With 2025 in full swing, many of us are renewing our focus on health and wellbeing. But did you know that you can harness the power of scent to support your wellness pursuits? Our sense of smell is closely tied to memory, emotion, and mood, and wellness fragrances can uplift, energise, and aid relaxation. Here’s how you can enhance your wellbeing using thoughtfully chosen scents.

How Can Wellness Fragrances Support Wellbeing?

The olfactory bulb processes smells and sends that information directly to the brain’s limbic system. This structure is directly involved in memory, emotion, and mood, and as a result, scents can directly influence how we think and feel. Research published in 2024 in the Annals of Neuroscience journal demonstrated citrus odours can enhance memory and resilience to stress. 

Smelling the linalool compounds in lavender has been shown to have anxiolytic effects in mice, while sandalwood lowers blood pressure. Olfactory enrichment during sleep via exposure to different essential oils has been proven to improve cognitive function upon waking. The powers of essential oils and fragrances to benefit our wellbeing are profound; here’s how to make use of them.

What Scent is Best for Waking Up?

Give yourself a boost in the morning and set the tone for your day with an invigorating and uplifting burst of citrus zing. Look for fresh fragrances with notes of juicy oranges and tangy lemons or grapefruits. These will give you a rush of energy while promoting happiness, giving you the best possible start to the day.

Acqua Di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo di Sicilia Eau de Toilette Unisex Spray is the perfect choice for every morning. It pairs zesty Sicilian oranges with a rush of tangy bergamot, helping you spring into the day ahead. Its base of vanilla and sandalwood gives a sweet softness, tempering its energising effects with grounding calm.

How to Use Scent for Stress Relief

The calming effects of smells like lavender, sandalwood, chamomile, and ylang-ylang make them perfect for relieving stress throughout the day. Use a scent diffuser to impart gentle, calming aromas in your work or living space, creating a zen oasis. For in-the-moment relaxation and stress relief, try applying a soothing fragrance or essential oil roll-on to pulse points, and inhaling deeply.

Estee Lauder Youth Dew Eau de Parfum is rich in lavender and patchouli oil, making it an ideally relaxing spritz when you need some calm. Sensuous rose petals and jasmine flowers add delicate femininity, while spicy and woody base notes help anchor you in the moment. Relaxing, pampering, and grounding, it’s a moment to catch your breath and recharge, in fragrance form. 

What Scent is Good For Yoga and Meditation?

Pursuits like yoga and meditation are all about the mind-body connection and entering states of deep relaxation. The use of aromas can support you to enter your flow state more fully, allowing you to go deeper than ever before. Fragrance candles and incense are perfect for setting the mood and helping you to focus inwards. To enhance your practice, look for scents like calming lavender and chamomile, de-stressing sandalwood, and peace-promoting frankincense which has anti-inflammatory properties.

What is the Best Scent for Working Out?

It may seem counter-intuitive, but wearing a well-chosen scent during workouts can energise you, ease fatigue, and even enhance your gains. Peppermint increases blood flow to muscles and eucalyptus promotes deeper breathing, boosting oxygenation. Pairing these invigorating aromas with uplifting and revitalising citruses can spur you on through the heaviest cardio or weights session.

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Eau de Parfum is energy in a bottle, blending ripe oranges and lemons over a reviving heart of peppermint and green tea. Whenever you’re in need of a lift, a spritz of this can help you dig deep to get across the finish line. 

What Scents Help You Sleep Better?

Certain aromas can not only help you fall asleep faster but can also help you sleep better all night long, waking fully refreshed. Chamomile has been shown to help you sleep longer, and cedar shortens the time taken to drop off. Mixing these scents with calming lavender, rose, or sandalwood in your bedtime ritual is a sure-fire way to make your sleep more restful. Try spritzing a little essential oil mist onto your pillow, or use the Yankee Candle Serene Air Peaceful Lavender & Sea Salt Portable Diffuser in your bedroom as you wind down before bed.

Scents are a powerful and often overlooked tool to add to your wellbeing arsenal, easily assisting with whatever your day brings. From uplifting you in the morning to alleviating mid-afternoon stress to helping you unwind at the end of a long day, making the most of aromas can bring a huge boost to how you feel. Visit Perfume Direct to purchase these wellness fragrances and many others, and take your wellbeing to the next level today.