Why Try a Diffuser Oil Sample Set Before a Full Bottle

A scent smells different in your home than on a screen. Here is how to test a 5 ml sample properly, and how to tell which one is right for you.

You cannot smell a website. A description can tell you that a scent is "white tea, ginger and cedarwood", but it cannot tell you how it will sit in your living room, with your light, your furniture and your air. That is why we always suggest starting small.

The short answer

Try three scents in 5 ml vials first, live with them for a few days, then choose the full bottle. It costs far less than buying the wrong 500 ml, and you will know, rather than guess, which scent feels like home.

Why scents change once they are in your home

• Your space changes the scent. Soft furnishings, rugs and curtains hold on to warm notes like sandalwood and amber. Bare, bright rooms let fresh notes like bergamot and white tea lift.
• Your nose adjusts. After about twenty minutes in a room, you notice a scent less. The real test is walking back in after being out.
• The season matters. A bright citrus that feels perfect in July can feel thin in November, when warmer scents like Santal Vellum or Cèdre Noir come into their own.

How to test a 5 ml sample properly

1. One scent per day. Do not test two in the same room on the same day; they blur together.
2. Use a low setting. In a cold-air (nebulizing) diffuser, run it on a light, intermittent setting in one room. 5 ml goes surprisingly far this way.
3. Leave and come back. Step outside for ten minutes, then walk back in. Your first impression at the door is the one your guests will have.
4. Note three things: your first impression, how it feels after an hour, and whether you miss it the next day.
5. No machine yet? Add a few drops to a reed diffuser base with reeds, or put a drop on a cotton pad tucked near a vent.

How to know which one is "the one"

The right scent is usually not the one that impressed you most in the first minute. It is the one you still like on day three, and the one you notice is missing when the room is quiet.

A good place to start

The Hotel Edit brings together three of our hotel-inspired scents in 5 ml vials, in a gift-ready box:

• Santal Vellum: sandalwood, cardamom, leather. Warm and quiet.
• Cèdre Noir: cedar, cardamom, vetiver. Deep and grounding.
• Thé Blanc: white tea, ginger, cedarwood. Clean, the classic hotel lobby.

Prefer something brighter? The second trio brings Grand Foyer, Ambre Safran and Velours Rose.

Explore The Hotel Edit

Questions

How long does a 5 ml sample last in a cold-air (nebulizing) diffuser? On a light, intermittent setting in one room, several days of testing. Running non-stop at full strength, much less, which is why we suggest a low setting while you test.

Can I use a sample in a reed diffuser? Yes. Mix it with a reed diffuser base and use a few reeds in a small vessel. It is an easy way to test without a machine.

Which size should I buy after the samples? For one room, 120 ml is a good first bottle. For a whole home, 500 ml lasts months and works out to less per millilitre. Our size guide explains how long each size lasts.

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More from the Journal

• What Scent Do Hotels Use? The Hotel Lobby Scents, Explained — White tea, sandalwood, cedar, bright citrus and soft amber. The handful of scent families behind most hotel lobbies, and why they work.
• What Is the Best Floral Fragrance Oil for a Cold-Air (Nebulizing) Diffuser? — How to choose a floral fragrance oil for a cold-air (nebulizing) diffuser that smells like a bouquet, not an air freshener, with five florals compared from fresh to rich.
• Which Hotel Scent Is Right for Your Home? A Simple Guide to Six Hotel-Inspired Fragrances — Fresh, floral, woody or warm? A simple guide to six hotel-inspired scents and which room each one belongs in.