The Aera Diffuser: An Honest Review From an Editor

Aug 08, 2023

It's no secret how powerful scent can be, beyond just evoking childhood memories or telling our bodies that it's time for dinner. Aromatherapy—the practice of using fragrance and essential oils for healing properties—has been used for centuries as a holistic treatment that promotes physical, mental, and physiological well-being. While it might seem like a practice reserved for only fancy wellness retreats and day spas, it goes beyond that. With the help of a diffuser and some high-quality essential oils, you can harness the power of aromatherapy right in your home. Every corner of it, to be exact.

Aera's powerful oil diffusers are a must for achieving "surround-scent" aromatherapy with the click of a button, all without ever leaving your home. While candles and air fresheners are good at making the small spaces in our homes smell nice, Aera's diffusers take scent diffusion to the next level, transforming your whole house or apartment into one, smell-good (and feel-good) scentscape.

Also available mini size for $95.

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Unlike traditional diffusers that dispense scents in localized mists, Aera diffusers utilize a unique microdroplet technology to infuse all of the air around your home up to 1,000 sq. ft. While other products use water to spew out scent in what Aera refers to as "fragrance hot spots" (a small, localized radius that surrounds the physical diffuser), Aera evenly distributes teeny, tiny scent droplets directly into the air to create a consistent scentscape you can smell all over the room. Basically, with this technology, the fragrance is more evenly distributed. Overall, these mini droplets—which are 50x smaller than normal scent molecules—are released into the air more evenly for a better, cleaner, more immersive aroma.

Aera's fragrances are distinct, too. First are the transparent ingredients; all of Aera's scents are made using high-quality essential oils that are hypoallergenic and safe for the whole family, including furry friends. They're made from a blend of natural and safe-synthetic essential oils, the latter of which are used when the natural alternative is known to be an allergen, harms the environment, or has not received clearance from the International Fragrance Association. Additionally, all scents are entirely vegan and cruelty-free.

Second is how they're packaged. Each fragrance comes in an aluminum capsule that dispenses scent molecules without the help of any water or additive. Capsules vary by size, depending on the model you buy; however, most last a whopping 60 days—and that's based on the machines "playing" for 10 hours a day on the medium-intensity level. Impressive, right?

Most impressive, though, is how freakin' good the scents smell. Aera has several scent collections for every mood and fragrance profile, including exclusive partnerships with popular brands like The Laundress, Skylar Clean Beauty, and Monique Lhuillier. On the functional fragrance front, Aera has an expansive aromatherapy line blended for its wellness benefits, with sophisticated scents formulated to relax, energize, calm, revive, and focus the body and mind.

Quite frankly, I thought the microdroplet technology was a bunch of marketing jargon, but Aera really proved me wrong. I live in a small, ranch-style home and, while my rooms aren't super far apart, I can smell my Aera diffuser all the way from where it lives in my living room, down the hall and into the entryways of my bedroom and office. I do find the scents to be a bit stronger in my living room, but I find wherever I wander—the bathroom, the kitchen, into the guest bedroom—I still get subtle whiffs of my diffuser going to work and creating an immersive, aromatherapeutic experience that works double-duty at masking unwanted scents.

To use, all I have to do is plug in the machine, drop in the fragrance capsule, and press "on"—the Aera diffuses scent immediately. The biggest difference from other diffusers I've tested is that there's no need to add water, which is typically a catalyst for how the scents are actually spread into the air. Aera skips the mists and diffuses those itty-bitty scent molecules directly into the air, which is what makes it so dang potent. If I want to change the "vibe," doing so is easy—just stop the machine, pop out the current capsule and swap another one in. I've been oscillating between "Revive" ($65), a revitalizing blend of juniper, rosemary, and grapefruit that is fabulous for waking up the brain, and "Deep Relax" ($65), which uses chamomile and vetiver to soothe and calm the body.

Even more fabulous is the fact that I can adjust my Aera's settings on my phone so my dream scentscape is waiting for me when I get home. Both the Aera and Aera Mini ($95) are compatible with the AeraForHome app (available on iOS and Android) and acts as your personal control system for the machine—even when you're not near it. Whether I'm out for a walk or coming home from a weekend getaway, I can set my "scent schedule" to turn my Aera on and off automatically. I can also adjust the scent settings to be stronger or weaker, depending on what mood I'm in. And, most importantly, it lets me know when I'm running low on my favorite smells. If I'm due for a restock, I can order directly through the Aera app. Easy as pie.

Normally, the full-size Aera diffuser retails for $199 which, I admit, is a bit pricey. Considering the capsules are sold separately at $60-$65 each ($54 if you subscribe), it's definitely a more luxurious purchase. But given all of its perks—the microdroplet technology, the hypoallergenic capsules, the app—it's worth considering, especially if you're like me and love the smell of, well, smells.