(Bloomberg) -- Hell is a bad air freshener.
Car buyers may enjoy a few days of the universally loved “new car” smell before settling into a neutral or, at the very least, inoffensive odor inside the cabin. Vintage car enthusiasts, if they’re lucky, have that intoxicating concoction of leather and wood, rubber and oil, that’s marinated over time into a heady bouquet of nostalgia. Like an old baseball mitt or saddle, the aromas inside classic cars often soften and deepen as the years progress.
But if the car stinks, God help you. You may want to reach for a standard air freshener, but a piece of foamboard in the shape of a fir doused in what can only be described as a mixture of chemicals and puke won’t help. Pair that with eau du wet dog or sweaty kids, and the combination can feel downright toxic.
Even innocent odors can become problematic in small spaces.
“Teenage boys, when they start going through puberty, that’s the worst smell in the world,” says Dawn Goldworm, chief creative officer of 12.29, an olfactory branding company that’s developed scents for Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac and Bentley. “Oh man, you cannot get away from that smell. It sticks in your nostrils.”
Deeper odors indicate real trouble. Burning plastic could mean overheated wires or a burnt-out fuse; the smell of mold suggests clogged tubing in the air conditioning system; the stench of rotten eggs potentially signifies a failing catalytic converter. “It can mean unprocessed hydrogen sulfide can escape into the exhaust,” says Luke Bishop, the parts manager of the automotive supplier GM Parts Direct. (You’ll really want to get that checked out.)
Whatever you are attempting to mitigate, most cheap air fresheners won’t help.
“They’re so bad because they are created with the priority being cost,” Goldworm says. “They use the least expensive fragrance materials. They use the least expensive application like the foamy type of paper. It’s an industry that desperately needs innovation and money.”
Mercedes-Benz was the first major automotive brand to attack the issue of perfume scenting in vehicles. In 2013 the company introduced a fragrance diffuser hidden inside the glove compartment of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Since then it’s developed 20 scents, like a combination of linen and fig, that can be diffused inside Mercedes cars. Improving the delivery method for the scent was the secret to the success, says Sabine Engelhardt, a scent expert at Mercedes-Benz.
“When you smell something and you want to smell more, you naturally [use your hand] to pull more air toward your nose,” says Engelhardt. “That’s what we are doing with the diffuser: We are running really clean air over the perfumed liquid, taking the gas molecules, the perfume molecules with us, and pushing them out into the car.”
A new crop of interchangeable air fresheners is providing relief. From Aqua di Parma and Diptyque to Frédéric Malle and Memo Paris, fragrance companies are using high-quality oils and chic designs to win a space that’s been heretofore an afterthought: the cabin of your car.
“It’s kind of the new candle,” says Goldworm. “In the next year you’re going to see a lot of the big brands start playing around with really interesting [automotive scents], because it’s white space.”
For this story we evaluated 10 prominent automotive air fresheners on the market today. Some disseminate scent via diffusers that clip into the vents on a dashboard. Others use the time-honored tradition of oils steeped into cardboard that you can hide under the seats, but with refreshingly superior results compared with the gas-station variety that originally gave air fresheners a bad name. The options on our list vary in cost from a few dollars to more than $100; they vary in design from paper tags to rubber medallions to decorative obelisks. Only one of them was a complete bomb, despite coming highly recommended by multiple friends and associates.
For our money, we loved the sophisticated and mysterious notes of the Frederic Malle rubber incense medallions ($50 for four), which were subtle but effective and ideal not only for the inside of cars but also handbags, luggage and gifts. We also loved the $12 Blonde hanging tag from Ded Cool, a perfumey fragrance that reminded us of ’90s-era Kate Moss and proves that even the standard cardboard tag has vastly improved. We hated the offerings from Sex Wax: We tried four different scents, which came highly recommended, and ended up throwing them in the trash just to get the odor away from the house.
But even that miss didn’t leave us feeling down. On the whole, our deep dive into the world of automotive fragrance left us feeling optimistic about the future of the segment; we seem to be finally benefiting from real innovation in an overlooked market. Here’s what we found.
DS & Durga, $15
Scent tested: Tuberose MyrrhderOfficial description: “The night queen’s suspended bulbs in the hour of darkness, caked with spicy Ethiopian myrrh, cacao, currant, and dank Madagascar vanilla.”First impressions: It’s a heavy floral fragrance. The scent itself comes on strong at first, possibly too strong.Positives: The rectangular card is easy to slip between the seats and keep out of view. Affordable. It’s a creative scent that lasts for weeks.Negatives: The boring shape and design could be more innovative. It’s rather expensive for a piece of cardboard card on a string.Final takeaway: You could do worse. If you don’t like floral smells in your car, try the Concrete After Lightning scent option instead.
Votivo, $10
Scent tested: Red CurrantOfficial description: “Smells like tart citrus and earthy greens. Feels like sun-drenched leaves and golden rays filtering through the greenhouse windows. Top Notes: Earthy green, galbanum, tart citrus. Middle Notes: Cassis, tropical fruit. Base Notes: Fruity musk.”First impressions: Smells like a crisp red currant. It’s a small black button of a diffuser that goes almost unnoticed when affixed to the car’s vents.Positives: It’s affordable and while it has some floral and fruity notes is not oversweet. It comes nicely boxed in a small cardboard paper container.Negatives: While this is the most discreet vent-mounted diffuser (it’s about the diameter of a quarter) we found, if you don’t like anything obstructing your cabin vents, pass on this one.Final takeaway: One of the more elegant and affordable options on our list, combining quality and value.
Sex Wax, $3.84
Scents tested: Strawberry, Grape, Coconut, PineappleOfficial description: “Bring the smell of Mr. Zog’s Sexwax into your car, office or home with Sexwax Air Fresheners.”First impressions: Cringeworthy name. Multiple people recommended we try these, but they disappointed on every level.Positives: Surfer-style graphics and neon colors match the Southern California-style vans, trucks and VW Beetle-style beach mobiles.Negatives: The smell here was nauseating. Even without taking them out of the package, the overpowering strength of the synthetic fragrance felt likely to induce a migraine. They smelled so potently chemical-laden that we couldn’t bring ourselves to remove the exterior plastic wrap or place them in the close confines of a vehicle. If these are anywhere in your house, you’ll smell them instantly upon entry.Final takeaway: Sex Wax tags are what give car air fresheners a bad rap. Even when left in their packages, placed in an additional sealed plastic bag and lodged in a cupboard in the house, their vomit-inducing aroma seeped into the air. You couldn’t pay us to use these.
Aqua di Parma, $65
Scent tested: Luce di ColoniaOfficial description: “Elegantly timeless, the Luce di Colonia radiates brightness and lightness with its harmonious blend of citrus essences. Opens with the sparkling freshness of citrus notes and continues with aromatic heart notes, both floral and elegant. The scent comes together with woody base notes.”First impressions: Lovely yellow signature Aqua di Parma packaging. A discreet disc. It smells fresh and mildly soapy, like those nice spas in expensive hotels in Italy.Positives: The fragrance refills are compatible with the Car Diffuser and Smart Home Diffuser from the company’s Airound collection. Once the sachet is opened, the fragrance refill lasts up to three months.Negatives: These are more expensive than others. The scent itself is better suited to a bathroom or powder room than a car.Final takeaway: Elegantly subtle. Would double well in a linen closet or by the tub.
Diptyque, $120
Scent tested: Baies (Berries)Official description: “The herbarium of fruits.”First impressions: The extensive packaging feels special and luxurious. The scent is subtle and fresh. Rather than cloying, it’s lightly fruity.Positives: The diffuser’s adjustable metal grille allows you to control the intensity of fragrance in the car, and you can turn it down whenever you wish. It has a life span of 40 hours of continuous use, or it lasts for three months after opening.Negatives: This is the most expensive option on this list. If you don’t like the look of a diffuser obelisk stuck in your vent, look elsewhere.Final takeaway: This would make a thoughtful hostess gift or stocking stuffer for the car nut in your life.
PF Candle Co., $9.99
Scent tested: No. 04: Teakwood & TobaccoOfficial description: “Some call it the boyfriend scent, we call it the O.G. Notes of leather, teak, and orange.”First impressions: This is surprisingly good, considering the mundane packaging. It smells woodsy and almost spicy, in a good way.Positives: It’s inoffensive, potent enough to notice but not completely overpowering, and would double well in a closet or cabinet. It’s designed in California and made in the USA. Its minimal packaging suits those concerned with the environment.Negatives: The square cardboard design is uninspired.Final takeaway: We would use this in a closet or drawer, if authentic cedar wasn’t available.
Frederic Malle Saint des Saints Rubber Incense Medallions, $50 for a set of four.
Scent tested: Russian Nights, Rosa Rugosa, Jurassic Flower, Saint Des SaintsOfficial description: “Russian Nights: A night at Café Pushkin, where rich spice cake is served with black tea from a silver samovar, while outside a simple snow coats the streets. Rosa Rugosa: Blustery summers in Long Island carry the very dry, almost harsh, scent of wild rose bushes that grow against the wind. Jurassic Flower: Unlike other white flowers that exude opulence, magnolia’s scent is bright and citrus-fresh with hints of peach and apricot, heralding the return of summer. Saint Des Saints: Composed of precious woods, incense and patchouli, this warm and enveloping fragrance transports you to sanctuaries far away, where offerings and mystical song dissolve in the silence of meditation.”First impressions: They’re subtle but smell faintly rubbery, in a good way, like the inside of a high-end boutique.Positives: They’re small enough for handbags and suitcases. They’d work great to pop into a gift bag or box.Negatives: They’re on the more expensive side of the range and are scented so subtly you’ll want to use two or three at a time.Final takeaway: The superior Frederic Malle Saint des Saints Rubber Incense sachet ($150) is sold out. These are a less-expensive option.
Memo Paris, $67 (container), plus $40 (contents)
Scent tested: MarfaOfficial description: “The combination of orange blossom absolute, tuberose absolute and white musk. Top note: Mandarin essence, peach accord. Heart note: Ylang ylang extract, tuberose absolute, orange flower absolute. Base note: Cedarwood essence Virginia, vanilla bean extract, tonka bean absolute, sandalwood essence, musk.”First impressions: The bendy fragrance insert looked like an oversize disk drive you might insert into a computer. Very floral, with a soft peachy blush just below the surface. Smells like a warm garden just coming to bloom on a sun-drenched morning.Positives: The scented refill tab is subtle but lasts three months.Negatives: It’s expensive, and you have to order the parts separately.Final takeaway: Those who appreciate floral, fruity notes will approve.
L:A Bruket, $25
Scent tested: HinokiOfficial description: “Scented fragrance tag with a woody fresh and spicy scent of nutmeg and cedarwood that will create a unique scent experience in any room.”First impressions: Shapely green tag looks like the color of matcha; the woodsy smell isn’t overpowering but strong enough to notice. A pleasing blend, and smells exactly like the description.Positives: You can hang this tag on a door handle, in a closet or a towel rack of a powder room. Its smell hangs in the air for weeks.Negatives: It’s expensive for a single cardboard tag.Final takeaway: Great for scenting small rooms, linen closets and hiding under the seats in cars.
Ded Cool, $12
Scent tested: Fragrance 03 BlondeOfficial description: “Top note: Juniper berries, pomelo, saffron. Middle note: Accord cuir, black violet, crystal rose. Bottom note: Blonde woods, raspberry, vetiver.”First impressions: Smells like a mix of perfume and hairspray from the ’90s—like the inside of a nightclub or cool store where Kate Moss shopped back in the day.Positives: It’s easy to hide and strong enough to last for weeks in a small space. Despite the square shape of the tag, the black big block lettering makes it interesting.Negatives: It smells like perfume, so if you don’t like perfume, skip this one.Final takeaway: This is worth hiding in a room at home if you don’t want to use a candle or other incense.
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