I brought home a diffuser to transport me to summery destinations – but I didn’t expect it to double as a design objet

It’s hard to move the aromatic needle right now – too many options, too many sandalwoods. So when I came across ripple+ home, a relatively young brand founded in 2019, I wasn’t expecting much beyond another pretty bottle of home fragrance. Instead, I think it might have actually cracked the code with its art-forward aromatherapy reed diffusers – one of which has been living in my apartment for the past four months.

ripple+ home's reed diffuser collection spans six blends, each imagined as a kind of 'destination' – a mood or state of being, united in the goal of quietly elevating a room. Formulated with natural, sustainable ingredients and developed with master perfumers in Grasse (the famous perfume regions of France), the scents are purposeful: relaxation, focus, joy – or, in my case, a bit of South of France escapism for just $40.

Now, four months later, I'm reassessing: did it hold up? Did the design survive multiple apartment reshuffles? Did it actually deliver on that Riviera fantasy? My unfiltered take on ripple+ home’s Château Gardenia reed diffuser, below.

First impressions

The biodegradable packaging was the first win – always nice – but what really impressed me was the single reed. Not twelve slender sticks jammed into a jar, just one, which is a small but refreshing change. It looked good alongside the asymmetric crystal-glass vessel, which read to me more like jewelry (Elsa Peretti for Tiffany came to mind) than tabletop accessory.

Candidly, at that point I wasn’t too worried about how it smelled. For $40, I’d unwrapped something that I knew would inhabit one of my shelves or tabletops for the foreseeable future. But then the scent – Château Gardenia – wafted through, crisp and refreshing, with a flicker of spice I didn’t expect to enjoy. Light enough to make your home smell nice, not something you’d get sick of in a week.

I followed the instructions: reed in, let it drink for a few hours, flip. After that, a once-a-week turn was enough to keep it going (the brand says every few days, but I occasionally forgot). The diffuser still managed to send this steady, low-key lift through my apartment – nothing aggressive, just a gentle reminder that I was supposed to be on the Côte d’Azur instead of in my walk-up.

How long did the scent last?

ripple+ home’s reed diffusers are built to scent medium spaces – about 250 sq ft, according to the brand – which feels ambitious given the vessel itself is only five inches tall and two wide. But the claim tracks. The fragrance lingers in the background, and travels from across the room, but slip too far to either side and it fades.

I don’t consider that a drawback – the always-on, heavy-hitting diffusers usually give me a headache. This is detectable in a lighter, more elegant way, drifting in behind me as I work at my desk, even months later.

As for the scent itself, I can’t say Château Gardenia transported me straight to the Côte d’Azur (to be fair, my time in actual French châteaux has been limited), but it stayed fresh, light, and just green enough. Not a total knockout, but reliably pleasant – which, for a home scent, is its own kind of success.

It’s been four months now – a month past ripple+ home’s three-month promise – and as you can see from the bottle on my shelf in the above photo, there’s still plenty left.

At this pace, I’d expect another three or four months of use. Maybe that’s down to me only flipping the reed once a week, maybe it’s the humidity of my studio – but either way, it feels like a win. Underpromise, overdeliver: exactly what you want from a new recruit.

Final thoughts

My blue-green tinged Château Gardenia vessel has made its rounds these past several months – bookshelf, coffee table, and now perched on my new credenza, beside a bouquet of forever roses and a trio of my favorite perfumes.

So, do I recommend it? Yes – it’s relatively affordable, surprisingly sculptural, and a scent you can actually live with. For $40, it outlasted its promises. I also think it would make an excellent gift for the design-minded person in your life. But my bigger takeaway about ripple+ home’s reed diffusers is more zeitgeist-y: I think this is where the future of home fragrance is heading.

Gen Z is obsessed with the multi-sensory. If a luxury brand launches a product, it probably comes with a perfume collab, a matcha tie-in, a limited-edition ice cream, and an influencer trip to Mykonos. Nothing exists in a vacuum anymore – and scent, being the most transportive of senses, is often at the center of the whole experience.

That’s a tall order for a humble reed diffuser, but the fact that ripple+ sparked the thought at all says more than any other home scent I’ve tried in recent years.

I’ll be buying more. Below, three more ‘destinations’ I haven’t yet visited – but fully intend to.

More ripple+ home reed diffusers

If you’re as skeptical about home scents as we are, Homes & Gardens also put Oprah’s favorite candle to the test. Does Purple Love by Harlem Candle Co. really deserve a spot on her famed Favorite Things list?