I adore candles. From the room-filling scents and gorgeous jars, to the way that lighting one signals a welcome shift into evening and the chance to wind down, I truly love everything about them. So it might seem out of sorts for me to be declaring that for the last couple of weeks I’ve totally ignored my vast candle collection in favour of a new diffuser, but that’s exactly what’s happened. Enter: Aromatherapy Associates The Atomiser (£120).
I’ll be honest, I’ve never really got the fuss about diffusers. With reed diffusers I always forget to flip the reeds over for a periodic fragrance boost and I find that they oils tend to evaporate way faster than I would like, leaving an empty bottle of sticks just hanging around on my fireplace for months afterwards. And while I’ve always liked the idea of an electric diffuser, the thought of faffing around with plugs and water tanks has never really appealed. But Aromatherapy Associates’s offering is different. It’s waterless, requires no heat and is fully portable once charged. It’s beauty tech in its finest form and it smells incredible.
So, how does it work? You simply choose the Aromatherapy Associates essential oil blend to suit your mood—I’m a big fan of the Forest Therapy when I’m working and their classic Deep Relax at the end of a long day—attach it to the diffusion head inside the Atomiser and then switch it on. The thing that I love most about this is that the fragrance fills the room immediately. Trust me—there’s no waiting around for it to heat up or get going, it’s an instant hit of essential oil goodness. Once it’s on, you can set a timer from 30 minutes to 3 hours, switch on the halo light setting to add a soft glow to the room, or select boost mood for a quick hit of fragrance when time is tight. And, of course, once it’s fully charged you can transport it about the house with you without any unsightly wires. I don’t know whether I’ve been particularly stressed out recently but I’ve really found comfort and calm in being able to have aromatherapy blends available at the click of a button, and switching on the Atomiser has become a real ritual for me when I’m starting to feel frazzled. Actually, it’s become something of a go-to for all eventualities: a reviving blend to help me wake up in the mornings, a stress-soothing one while working to deadlines, and even the Breathe blend which was brilliant when the whole family came down with colds last week. While I generally reserve my candles for evenings, the Atomiser means that I’m now experimenting with home fragrance whatever the time of day. And I’m very much into it.
So what was it that led Aromatherapy Associates to launch their innovative new home fragrance system now? “Our new home collection marries our expertise in pure, natural wellbeing with our understanding of how consumers are looking for new ways to incorporate wellbeing into their lives,” explains Anna Teal, CEO Aromatherapy Associates. “With its potent essential oils, our home collection allows you to layer and combine our powerful blends to create a truly 360, multi-sensory experience—creating those vital moments of reset we all crave.” And lockdown undoubtedly had an impact too. In fact, a report by Euromonitor found that 64% of professionals think working from home will be a long-term change for them with 70% expecting an increased focus on their lifestyle post-lockdown. Aromatherapy Associates believe that this more home-centric life will need redefining for all consumers and that fragrance will play an important role in it. Trust me—with innovations like the Atomiser, I’m more than happy to come along for the ride.
My personal favourite—this is healing blend of pink pepper, cypress and ho wood that brings a little of the outside in.
Aromatherapy Associates are renowned for this soothing mix of vetivert, chamomile and sandalwood—the ultimate fragrance to help you unwind.
This is my morning scent of choice thanks to reviving grapefruit, bergamot and neroli. It’s instantly energising and refreshing.
I’ve probably been reaching for this one more than I would like recently but there’s something about the expertly blended combination of frankincense, wild chamomile and petitgrain that is immediately grounding.
I used to put a few drops of this in a bowl of water when I felt congested so using it in my Atomiser last week was like an amped-up approach to aromatherapy healing. This one contains eucalyptus, tea tree and pine and helps to clear the senses. Up next, 10 perfumes that beauty insiders agree are the best of the best.
