Scent Experts Reveal the 7 Best Mood-Boosting Spring Aromas That are Proven to Give Your Space a Timely, Invigorating Lift
From zesty, zingy lemon to fragrant, floral lavender, these scents are perfect for a seasonal scent refresh
With the start of March, I'm preparing for warmer, longer days and readying my home to greet spring.
While this includes cleaning, tidying, and filling my home with blooms of daffodils – I'm sitting beside a vase bursting with sunny blooms right now – as the resident home fragrance expert here at Homes & Gardens, it also means switching out my scents for the new season.
The 7 Best Mood-Boosting Aromas
1. Bermagot for a Pick Me Up
Bergamot pairs perfectly with planting spring bulbs.
As Jennifer Pressimone, internationally recognized clinical aromatherapy expert, author, formulator, and CEO at JennScents, explains, bergamot, or Citrus bergamia, is a great 'pick me up' scent, to help when you're sad, exhausted, or have ruminating thoughts that won't stop. For that reason, it's a perfect pick as the seasons transition from winter to spring.
'Its citrusy scent puts a smile on your face, by calming overwhelm and nurturing your nervous system,' she explains, so it's also a great option if you're wondering which are the best scents for boosting productivity.
For this scent profile, I recommend the Lulu Candles Jasmine Infused Bergamot Soy Jar Candle, available at Amazon, which is hand-poured, highly scented, and long-lasting.
2. Sage for a Boost In Motivation
You can hang bunches of fresh sage and herbs to scent your space.
Clary sage, or Salvia sclarea, is one of my very favorite scents, and, as Jennifer says, it's one of the best to help you to take a step back and breathe this spring.
'I call it the "high on life" motivator, as it helps you tap into your fun, playful, and adventurous side,' she says. 'This euphoric and uplifting scent expands your creativity to see different perspectives.'
If you don't feel quite ready to grow sage or grow salvia in pots for that real, fresh scent, I'm a long-time big fan of the Malin+Goetz sage home spray, which works to actively eliminate odors and is non-toxic and safe to use around pets.
Alternatively, you could also make your own homemade room spray, with sage essential oil, available at Walmart, distilled water, and unscented witch hazel.
3. Lavender for a Calm, Soothing Lift
Lavender is calming and uplifting.
It might be a little more stereotypical, but lavender, or Lavandula angustifolia, is one of the best aromatic herbs to fill your home with in spring for calm, harmony, and nervous system ease.
Adora Winquist, award-winning master aromatherapist at The Soul Institute, says, 'Spring is uplifting, but it can also be stimulating – more movement, more social energy, more transitions.
'Lavender harmonizes the home by soothing tension and helping everyone settle. It’s a “peaceful baseline” oil that pairs beautifully with brighter notes.'
To use it at home, Adora recommends adding three to five drops of lavender essential oil, available at Amazon, to your best essential oil diffuser, placing it in your bedroom to support rest and help you to sleep better.
You could also make lavender sachets or dry lavender and enhance its fragrance.
'It makes a home feel safe, soft, and restorative – especially when life speeds back up,' adds Adora.
4. Grapefruit Notes for Momentum
Grapefruit is zingy and refreshing.
If spring represents a new beginning to you, Jennifer explains that pink grapefruit, or Citrus paradisi, helps you to release bitterness and resentment and embrace love and acceptance.
'It helps when you feel stuck or lost in life, and need help taking a step forward,' she advises.
More generally, it's also a refreshing, energizing scent that's known to boost your mood and inspire positive emotions. To use grapefruit to make your home smell nice, I'd suggest creating a spring simmer pot, or burning your best candle – the NEST New York Scented Classic Candle in Grapefruit, available at Amazon, would be my recommendation.
5. Rosemary for Comfort, Clarity and Intention
Rosemary 'supports clarity, alertness, and a sense of forward motion,' says Jennifer.
If you've ever grown rosemary indoors, you'll know how beautifully and fragrantly it fills a space.
'Rosemary is an aromatic “mental sweep,”' says Adora. 'It supports clarity, alertness, and a sense of forward motion – perfect for spring projects, home refreshes, and those “let’s finally tackle that closet” days.'
In particular, Jennifer recommends using rosemary notes to scent your kitchen or your entryway.
'It keeps the home feeling bright, crisp, and organized,' she explains. 'Rosemary’s scent reads as fresh, intentional, and clear – like putting your whole home on a clean schedule.'
In these areas, low-maintenance scenting solutions, like using your best reed diffuser, are best. For that reason, I'd opt for the LAFCO New York Rosemary Eucalyptus Classic Reed Diffuser, available at Amazon.
6. Lemon for Crisp Freshness and Pest Control
Fresh lemons are also conveniently gorgeous scents garden pests hate.
Next, says Adora, lemon verbena, or Aloysia citrodora, is perfect for creating 'fresh start' energy in spring.
'Lemon verbena is the quintessential spring reset – bright, clean, and clarifying,' she says. 'It’s especially helpful when your home feels a little stale after winter. Energetically, it’s purifying and awakening; practically, it’s an instant “windows open” feeling in scent form.'
For this, my favorite recommendation is the NEOM Squeeze the Day Reed Diffuser, which I love using to make my bathroom smell like a luxury spa. Fresh lemons are also one of nature's best deodorizers to use around your home.
'It signals renewal to the senses and creates a crisp, optimistic baseline that makes everything feel lighter,' adds Adora.
7. Spearmint to Ease Life's Changes
Spearmint is fresh and rejuvenating.
Finally, says Jennifer, spearmint, or Mentha cardiacia, is beneficial to help you adapt to changes, and life and seasonal transitions, especially when paired with lime.
'It’s fresh, rejuvenating, minty scent calms emotional overwhelm and helps you take in new ideas without resistance,' she explains, helping to lift your mood and your space with its cool, herbaceous notes.
There are several mint varieties you can grow, but bear in mind that mint is fast-growing and invasive, so container gardening is recommended. If you're not naturally green-fingered, instead, I recommend the LA JOLIE MUSE Citrus Mint Candle, available at Amazon, which is made from natural soy wax and comes in a beautiful glass jar that will have plenty of uses later.
What to Shop
If you're looking for more quick ways to make your home smell nice for spring, shop my curated seasonal scenting essentials below.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This premium-grade, undiluted lavender essential oil has no fillers or additives, and comes in an amber glass bottle to prevent the oil from degrading in sunlight.
I adore the Malin+Goetz candles. They burn cleanly and last well, with an impressive scent throw that quickly fills both small and large spaces.
This sits at the top of our best essential oil diffuser guide as it's easy to clean, BPA-free, and features seven LED light colors and an auto-off function for safety.
These dried French lavender petals are aromatic and fragrant. They have so many home uses – from scenting and deodorizing, to cooking and baking.
For a candle that really lifts your space and mood, you can't go wrong with Diptyque. This one evokes fresh-picked verbena leaves and burns for 20 hours.
These amber glass bottles are perfect for storing homemade room sprays. They feature an adjustable spray nozzle and are eco-friendly and reusable. Fill your bottle half full with witch hazel, fill the rest with approximately two cups of distilled water, and add 10-20 drops of essential oil for an easy blend.
Meet the Experts
Jennifer is an internationally recognized clinical aromatherapy expert, author, formulator, and CEO at JennScents. She's also the current Vice President of the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, and is a contributor in New York Times, Massage Magazine, EatingWell, Women’s Health, Vogue Business, and several aromatherapy industry journals. Her specialty is bridging the connection between mind, body, and emotional wellness through scent therapy.
Adora is an award-winning master aromatherapist, formulator, and founder of High Vibe Aromatics, known for bridging plant intelligence with modern wellness and sensory science. With over three decades in holistic healing and vibrational aromatherapy, she teaches how scent can support mood, clarity, nervous system balance, and the emotional atmosphere of home.
As an all-natural solution, you can also make use of the best fragrant spring-flowering perennials, dotted around your home in pots or vases.
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