The best essential oil diffusers can change the entire feeling of your living space and completely transform your mood. The power of scent as a stimulus is well-documented, and the right choice of the best essential oils can help you feel calm and relaxed, or can wake you up and help you feel focused.
While you might worry that essential oil diffusers could make the atmosphere worse in your home by heating oils and releasing toxins into the air, essential oil diffusers mostly work using ultrasonic technology to generate fragrance in a clean way with no fuss or mess. Some diffusers go further than merely releasing scents and throw light and sound into the mix for a thoroughly immersive healing effect.
If it's soothing scents you need, you're in the right place with our guide to the best essential oil diffusers. We've rounded up the best options on the market, so you're sure to find something that suits your needs, budget and brand of choice.
If you're less bothered about scents and merely want to get some moisture into the air, our best humidifier guide can sort you out, while if it's less moisture you're after, look instead at our roundup of the best dehumidifiers. Otherwise, read on to discover our top picks for the best essential oil diffusers right now.
Best essential oil diffuser ranking 2024
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The best aroma diffuser
+ Automatic switch off when tank empty
+ Timer function
+ Light effects, including warm glow
- Buttons are a bit confusing
- No intermittent option
An excellent all-rounder, the Beurer LA 40 tops our list of the best oil diffusers to buy right now. The simple but stylish bamboo and porcelain design has a pleasantly 'natural' vibe, and there's the choice of adding light effects when you want to liven things up a bit. You can set it to cycle through a rainbow of hues (in a slow, soothing manner, rather than an out-and-out disco), pause it indefinitely on a shade you like, or opt for a warm, constant glow (our preference). Timer functions, and automatic shut-off when empty mean you don't have to worry if you've left it on. Head to our Beurer LA 40 review to find out more.
The best dedicated oil diffuser
+ Ultra quiet
+ A range of time settings
+ Stylish design and range of colours
- No light or sound effects
Stoneglow is known for its beautiful candles, and its Modern Classics Perfume Mist Diffuser is its first foray into diffusers. This elegant, vase-like creation features four timer settings (ranging from 30 minutes to four hours), combined with an optional illumination setting allow it to be used in any room for any occasion. This mains-powered diffuser is also incredibly easy to operate – the ceramic lid simply twists off to reveal a 100ml reservoir. Choose from four different neutral tones, to match your décor.
The best does-it-all aroma diffuser
+ Light and sound effects
+ Remote control is intuitive and useful
+ Long runtime without refill
- On the large side
If you want more from your essential oil diffuser, the Ellia Adore might be for you. Not only do you get effective scent dispersal, there's also light and sound effects to round out the package. Set it to cycle through a rainbow of shades, or pick and pause it on the one that suits your mood. You can also choose from a selection of soothing or invigorating background music. Finally, you can opt for continuous mist or intermittent (30 seconds on, 30 off). All this is controlled via a handy remote control. Head to our Homedics Ellia Adore review to find out more.
The best looking aroma diffuser
+ Looks like an ornament
+ Compact size
+ Soft LED lighting
- A little fragile
- Lower max runtime
There's a fine line between looking functional and being just a little too over-ornate, and for us the Mercura Aroma diffuser from Made By Zen hits the sweet spot. It's housed in a mottled glass dome, and available in soft grey or white. That means when it's off, it looks a lot like a tasteful ornament, and with low energy LEDs it'll emit a soft, ambient glow when switched on. It's nice and compact, too. Some reviewers found it a little fragile, and be aware that it'll need to be topped up after about three hours running.
A smart & understated essential oil diffuser
+ Wide range of colour options
+ Stylish design
+ Can scent up to 500sq ft
- Light effects are very dim
The essential oil diffuser from Vitruvi is about as classy looking as it gets. Crafted from matte-finish ceramic and available in a range of earthy shades, it's understated but very stylish. There are a few diffuser setting to choose from: a consistent 4 hour stream of steam, or intermittent for 8 hours, and it's designed to scent up to 500 square feet of space. It'll turn off automatically when time is up, or when the water runs out. The Vitruvi Stone diffuser officially does have light effects, but they're limited to the thin band between the base and the ceramic 'hat', and you can only switch them on and off, there's no colour picking here. While the effect is attractive, there are other options in our list that pack more of a punch, light-wise –so those who want a truly multi-sensory experience should look elsewhere.
The best aroma diffuser that doesn't look like an aroma diffuser
+ Switch between subtle and cosmic
+ Looks like an ornament when not in use
+ Compact
- Needs refilling more often than
- No intermittent option
With this ultrasonic diffuser and humidifier from Equsupro, you get actually get two looks for the price of one. In daylight, it looks like a lovely silvered vase, but switch it on in the evening and you get a cosmic-looking LED display in seven colour options. It's compact and portable with a 120ml water capacity that means it'll happily run from three to five hours, and its ultrasonic design means that it's whisper-quiet. There are three timer modes, from half an hour to three hours, and you can also use it as a night light with the diffuser switched off.
A stylish oil diffuser for long-lasting fragrance
+ Stylish design
+ Light effects
+ Quality brand
- No intermittent option
- Quite hard to get hold of
Neom is famous for its candles, which means it's a trustworthy option for the best-smelling experience for your home too. As such, the stylish Neom Organics Wellbeing Pod Diffuser would make a perfect gift for those who have already bought into the brand. This diffuser delivers a long-lasting 12 hours of fragrance to fill your home with great scents within minutes, as well as having a light option too. With a distinctive design and glass casing, it's also one of the most stylish options on our list of the best oil diffusers.
A full sensory experience with scent, light and sound
+ Plays sounds
+ Different light colours
+ Lasts up to 10 hours
- Pricey
If you're looking for a diffuser that stands out from the crowd, this distinctive device from Homedics with a rounded ceramic design is for you. As sister model to the Ellia Adore above, the Ellia Gather oil diffuser provides a full sensory experience for your home. It has quick scent-diffusing that lasts up to 10 hours, a colour-changing lamp and it includes a speaker too in order to play soothing sounds, including waves, as you relax. Unlike some of the other oil diffusers on the list, the Elia Gather comes with two 2ml bottles of pure essential oils to get you started.
The best compact aroma diffuser for travel
+ Cordless option
+ Compact and portable design
+ Simple, one-touch controls
- A bit noisy
- Not that effective at diffusing scent
This is This Works' second travel diffuser, and its sleek, pebble-like shape will instantly appeal to those with a penchant for minimalism. The diffuser, which has a USB connection, will disperse scent quickly and efficiently from the second it's turned on. The best bit? It will continue to work (for up to four hours) when unplugged, too. The only downside is that it relies not on a water reservoir, but on refill pads, to which drops of oil are added. Only two are provided, and the accompanying instructions warn that these pads shouldn't be used with more than one scent of oil. However, replacements are relatively cheap – just £5 for three. Beware if you're sensitive to sounds too: some reviewers have found the fans to be on the noisy side.
The best essential oil diffuser with an all-natural look
+ More compact shape
+ Different diffusing settings
+ Safe auto-off mode
- Might look odd in some homes
If you like the look of natural products in your home rather than anything too futuristic or minimal, then the best oil diffuser for you is this device from Innogear, which is made from bamboo. It offers four different diffusing settings to suit you and your home, including continuous mist, interval mist, a 2 hour mist timer or a 10 hour mist timer. There’s also an auto-off mode if the device detects there isn’t enough water left to diffuse your oil. It’s not just one of the best oil diffusers for ensuring your home smells divine, but this device from Innogear also has seven colour-changing LED lights to create the perfect relaxing environment within your home.
The best waterless (and mess-free) essential oil diffuser
+ Waterless design
+ Rechargeable and portable
+ Three different intensity modes
- It's on the smaller side (but you may like this!)
The Nebula waterless electronic diffuser from Aluxury allows you to transform any room, delivering a sublime aroma experience in a luxurious, portable design. Available in black, white or grey, it can be used for up to 120 hours on a single charge and has up to 80㎡ coverage, so there's a long-lasting aroma no matter where you are. It works by leveraging cutting-edge waterless cold fusion technology, meaning it can function without the need for water. It's also extremely easy to change fragrances, meaning there's no need for cleaning between uses. It is on the smaller side which might not be to everyone's taste, but this does make it portable and easy to hide, so it depends on what you're looking for.
How do oil diffusers work?
Most diffusers contain a small reservoir which you'll need to fill with water. You'll then add a few drops of essential oil (the number will depend on the size of reservoir), before turning the diffuser on. For an idea of which scent to choose, explore our guide to the best essential oils.
A fan will then turn the water (which contains the oil) into a mist, dispersing it throughout your home. However, some diffusers have a small pad instead of a reservoir. The essential oil is simply sprinkled onto this pad, before being dispersed by the fan. Diffusers powered by USBs, which are often designed to be portable, are most likely to have pads instead of reservoirs.
What scent should I use?
It's worth purchasing at least two different oils to start with – ideally a relaxing one, made with ingredients such as lavender, and an energising one containing livelier notes such as citrus or spice. Some of the most powerful scents include lavender, which has been proven to activate our brains' GABA receptors, which in turn inhibit anxiety-producing brain signals.
For other options, there's lemon, grapefruit and orange – countless studies have shown that citrus scents can aid concentration by increasing our ability to focus. Jasmine is a great one, too – a recent study conducted by scientists at Germany's Ruhr University found that smelling jasmine enhanced the effects of the amino acids which decrease our 'fight or flight' responses, increasing a sense of calm. Essential oils can also help you sleep better when you're feeling ill – check out these 6 essential oils to beat the common cold.
Finally, remember that you can use any brand of oil with any diffuser, but if you're using a diffuser which has a pad, rather than a reservoir, you'll need to change the pad whenever you change the scent.
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