Clear your mind and wake up with these Diffuser Oil Drops from Nest that combine the essence of wild mint and eucalyptus with herb-y basil and Thai ginger. Like a cooling spa towel, or fresh spring rain, this is certainly an invigorating scent that will make you want to hop out of bed in the morning.

Promising Customer Feedback: “It’s like a spa! The Wild Mint & Eucalyptus Misting Oil is a refreshing, crisp, clean scent that presents as more of a background scent. It is a positive mood booster for me!” —Sandra M.

3. Volupsa Tahitian Coconut Vanilla Diffuser Oil

Like an elevated, more mature version of the “Warm Vanilla Sugar” Bath and Body Works scent we used to spritz ourselves to death with when we were younger, Volupsa’s Tahitian Coconut Vanilla Diffuser Oil is warm and inviting. If you love sweet-smelling fragrances, or just want your space to feel extra cozy, this is the perfect choice.

Promising Customer Feedback: “These smell so delicious in my electric oil diffuser, and I always have them on hand with backups as well. The coconut vanilla scent fills up my living room, kitchen and hallway and is such a welcoming, warm, cozy scent.” — marciash

4. Cocod’or Pure Cotton Diffuser Oil

Like fresh linens flowing in the breeze, Cocod’or’s Pure Cotton oil is a mixture of (what else?) cotton, with citrus note and mint notes. Just add a few drops to your diffuser, and the mist recreates the “clean and pure” fragrance of taking a quilt straight out of the wash and inhaling deeply.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I love this scent. Not overpowering, but strong enough to keep my bathroom smelling fresh. Price is affordable compared to many others on the market. Oil is long lasting as well.” —C. TRUONG

5. Capri Blue Volcano Diffuser Oil

Inspired by the signature “in-store scent of Athropologie,” you’ll drift away with the iconic notes of tropical fruit and sugared citrus. With exciting and invigorating citrus at the front of this oil (which also comes in candle form), you’re only a few drops away from paradise.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I love the Volcano scent! I use it in my plug in oil diffusers to give my bathroom and bedroom a fresh scent. I’m addicted to the scent. So fresh and pure, it doesn’t give me a headache like synthetic scents do.” —Tamera May

6. P&J Trading Rose Scented Oil

P&J Trading’s essential oils are actually popular with crafters on TikTok for making homemade scented candles, but their Rose oil is also a favorite for diffusing. It’s a simple, strong floral fragrance, but because it’s more concentrated than others, you’ll only want to use a drop or two.

Promising Customer Feedback: “This smells heavenly! Close your eyes and you are in a rose garden. Very natural smell, not too intense…LOVE it!” —Sandra Steinle

7. Maple Holistics Dream Essential Oil Blend

For restless nights when you can’t stop tossing and turning, this Dream formula by Maple Holistics includes essential oils like lavender, sage, chamomile, and ylang-ylang to help promote sleep. Since it’s designed to calm you down and help you get ready for bed, it’s made from a few different essential oils so it won’t be so concentrated.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I love the scent profile so much! It’s more relaxing and complex than a typical oil! Perfect for a diffuser or humidifier.” —zakc

8. Vitruvi Frankincense Pure Premium Essential Oil

While frankincense might not be an obvious pick for an everyday home fragrance, Vitruvi’s is a solid scent that’s perfect for a mindfulness meditation session or general relaxation purposes. Woodsy and grounding, this oil is steam-distilled from the sap of Indian frankincense trees for the purest scent possible.

Promising Customer Feedback: “Honestly love this Vitruvi oil. I’ve purchased several products from them from their original stone oil diffuser, to their room sprays. I have loved everything I’ve purchased. Especially their essential oils like this one. They’re worth every penny in my opinion.” —Petra Guerra

Best Reed Diffuser Scents

9. NEST Fragrances Apricot Tea Reed Diffuser

This apricot tea and bergamot scent from Nest is bright and powerful enough to fill the bathroom with continuous fragrance without ever becoming overpowering. The NEST’s reed diffuser is also one of favorites style-wise, with crisp frosted glass stripes that give it a sophisticated, preppy look.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I’ve heard really positive reviews about this scent. Having kept this reed diffuser for almost three months I can safely say that this fragrance lives up to the hype! I am someone who is very sensitive to smells, has pretty bad indoor allergies, and many strong scented perfumes give me an instant migraine. I had no business blind buying this, but I did and I love it! The fragrance is light enough to not trigger migraines, but somehow envelops my living room with a clean, sweet and warm scent.” —Laetitia M.

10. Cocod’or Signature Lemon Eucalyptus Reed Diffuser

The Cocod’or fresh lemon and eucalyptus scent, which is boosted with a touch of mint, makes for a very sophisticated and clean fragrance. If you’re sensitive to smells, you’ll appreciate that the scent is actually quite subtle, and not overpowering at all.

Promising Customer Feedback: “Love the fragrance — clean, crisp, delightful, fills my powder room. Love the simple aesthetic.” —chachachavez

11. Urban Naturals Sandalwood & Vanilla Reed Diffuser Oil

This blend of Tahitian vanilla and sandalwood will have you feeling like you’re sipping on a nice Southern bourbon, which is a warm and welcome change from the more common fruity and floral scents. This diffuser set is on the larger side, which, though taking up a bit more space, also allows for it to disperse more scent across a larger area.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I can be sensitive to scents, but I still like to have light fragrance in my house. This is my favorite! Both vanilla and sandalwood perfectly matched! It’s not too feminine, not too masculine. Just perfect! Could be a perfect year round scent.” —Barb M.

12. Paddywax Relish Collection Reed Oil Diffuser

We like the pleasant, long-lasting scent from this patchouli-forward reed diffuser, with oakmoss and vanilla bean that lends to this fragrance’s sweetness. Rather than stick to a sleek, modern design style, the Paddywack diffusers come in vintage-style colored jars, which is also pretty fun.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I can’t say enough about this scent. It’s made my room smell fantastic and for a really long time. I bought one of these in Ko olina in Hawaii and am near the end of my oil. If you are into amazing smells that make your room or house fill with euphoria, you need this salted grapefruit diffuser.” —RESSCU

13. Le Petit Jardin & Co. Quebec Balsam Fir Diffuser Oil

Instead of factory-made plastic flowers, Le Petit Jardin & Co. uses natural dried flower diffusers handpicked by their in-house Austinite florist, Grace-Anaïs, to complement their unique modern farmhouse aesthetic. Reminiscent of a refreshing morning hike in the woods, this scent is a blend of balsam forest aroma subtle ambery endnotes.

Promising Customer Feedback: “This diffuser has a great look and smell. The added dried flowers add an even better aroma. They even gave an additional set of reed diffusers. Plus it was sent with a hand written note! A great touch to personal your order. Thanks!” —Anonymous

14. Sweet Water Decor Salt and Sea Reed Diffuser

Not only does this Sweet Water reed diffuser look good, it can go with any decor, and the breeze-y, sea salt air aroma is not overbearing or saturated. Although it works better for small powder rooms, it’s got a very effective throw, and the notes of citrus, musk and amber round out the saltiness of the top scent.

Promising Customer Feedback: “Love this reed diffuser! This is a good alternative for people trying to get away from candles but still want their house to smell good. I am very sensitive to smells so it’s nice that I can add or take away a reed and it changes the strength of the smell that gets released. This smells like a clean Airbnb on the beach.” —Brittany

15. Votivo Red Currant Aromatic Reed Diffuser

The perfect balance of fresh, fruity, and a whole lot of flair, this memorably complex Red Currant fragrance from Votivo has notes of earthy galbanum, tart citrus, cassis and “fruity musk”. Plus, we love that the fiber reeds provide twice the fragrance of traditional rattan reeds with no need to flip them, according to the brand.

Promising Customer Feedback: “Votivo’s Red Currant diffuser is perfect for a continuous scent without worrying about forgetting to extinguish a candle or turn off an electric burner, and can be placed anywhere. Red currant is one of the most popular scents and reminds me of a light floral with a bright citrus undertone, good for any time of the year. These reed diffusers I especially love in a small area like the bathroom, or bedroom.” —Amber

How We Chose the Best Diffuser Scents

Scent is subjective, but after using essential oils and fragrances in our diffusers and pouring over reviews from users, it is possible to find some standouts. And that’s exactly what we did to create this list of the best diffuser scents: we tested multiple scents in reed and electric diffusers ourselves, and read reviews for all of our favorites. After that, we made sure that finalists were all available to purchase from trusted online retailers. Reviews have been edited for length and clarity.

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