If you are searching for the best reed diffuser to emanate your home with a gorgeous and wow-worthy fragrance, then you've landed in just the right place. We've been at work testing a range of home fragrances, from reed diffusers to candles, and we've compiled a list of our favorites for you to buy in 2022.
Whether you prefer spicy fragrances or floral scents are more your thing, we've listed eight of the best buys that have been tested by our Deputy Ecommerce Editor, Annie Collyer, with some help from the team. We put reed diffusers to test to determine just how good they are at fragrancing the air inside our homes.
A reed diffuser is great for masking odors and even better for ensuring your home smells nice all day long, without any risk of safety worries. The best part? More often or not, they're housed in elegant vessels that can act as a design statement whether placed in the center of your coffee table or on an entryway table.
Scroll on for our guide on the best reed diffusers you can buy for your home. For spring and summer, we recommend going for a floral, fruity, or sweet scent. Can't decide whether you want a reed diffuser, candle, or oil diffuser? Some of these fragrances come in candle form as well as room sprays and wax melts, too. See all the best home fragrances in our buyer's guide.
The best reed diffusers to buy for your home in 2022
The powerful oriental scent of Rituals' The Ritual of Sakura fragrance is one to turn heads – and to surprise noses. If you are searching for a strong reed diffuser, perhaps for a bathroom for disguising odors, or for an entryway for flooding fragrance into several rooms, then this is it. It's small in size yet mighty powerful. We absolutely loved this reed diffuser whilst testing it, so much so that we think it's the best reed diffuser that you can buy. We moved it around our home from our entryway to the bathroom, living room, and even inside our spare bedroom. Each and every time it managed to flood its scent from one corner to the other corner of our space.
Scent
With nods to the oriental fragrance family thanks to notes of rice milk and cherry blossom, it's a mix of creamy and sweet. You won't really need to flip your reeds, but you can do it when you want a boost or feel like you can no longer smell it (this should take a while!). It might be best suited for larger rooms if you are sensitive to strong fragrances. It's worth us noting that we tested the mini (1.6oz) size and though small, it's impressively powerful and also long-lasting. It lasted for much longer than four to five weeks for us.
Packaging
One thing will we complain about is the packaging. Although it's lovely looking and boasts a white ribbed design with black reeds, it is very easy to knock over. This is due to its tall shape, so we would suggest placing it way out of the way of arms, tails, and more. A benefit, though, is that you can buy refill bottles for this diffuser so that you can use the same vessel over and over again. The refills also come in recyclable bottles. This diffuser comes in two size options and you can also buy its fragrance in candle form.
- Read our best candles guide for our top favourite buys for scenting and adding ambience
If it's a sweet fragrance that you are searching for, then we can recommend the awesome Noble Isle Rhubarb Rhubarb diffuser. Not only is it housed in an elegant black glass vessel, but this diffuser is powerfully fragranced to impress. We tested this reed diffuser in our entryway, to flood its gorgeous floral yet slightly sweet fragrance throughout our home – and to make a good impression on guests. A flip of the reeds releases a burst of fragrance, and we would go as far as to say that it's not only our favorite sweet scent, but it's our signature entryway scent.
Scent
A balancing aroma of sweet rhubarb, sour juniper berry and fresh muddled rosemary, the sweet smell of this diffuser is never overpowering, yet it always manages to reach each and every corner of a room. As well as being sweet, this scent is nice and fresh and perfect for use during spring and summer. Plus, it has lasted us several months and reeds require infrequent flipping. Also, the fragrance is cruelty-free and vegan.
Packaging
Elegantly poured inside a black glass vessel, this reed diffuser comes with five reeds, and it definitely looks smart enough to earn its place on display. It also arrives nestled inside an elegant gift box. Just bear in mind that you can't buy fragrance refills for this diffuser, but it is available in candle form, too.
This fruity reed diffuser comes highly recommended by our Sleep Editor, Jaclyn Turner. She uses it in her medium to large size bedroom, to scent the air. And that it does well! It's long-lasting, sweet, and refreshing without being overwhelming. Its scent actually manages to reach each corner of the room. We can definitely recommend this reed diffuser for a bedroom, although it would also be a great addition to a bathroom or kitchen due to its refreshing fragrance.
Scent
Perfect for anyone who enjoys fruity scents, use this reed diffuser to bring life to a room that otherwise needs it. Whether that's a darker room in your home or a smaller space. We always recommend fruity fragrances for spring and summer, and this one is certainly no exception.
Packaging
There's no doubting that this reed diffuser looks high-end. Its attractive bottle lends itself to the fragrance, whilst it'll definitely look the part in the center of a coffee or console table. This reed diffuser is long-lasting, without being overwhelming. It looks high-end because it is.
We're not huge fans of floral reed diffusers, but this one from NEOM is something out of the ordinary. It's nice and subtle so as not to overpower a room, whilst we noted whilst testing that it can be placed essentially anywhere, from a living room to a bedroom, a bathroom, or even a kitchen. This is thanks to its lavender notes – and because it's 100 percent natural. You can also use it to scent your home year-round, from January to December and in between. Sometimes, floral reed diffusers can be a tad too floral and overpower a space, but this is never the case with this NEOM option. Hence why it's our best floral reed diffuser.
Scent
Part of the Scent to De-Stress range, this reed diffuser has notes of lavender mixed with jasmine and balanced with rosewood. It's scented using essential oils to evoke a calm vibe wherever you place it. It's also nice and subtle so it won't take over a smaller room, although guests will definitely notice its scent as it truly is luxury in a bottle. Place it in a larger room for a really subtle scent, and flip the reeds frequently for a boost. The scent lasts for around 12 weeks, and you can buy refills, so you can either top up on your favorite or opt for a change.
Packaging
This reed diffuser comes in a rather pretty Neom Organics box. The scent sits in a glass bottle wrapped with white Neom label. The top of the bottle has a mirrored cap that opens at the top to hold the black diffuser sticks in place. Although the vessel is not recyclable, rest assured the refill bottles that you can buy for it are. So, you needn't get rid of the vessel at all.
You can also buy this diffuser from Amazon (opens in new tab), Nordstrom (opens in new tab) and Feel Unique (opens in new tab).
We think that The White Company's Fireside diffuser is the perfect addition to your home come fall and winter. Just place the reeds in the fragrance as soon as the weather starts getting cold. Then, pop it in a living room, bedroom or entryway and breathe in the powerful yet unique scent that replicates... you guessed it: the smell of a roaring fireplace. It really is extraordinary – and impressively powerful yet never too scented. We loved using this reed diffuser in our bedroom and noticed that every time we entered this room we were greeted with a gorgeous (yet never overpowering) scent.
Scent
With fragrance notes of smoked woods, birch and amber, this concoction almost screams fall. It adds a warm and cozy vibe to any room hence why it's our best woody reed diffuser. We tested this reed diffuser in both a large living room and a medium size bedroom, and both times it scented our space like a treat. You'll need to flip the reeds occasionally, but rest assured once you do this scent will fill the air in your space and have you wrapping yourself up in the closest blanket with a book in hand. You can also place this reed diffuser anywhere inside a room – it doesn't need to be placed in the centre of a space!
Packaging
Housed inside the classic The White Company glass vessel, this diffuser will look the part on your side whilst scenting your home. It comes with rattan sticks to use accordingly, based on your room size and strength preference. It also comes inside a gorgeous white box, making it ready to gift. Do note that refills are available for this diffuser, though the vessel itself isn't recyclable.
If you have been searching for a vanilla reed diffuser that isn't too warm – or too overpowering – then Floral Street's Vanilla Bloom diffuser is the perfect concoction. It's an ideal addition to your home to brighten a room since it's uplifting and slightly warm. Plus, it's housed in a bright yellow vessel to add a pop of colour to your interiors at the same time. We tried this reed diffuser everywhere, from the kitchen to the living room and our entryway, and it's pretty versatile. Just bear in mind that you'll need to frequently flip your reeds to release fragrance.
Scent
This vanilla fragrance is much more than that – it's a delicious blend of vanilla with plum, rose, and amber, for a deeper fragrance that never smells too warm or too powerful. We claim this as our favourite vanilla reed diffuser as it's a unique blend that's never too overpowering as some vanilla scents sometimes can be too strong. The fragrance itself is paraben-free, sulfate-free, phthalate-free, dye-free, and pigment-free.
Packaging
Poured inside a fun bright yellow recyclable glass vessel complete with a metal collar and five thick reeds, you'll want to flip the reeds every few weeks. It arrives inside a gorgeous floral box to impress, too. Unfortunately, you can't buy refills to top up your diffuser with fragrance, although this scent does come in more forms than a reed diffuser, but also a candle and more.
Opt for a Neom reed diffuser, specifically their Happiness scent, for use all year long. This citrus-based fragrance offers a welcoming and uplifting fragrance boost to any room, whilst it's particularly fitting for kitchens, bathrooms, for busy living rooms, and it's also perfect for a small entryway to flood a subtle scent throughout your rooms. We did note whilst testing this reed diffuser that its fragrance isn't the most powerful, so you might want to place it inside a smaller room.
Scent
This uplifting scent is fragranced using neroli, mimosa, and lemon essential oils, plus it's 100 percent natural for peace of mind. It's completely cruelty-free and also made without the use of sulfates, phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, mineral oil, silicone, and talc. This reed diffuser is said to last for 12 weeks after first use. We've tested it at home and believe it's the perfect balance of refreshing and not too powerful. Its scent is definitely great for summer and spring.
Packaging
Housed inside a glass vessel with an elegant metal collar, this reed diffuser looks as elegant as it smells, with classic Neom labeling. Included comes 6 reeds and it's packaged inside a Neom box, ensuring it's ready to gift if need be. Although the vessel is not recyclable, rest assured the refill bottles that you can buy for it are. So, you needn't get rid of the vessel at all.
You can also shop this diffuser at Nordstrom (opens in new tab), Dermstore (opens in new tab), and Feel Unique (opens in new tab).
There are so many grapefruit scents out there, but this one from Nest New York is by far the best. It's alcohol-free, too, and it boasts the ability to fragrance your home for up to 90 days. We're yet to try this reed diffuser out for ourselves, but rest assured we included it in our list due to its positive reviews on the Nest New York website, and on Amazon, that claim it's everything from 'mouthwatering' to 'reasonably priced' and 'a great summer scent'. Due to it being a fresh citrus fragrance, we would say this reed diffuser would be fitting for a kitchen, entryway, or bathroom.
The scent
Fresh and citrusy, this will also delight you with the addition of lily of the valley, which lends it a more sophisticated quality than just straight-up grapefruit. This reed diffuser may not be best suited for larger-scaled rooms as it's on the subtle side and might not be strong enough to make an impression. Rest assured, though, that its fragrance is suitable for year-round use and it's welcoming and uplifting.
Packaging
Elegant if somewhat forgettable – a striped frosted glass bottle that you'll definitely want to place on display, perhaps on a console table. The best part? There's a refill available so you need only buy the vessel once. The grapefruit fragrance also comes in candle form.
What is the best reed diffuser?
There's no one size fits all when it comes to the best reed diffuser, simply because everyone in the world has different scent preferences. There's also the added factor of the time of the year as some fragrances are deemed more suitable for use in colder weather, and other scents are more fitting for spring and summer.
If you are searching for a great all-rounder, then the Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Reed Diffuser (opens in new tab) from Walmart is our top option. It's powerful and oriental to wow your senses.
For spring and summer, we would suggest opting for a floral, fruity, or sweet fragrance such as Noble Isle's Rhubarb Rhubarb! Reed Diffuser (opens in new tab) from Amazon or Archipelago Botanicals' Mango Tangerine Fragrance Diffuser (opens in new tab) from Nordstrom.
Our top pick for when the weather is getting colder in fall and winter has to be The White Company's Fireside Diffuser (opens in new tab). It's impressively powerful yet never over the top, and perfect for scenting living rooms or bedrooms. It mimics the smell of a roaring fireplace, minus the effort required from you.
Reed diffuser use: What do I need to do?
Reed diffusers are easy and best of all: safe to use to scent your home. All you need to do is take your reed diffuser out of its packaging, remove its cork or unscrew its lid, or in some cases, you might have to pour the liquid into the vessel. Add half of the reeds to the fragrance oil and place it in the center of your room. Add reeds as necessary, depending on how strong you would like the scent to be. The more reeds you add, the faster the fragrance oil will use up, and the stronger the scent will be.
You'll want to flip your reeds every now and then, for a fragrance boost. Time-wise this completely depends on the reed diffuser – some need their reeds flipped every few days, others only once a week.
How to buy the best reed diffuser?
Consider whether your reed diffuser is refillable
With candles, once they’re gone, they’re gone. Not so with reed diffusers, which can be topped up with new fragrance oil when it's run out. Just make sure that when you buy a diffuser refill you discard your old reeds, as they’ll be saturated with all the scent they’ve soaked up from the first round of oil and won’t soak up any more.
Consider scent
So now you know why to buy a diffuser, which one should you buy? If you don’t know what you like, choosing a fragrance can be the hardest part of shopping for a scent diffuser, but looking for individual scent families is a good place to start. Florals are fairly self-explanatory, and while some of them might get a bad rap for being overdone or cloying, our floral picks are all combined with fruity and fresh notes to keep things modern. For a more unexpected home fragrance, consider something from the woody or spicy families, or on the other end of the spectrum, a fresher, 'greener' scent.
Consider its life
We've listed the lifespan of each best reed diffuser above. This will obviously depend on how much liquid comes in the diffuser, as well as how many reeds you use with it. It's worth bearing this in mind when looking at the price of a reed diffuser – when will you next need to pay to refill or replace it?
Consider its vessel
We've been sure to list the type of vessel your reed diffuser will come inside, whether that's glass or ceramic. Be sure to consider if this vessel is recyclable after use and if not then you might want to ensure refills are available so that you needn't throw away the vessel after use.
Consider how often reeds need to be flipped
Different reed diffusers will require different amounts of TLC in order to release the fragrance. Some diffusers can simply be left on your side to do the job of scenting a room, whilst others will require you to flip their reeds more often. Be sure to ensure you'll have time to do this (and that you will remember). Otherwise, opt for an easy-to-look-after reed diffuser that can be left to do its job.
Consider whether your reed diffuser comes in other forms
If you like your home to smell the same, from one room to the other, then be sure to check whether the reed diffuser you have picked comes in other forms. Think candles, wax melts, room sprays...
Are reed diffusers safe for pets?
Love a reed diffuser, but heard about the potentially toxic effects on your pet? It's not just scaremongering: dogs and cats have a much stronger sense of smell than us and can be overwhelmed by strong scents. Moreover, if they are exposed to strong perfume over long periods of time, it can make them ill by damaging their livers. Here are some solutions:
1. Limit the use of your reed diffuser to parts of the house your pet doesn't spend much time in, for example, your home office or bathroom.
2. If you do want to keep using a reed diffuser in the main room, keep the space well ventilated and allow your pet access to the outdoors. Consider putting the diffuser away for the night.
3. Some natural fragrances are safe for pets, notably the oils of rose, jasmine, and lavender (we mean only to inhale, of course, never to ingest). Look out for natural and organic reed diffusers that use these calm florals, and avoid anything citrus or pine fragranced.
As far as safety is concerned otherwise, reed diffusers are a better bet than candles that mustn’t be left burning unattended. Also, they don’t ‘tunnel’, which is the frustrating phenomenon where candles burn in a hole down the center, leaving loads of unused wax along the sides.
How to preserve a reed diffuser for later
If you've bought a reed diffuser to be used at a certain time of the year, for example, The White Company's Fireside Diffuser for autumn, then there's a way that you can preserve the fragrance for next year, if you haven't used it all in the time it's most fitting for.
We often do this with our reed diffusers to save them for the next use, and so that we can switch up the scent of our home every few months. All you need is some saran wrap (preferably recyclable to be kinder to the environment) and also a sealable sandwich bag.
It's worth us noting that this only works with reed diffusers that have collars. Here's what to do to preserve your reed diffusers:
1. Remove your reeds, run them under water and dry them with a paper towel. Place them in a sealable sandwich bag and pop them somewhere safe. You might want to label this bag with the fragrance name if you are doing this with several reed diffusers.
2. Cut off a generous amount of cling film to cover the hole of the reed diffuser that the reeds usually sit inside.
3. Screw off the reed diffuser's collar and cover the hole with saran wrap.
4. Screw back on the collar and make sure that the cling film is held on.
5. Store with the reeds, ready for use next year.
How we tested these reed diffusers
The majority of these reed diffusers have been tested by our home fragrance expert and Deputy Ecommerce Editor, Annie Collyer. Annie has had hands-on experience with six out of eight of these reed diffusers in this list, in order to form her opinion and compare these fragrances. Otherwise, in the case that one of these reed diffusers isn't available in the UK, we solicited help from some of our US colleagues.
See our About Us page for more information on how we test products at Real Homes.
Our Deputy Ecommerce Editor, Annie Collyer (opens in new tab), tested all but one of these reed diffusers in her 2-bedroom apartment in London, which she shares with her husband-to-be, her dog, and her house rabbit. Whilst testing these reed diffusers, Annie makes sure to move them around her home before finding a space in which they are most suitable for sitting. Annie usually tests reed diffusers until they are fully empty, otherwise, she will make her decision after a few weeks of use.
Jaclyn Turner (opens in new tab) is our Sleep Editor at Real Homes. She tested the Archipelago Botanicals Fragrance Diffuser for us, in her medium to large size bedroom. She buys these reed diffusers time and time again. Not only because they are long-lasting, but because she loves fruity smells and the Mango Tangerine fragrance in particular is sweet and refreshing and never overwhelming. Not to mention the high-end bottle that looks great on display in her room, too.
Where to buy a reed diffuser?
Should you still be searching for a reed diffuser, whether for your own home or to gift to someone special, you can click through below and browse more buys online from our favorite retailers.
- Amazon reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Bed, Bath & Beyond reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Diptyque reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Homesick reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Kohl's reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- LAFCO reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Nest New York reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Nordstrom reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Sephora reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Space NK reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Target reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
- Voluspa reed diffusers (opens in new tab)
Otherwise, if you're into DIY, then see our guide on how to make a reed diffuser to create your very own concoction with essential oils.
