An expert’s guide to festive home fragrances

There’s nothing quite like the comforting, nostalgic scent of Christmas. Whether it’s the aroma of gingerbread baking, woodsmoke from an open fire or clementines studded with cloves, there’s nowhere cosier than a home that smells like the most wonderful time of the year. 

Nicola Elliott, founder of Neom Organics, says, ‘Christmas is a time when we fill our homes with candles. As well as smelling great, they should make us feel good too.’

Nicola has a few top tips for choosing the best scented candles and diffusers for the festive season. ‘For creating calm in the chaos, cinnamon is always a favourite of mine,’ she says. ‘It evokes memories of Christmas cakes and mince pies. It’s also great for relaxation, which is important at this time of year.’

‘Mandarin is also a great mood booster,’ Nicola continues. ‘And frankincense is the ultimate Christmas scent – its woody, earthy notes bring the ultimate grounding feeling.’

Nicola recommends Neom’s best-selling Christmas Wish fragrance because ‘it gives off all the cosy and traditional festive vibes with its soothing mix of fruity mandarin, spicy cinnamon and tonka bean’. 

And for alternative Christmas scents to perk-up a room without smelling overly sweet, Nicola notes that ‘ginger is great for giving a refreshing, energising feeling to any room.’ She also suggests trying Neom’s Perfect Peace fragrance: ‘It's a blend of pine, myrrh and lime peel. – the fresh, Nordic scent is a modern and uplifting take on Christmas fragrance.’