If you want to add a pleasant scent to your home, the best essential oil diffusers might be your safest and easiest choice. While candles are beautiful, you’re dealing with a wick to trim, black smoke filling the air and an open flame. With essential oil diffusers, you can enjoy beautiful scents with less hassle and headache.
“A diffuser can transform your space into a sanctuary by setting an intentional mood,” says Elizabeth Ko, M.D., medical director of the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative. “Research shows that essential oils can ease anxiety and pain, boost mood and quiet the nervous system.”
An essential oil diffuser is ultimately about delivering essential oils to you, points out Dawn Rene Johnson, D.O., a board-certified holistic physician at Parsley Health. “The diffuser is just the mechanism for dispersing the essential oils throughout the room,” she says. “Many essential oils or essential oil blends can promote a sense of calm and peace immediately, or throughout the day. ...Do your research beforehand to find what works for you.”
While essential oil diffusers are simple to use, there are many different variations, so it’s important to know what features set them apart. For water-reliant diffusers, keep an eye out for water capacity and the runtime settings; they will determine how frequently you will need to refill the diffuser. Nebulizing diffusers don’t require water and only use essential oils to perfume the air. Auto turn-off is another helpful feature, so you don’t have to wonder if it was accidentally left running in forgetful moments.
From decor-worthy ceramic options like the Vitruvi Stone Diffuser to picks you can control directly from your phone like the Aera Smart, you’re bound to find an option that can fit almost any space. Below, see our list of the best essential oil diffusers based on research done by our experts. If you’re in search of other ways to make your space feel more homey, check out our favorite scented candles and cozy throw blankets, too.
Best Essential Oil Diffuser Overall: Vitruvi Stone Diffuser
Most Stylish Essential Oil Diffuser: Hotel Collection Studio Scent Diffuser
Best Essential Oil Diffuser For Your Desk: Pinci Essential Oil Diffuser
Best Essential Oil Diffuser On Amazon: InnoGear Essential Oils Aromatherapy Diffuser
Best Smart Essential Oil Diffuser: Aera Smart Diffuser
Best Essential Oil Diffuser With Built-In Sound Machine: Muson Essential Oil And Sound Machine Combo Diffuser
Best Essential Oil Diffuser For Your Bedroom: Serene House Supernova White Ceramic And Light Wood Base Diffuser
Best Nebulizing Essential Oil Diffuser: ArOmis Aromatherapy Diffuser
Best Essential Oil Diffuser Overall
A Highly Rated Diffuser That Works For Any Room
Editor’s Pick
Vitruvi Stone Diffuser
Dimensions: 3.4 x 3.4 x 7 inches | Material: Ceramic | Water Capacity: 90 mL | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
Elevate the smell and vibe of just about any room in your home with Vitruvi’s incredibly popular Stone Diffuser. It runs for four hours consistently or eight hours intermittently. And when it’s done, the automatic safety shut-off feature kicks in so you don’t have to worry about it taking up too much energy. Plus, it features an optional LED light if you really miss that soft candlelight glow. It’s available in five gorgeous colors, including a soft terracotta and light pink.
What our editors say: Forbes Vetted’s weekend updates editor personally recommends this pick.“I’ve always been a candle girl and loved how they looked in my home. I was hesitant to add a diffuser into my decor. This ceramic version from Virtruvi is not only beautiful but the fragrance permeates my whole apartment.”
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Most Stylish Essential Oil Diffuser
A Sleek Diffuser That Smells Luxurious
Hotel Collection Studio Scent Diffuser
Dimensions: 3.25 x 11.25 inches | Material: Recycled aluminum | Water Capacity: N/A | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
Hotel Collection has scents that are inspired by some of the most well-known and luxurious hotels across the world. Some popular scents from the brand include fragrances inspired by the 1 Hotel in Miami Beach and oils favoring scents found in Westin Hotels. This stand-alone diffuser uses cold-air diffusion to turn fragrance oils into a dry mist which lingers in the air and offers even coverage without using heat or water. The tower diffuser has a streamlined shape and comes in classic black and silver.
What the reviews say: One reviewer raves, “I’ve been eyeing this diffuser for a few months and I’m so glad I finally gave in to the purchase! I love the sleek and classic design that blends in with the decor and spreads the scent through my whole apartment! Everyone compliments the smell as soon as they walk in. Love it!”
Best Essential Oil Diffuser For Your Desk
A Compact Option For Your Office Space
Pinci Essential Oil Diffuser
Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.3 inches | Material: Plastic | Water Capacity: 60 mL | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
This mini-but-mighty diffuser is just under $20 and can be taken almost anywhere, but it’s ideal for work spaces and desks. To get it up and running, plug the diffuser into any USB port including laptops. At just under 4 inches, it’s small in size but has a 60-milliliter water capacity which can run for five hours intermittently. The colorful LED lighting comes in seven different options and can be dimmed from low to bright for mood lighting.
What the reviewers say: “I love this diffuser for my office,” a reviewer raves. “The lights are super pretty and you can keep it on one solid color if you don't want it constantly changing, or can keep lights off completely and just have the diffuser running without them.”
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Best Essential Oil Diffuser On Amazon
A Budget-Friendly Diffuser That’s Popular With Amazon Shoppers
InnoGear Essential Oils Aromatherapy Diffuser
Dimensions: 3.9 x 5.5 inches | Material: Plastic | Water Capacity: 100 ml | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
This under-$25 find has independent mist and light features so you don’t have to worry about a light keeping you up overnight. When you do want to brighten your space, it has eight color options—ranging from a soft pink to a deep purple—to help set the mood. It’s important to note that while the intermittent mist setting runs for six to eight hours and pauses every 30 seconds, the continuous mist setting runs for three to four hours and keeps misting until the machine runs out of water.
What the reviews say: “I'm actually really impressed by this little diffuser,” says a 5-star reviewer. “My son has now claimed it as his and he uses [it] as his night light. He loves how the lights change colors and can easily stop it at any color he wants. It's so pretty and gives a really nice glow to a dark room.”
Best Smart Essential Oil Diffuser
A Smart Diffuser For Larger Spaces
Aera Smart Diffuser
Dimensions: 6.5 x 2.5 x 4.8 inches | Material: N/A | Water Capacity: N/A | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
With watches, ovens and bidets getting smarter, the humble diffuser was bound to get an upgrade and join the ever-growing list of smart products. Through its app, this Aera smart diffuser gives you full control of its functions with the ability to create schedules with two-, four- and eight-hour session options. There are settings for any size room—small, medium and large—and you can also connect it to Alexa for a hands-free control option. For those who need a scent boost in smaller spaces like bathrooms or offices, Aera’s latest mini diffuser plugs right into the wall and can be used with the app as well.
What the reviews say: “Unbelievably easy way to have high-quality scents throughout your home without soot and dangerous flames from candles,” says a reviewer. “Control exactly how much scent you want with the free and convenient app for your smartphone! Your ability to dial up for more scent or dial down when you might be out for the day is completely in your control.”
Best Essential Oil Diffuser With Built-In Sound Machine
A Diffuser That Will Delight Both Your Eyes and Ears
MOST POPULAR
Muson Essential Oil And Sound Machine Combo Diffuser
Dimensions: 6.46 x 6.46 x 4.65 inches | Material: BPA-free plastic | Water Capacity: 500 mL | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
If fragrance alone doesn’t elevate your mood, this diffuser features a sound machine to further send you into a state of total relaxation. You can choose from nine soothing noises: white noise, two piano sounds and six relaxing nature sounds (rain, fire, wind, ocean, forest and brook). This machine also has an independent LED light for a visual option to further elevate your mood.
What the reviews say: “I've had diffusers in the past and liked to have them on while falling asleep. This one is an upgrade on all of the others I've seen. It’s the sound effects that I like the most. It’s really relaxing and on low volume, it helps me fall straight to sleep.” raves a well-rested reviewer.
Best Essential Oil Diffuser For Your Bedroom
A Pretty Pick For Your Most Personal Space
Serene House Supernova White Ceramic And Light Wood Base Diffuser
Dimensions: 4.96 x 4.92 x 7.6 inches | Material: Wood, ceramic | Water Capacity: N/A | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
Add this diffuser to your nightstand and let the smell of your favorite lavender essential oil help you decompress after a stressful day. Leave it on for seven hours of continuous misting or try the 14-hour intermittent setting for a longer lasting fragrance experience. The LED lights with seven options transform this diffuser into a bedside lamp for when you want to enjoy a book and soothing scent before bed.
What the reviews say: “I love the look of this diffuser. It works perfectly for the bedroom,” says a 5-star reviewer. “This diffuser is super quiet. I personally love the white light but the changing colors is pretty gnarly and I use that often as well,” writes another please customer.
Best Nebulizing Essential Oil Diffuser
A Waterless Diffuser For An Intense Scent
ArOmis Aromatherapy Diffuser
Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 4 inches | Material: Wood, glass | Water Capacity: N/A | Auto Turn-Off: Yes
Nebulizing diffusers, like the ArOmis Aromatherapy diffuser, work without water or heat to give you the purest scent derived from your essential oils. Made from wood and handblown glass, this diffuser works best with thinner, water-like oils such as lavender and peppermint. Since there is no water involved, the scent emanating from it is intense so you’ll definitely notice a shift in the air.
What the reviews say: Reviewers love the pleasant fragrance that fills their homes without adding humidity: “I purchased two of these diffusers and I absolutely love them. The scent they produce is stronger than the ultrasonic diffusers I used for years and they don’t add humidity to my home, which is important because I live in Florida.”
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted team strives to offer accurate and trustworthy product assessments that are the result of intensive research and hands-on testing. Our writers and editors have years of experience writing about a broad range of home and decor goods and have the background and expertise to help you make the best buying decisions possible.
To find the best essential oil diffusers, we researched options from top-rated reputable brands, then examined their key features and customer reviews.
To make the list, each diffuser had to be compatible with essential oils or an essential and fragrance oil blend. We also selected picks that came in a variety of styles, including water-reliant diffusers like the Vitruvi Stone Diffuser and nebulizing options like the ArOmis Aromatherapy Diffuser (which don’t require water).
Each pick also had to feature an auto turn-off function so readers wouldn’t have to worry about leaving their diffuser on for too long or running out of water and oil. Finally, each option had to have an average of at least four stars for customer ratings with hundreds, if not thousands of reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions About Essential Oil Diffusers
Essential oil diffusers aren’t common household items. With that, you may have some questions as you shop for the right option for your home.
Is It Safe To Breathe Essential Oils From A Diffuser?
It is considered safe to breathe essential oils from a diffuser from a short period of time. “Diffusers should be run in a well-ventilated room for 10 to 25 minutes,” Ko says. “Breathing in the vapors of essential oils for an extended amount of time can be irritating to the lungs.” Keep this in mind, too, per Ko: “Essential oils can cause allergic reactions for specific populations, including pregnant women, pets and young children, so caution should be used.”
Johnson recommends that you “start small” when using a new oil for the first time to make sure you don’t have a reaction to that particular oil. (If you feel that you’re having a reaction, turn off the diffuser and walk outside, if you can.) “Do your research and make sure your essential oil company is selling high-quality, high-purity oils,” she says. Essential oils are usually diluted in about a cup of water, Johnson says, but it’s important to read the directions for your particular diffuser brand to check the exact quantities needed. “You can run your diffuser a few times throughout your day,” Johnson says.
What Essential Oils Should Not Be Used In A Diffuser?
Experts say there aren’t necessarily oils that the general population shouldn’t use, although its a good idea to double-check with a specific oil you’re interested in using, just to be safe. But essential oils can impact everyone differently, and it’s important to be mindful of who will be around when you use a diffuser. “One essential oil may be very beneficial to one person, but cause symptoms in another,” Johnson says. “Please be aware of this if you chose to diffuse with other family members or people in the same vicinity.” Another household resident to keep in mind before you diffuser a particular oil: pets. Some essential oils can be toxic to pets.
What Oils Cannot Be Diffused Around Pets?
Oils of cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, eucalyptus, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree, wintergreen and ylang ylang are poisonous to dogs. “Both ingestion and skin exposure can be toxic,” Ko says. “While exposure to low amounts of essential oils often only result in gastrointestinal upset, certain concentrated oils can have effects on the liver, such as pennyroyal oil, and on the nervous system, such as tea tree oil. Some essential oils can also irritate or burn the skin and mouth.” Johnson recommends that you avoid diffusing these oils in the same room as your pet. “Dogs have a really good sniffer, so these essential oils can be too strong,” she says. “Also, cats and some birds are born without the needed enzymes and proteins to break down these essential oil ingredients.” That doesn’t mean you can’t diffuse these essential oils — you’ll just want to be mindful of your pet’s location when you do it. “If your furry friend is able to be in another room while you are diffusing these oils, that should not pose a problem to most animals,” Johnson says. (You can also double-check with your vet if you’re concerned.)