Beurer LA 40 review: an attractive aroma diffuser with a natural vibe

The Beurer LA40 is a stylish bamboo and ceramic aroma diffuser from the German health and wellbeing brand. Despite its somewhat clinical name, this device is designed to help you transform any space into a calm an tranquil haven via a soothing combination of aroma dispersal, light effects and gentle mist. I tested one out to see if it's worthy of inclusion in our best essential oil diffusers roundup. Read on for my Beurer LA40 aroma diffuser review.

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Beurer LA 40 aroma diffuser review: design

In design, the Beurer has gone for a sort of nautral, Scandi vibe with the LA 40. There's a bamboo base where you'll find two control buttons and three LED indicator lights, as well as a silver Beurer logo. Sitting on top of this is a sort of beehive shaped section made from the kind of textured porcelain that can set your teeth a bit on edge to touch, but which looks smart. 

Remove this top section and you'll find the 180ml water reservoir, which you fill up to the marker, and add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. There's a hole in the top from which the steam emanates when the porcelain section is replaced and the device switched on. Like most aroma diffusers, it plugs into the mains for power. 

There's little to complain about on the design front – this aroma diffuser looks and feels high quality, and it's compact enough to fit into a room relatively unobtrusively. I could probably have done without the silver Beurer logo, but that's a minor complaint.

Beurer LA 40 aroma diffuser review: features

Like many other essential oil diffusers, this offers a light function to go alongside the soothing scent dispersal. You can set it to cycle through a range of colours, which it does very gradually. Alternatively, you have the option to choose a constant, warm light, a nice addition for a more natural vibe. As with many diffusers like this, you can't really see the light effects in a daylit room, but they come alive in low light. The misting function and scent dispersal is also very effective. 

Another handy addition is the timer function, which enables you to set the diffuser to run for 1, 3 or 7 hours, or just until you switch it off. The LA 40 also has a useful function that'll switch it off automatically when the reservoir runs dry. 

The Beurer LA 40 aroma diffuser is controlled via two buttons on the base. While I appreciate a pared-back design as much as the next person, the use of coded LED lights and the absence of any icons to indicate what setting the diffuser is on means you'll have to keep the manual on hand, or rely on guessing, to get the effects you want. You'll also, of course, need to go over the diffuser to change settings and switch it on and off. If that sounds too faffy, look for a diffuser with a remote control, such as the Homedics Ellia Adore, which also includes sound effects.

Beurer LA 40 aroma diffuser review: verdict

The Beurer LA 40 is a simple but effective aroma diffuser. It's designed to be more subtle than other diffusers I've tried, with a pared-back and natural feeling design, slow colour change and the option to simply opt for a solid, warm light. A time option and automatic switch-off when empty are helpful touches, although the button controls are a little confusing, at least to start with. There's no sound effects here, but not everyone needs or wants those.