Most people want to feel soothed and relaxed at home. For many, essential oil diffusers create a stress-free environment because the pleasant aroma can improve mood, increase calmness and reduce anxiety, to an extent.
However, studies suggest that the chemicals and fragrances from essential oils — which are extracts from plants — emit airborne volatile organic compounds, and can affect indoor air quality. Moreover, studies have shown that essential oils also have an impact on cognitive performance, particularly, reaction time and accuracy.
Research shows the impacts of exposure to different kinds of essential oils vary. For instance, a 2009 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, assessed the olfactory impact of essential oils on cognitive performance. They found that lavender reduced working memory performance and impaired reaction times for both memory and attention. Meanwhile, rosemary improved the performance of memory, but it also impaired the speed of memory.
However, ...
