If you’re familiar with aromatherapy, you may have started to notice a new scent-related term popping up: “functional fragrance.” But what is functional fragrance? And how does it differ from aromatherapy? At its most basic level, aromatherapy is a type of functional fragrance, especially as more and better research comes to light regarding its positive health effects. From insomnia and anxiety to chemotherapy- and pregnancy-induced nausea, essential oils are showing up in clinical environments across the U.S. and around the world to offer patients symptomatic relief. However, while all aromatherapy falls under the broader umbrella of functional fragrance, not all functional fragrance is aromatherapy....

CLEVELAND—Non-pharmaceutical remedies provide a natural alternative for common ailments. While these products may be gaining traction, they’re rarely found in a hotel guestroom—which could be just the place that needs these products the most. Aeroscena, a Cleveland-based clinical aromatherapy company, provides these alternatives that help with pain, sleep, stress and nausea, and which even curb late-night cravings, all common when on the road. In addition, the aromas can also create signature scents for hotels, a powerful branding device. The company provides hotel partners with its Ascents® Diffuser systems, an ambient diffuser combined with a patented solid essential oil gel, which...

MediScent: Fragrance Gets a Wellness Makeover A new understanding of scent’s crucial role in our physical and emotional wellbeing is transforming how we think about, nurture, and use our sense of smell. The sense of smell is having a renaissance. It is often dismissed as the least relevant of the five senses—in a 2011 survey, 53 percent of millennials said they’d give up their sense of smell before they’d give up a tech device. Throughout history, our noses have been underrated by many and praised by few. In 1798, philosopher Immanuel Kant dubbed smell the “least rewarding” sense, and said...

  As the market for essential oils has grown over the last decade, so has the hype. This is one reason why it’s important to separate scientific fact from marketing fiction (or at least, marketing spin). For every clinical study examining the effects of essential oils or aromatherapy, there are 10 that have little to no basis in science. Worse, there are a number of companies that market EOs (essential oils) for purposes that aren’t just benignly ineffective, but potentially dangerous to users. While these plant extracts may be natural, they aren’t universally safe and many certainly aren’t appropriate for ingestion, for undiluted...

In 2016, three researchers published a meta-analysis and systemic review of aromatherapy’s [phyto-inhalants’] efficacy [1] as it relates to pain reduction in the journal Pain Research and Treatment. These weren’t just any researchers, either — they were heavy-hitters from three very well-respected health institutions, including the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation and the Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute. The study was undertaken in order to discover if the many claims surrounding aromatherapy’s benefits regarding pain relief would stand up when analyzed through multiple scientific lenses, as there had been very few high-quality empirical reviews to date of the evidence. As it turns out (spoiler alert), the majority of claims would,...