Hello again!  This blog is going to be a little more technical than usual, but I wanted to post this in response to a couple questions we consistently receive regarding our newest product, the Fragrance Cube.  I hope you enjoy, and keep the questions coming!

How do diffusers work?

By nature, reed diffusers are less effective at emitting fragrance than candles or sprays. A candle uses heat to accelerate dispersion and sprays have a physical mechanism that forces the fragrance into the air. Non-electric diffusers rely on evaporation to disperse fragrance into the air and require two key components in order to function: a mixture of fragrance oil and volatile compounds; and a conduit that exposes this mixture to the air. Fragrance oils are usually quite heavy and do not tend to evaporate very easily on their own. This is why most fragrance oils are mixed with another compound that evaporates very easily, such as alcohol, to help ‘lift’ the fragrance into the air.

Once a solution is formulated, the conduit comes into play. The conduit acts as a delivery system to bring this mixture of fragrance and volatile compounds in contact with air, usually through absorption. Most diffusers use reeds as the conduit because reeds absorb liquids easily and provide a large surface area, which increases the amount of mixture exposed to the air. But the problem with reeds lies in their cellular structure. When first applied, reeds act like a straw, soaking up liquid quickly. But because reeds are so thin and the cells inside them are so small, they will literally ‘clog’ over time. This is why reed diffusers tend to have much lower performance the longer they sit out. As less fragrance and solution are being soaked up and exposed to the air, the rate of evaporation declines and more fragrance solution stays in the bottle. This often gives the false impression that the product is lasting longer when in fact it is just working less. And since the solution can no longer move up the reed on its own, the reeds need to be flipped so the wet ends are exposed to the air, giving a temporary boost of fragrance until they dry out again.

Is the Fragrance Cube better than reed diffusers?

Although we have produced luxury candles and sprays for over 20 years, we decided to enter the reed diffuser market with a new and innovative product. After spending a considerable amount of time studying how diffusers work and conducting our own market research, we heard three common complaints from consumers about reed diffusers:

 
• They are messy (especially when you have to flip the reeds)
 
• They spill easily (pets and children knock them over)
 
• They don’t work very well (they don’t put much fragrance into the air)

After seeing and trying what was available, we felt we could offer something better to consumers. Our concept was to create a discreet, maintenance-free, spill-proof product that would effectively diffuse fragrance into the air. So in our diffuser development process, we sought to replace reeds. Our search took us around the globe looking at different materials that could absorb and release fragrance, and after a year of research, we finally found a few materials that worked well enough for us to feel confident about going into production. Because our tops do not clog like reed diffusers, the performance of the Fragrance Cube is much more consistent over time. In addition, no flipping or maintenance is required once the product is activated. Our spill-proof design that seals the bottle also helps create controlled, even distribution of the fragrance into the air. All of these features ensure that the Fragrance Cube does what it was designed to do: get the fragrance out of the bottle and into the air.

Though we still recommend our sprays and candles for more powerful fragrance delivery, our patent-pending Fragrance Cube has quickly become one of our top selling items around the world. You can watch the video here - where I explain how it works and you can see a full run down of just how innovative The Le Cherche Midi Fragrance Cube really is.

Why does the Fragrance Cube only last 6-8 weeks?

We spent a lot of time fine tuning the Fragrance Cube to ensure maximum performance.  Adjusting our formulations to achieve 6-8 weeks per bottle provided the maximum fragrance throw and longest product life possible for this size container.  Other diffusers may last longer, but they do not perform as well over time.  The Fragrance Cube, because it is able to provide consistent, constant fragrance delivery, naturally uses more liquid than standard reed diffusers.  As such, we are also in the process of developing a refill for the Fragrance Cube that will be available separately (we are looking to launch this in 2010).

Thank you for these great questions!  We hope you enjoy this innovative product as much as we enjoyed making
it – and as always, we are continually seeking to improve so let us
know your thoughts and ideas! You can reach me directly at 800 526 3639
most weekdays.