The 6 Best Essential Oil Diffusers We’ve Tried (and 2 to Avoid)

I first learned about Pura from a friend whose house always smelled like a high-end boutique under every circumstance. Cooking project, water leak … no matter what was going on in her house at the time, I only ever smelled berries. I have two cats and a multi-sports-playing teen—I knew I needed this. Now, about 17 months into my Pura journey, I have some thoughts.

While my Pura journey began with the now-discontinued Pura 3, I have also since tested the Pura 4 and large-room Pura Plus, both of which have dual bays for two of Pura’s proprietary oil cartridges, as well as the Pura Mini. The Pura 4 and Mini both plug into an outlet and can only be controlled through the accompanying app (or Alexa or Google Home). This is convenient for setting schedules and timers, switching fragrances (or using the handy new auto-alternate feature), and changing the color of the optional night-light, but there have also been numerous occasions where I’ve wanted to stop or start or change a schedule but have been unable to because I forgot my password or the diffuser couldn’t connect to Wi-Fi. In the moment, it was infuriating. Mercifully, the stand-alone, cylindrical Pura Plus has manual control buttons on the front. The smaller Pura 4 and Mini are best for enclosed spaces, like a long entryway for the former or a small bedroom for the latter (note that all Puras only work with 2.4-Ghz Wi-Fi). If you have high ceilings or any kind of open floor plan, you’ll get better results from the Pura Plus. Just note that, unlike the silent Pura 4 and Mini, the Plus emits an audible whooshing sound that’s actually quite loud—32 decibels, as loud as a fan on low.

Perhaps the best feature of the Puras, however, is its extensive library of pet-safe scents from companies like Anthropologie, Nest, Otherland, Capri Blue, and more. The quality and duration can vary quite widely, and they’re not cheap—$11 all the way up to $34, for 0.33 ounces—but most of them smell better than cartridges from any other diffuser brand I’ve tried. Because of the small size and price of the cartridges, Pura might not be the best choice if you want to smell diffuser all day, every day, as you’ll end up spending a small fortune. However, if you love unique luxury scents and only need them occasionally and/or on demand, Pura is the way to go. —Kat Merck