Some spaces wake you up the moment you walk in and others leave you as tired as when you arrived. The difference is rarely the furniture, and smell is the sense that decides fastest whether a place has energy or not.
The energising family
Citrus, mentholated and green herbal notes are the registers most consistently associated with a feeling of alertness and freshness. Research in this area is promising but limited, so treat it as guidance; what is clear is how they are perceived.
Lemon and citrus. The energisers par excellence. They create the perception of a clean, bright, dynamic space. Ideal for high-turnover spaces where you want the customer to arrive wide awake.
Mint. Menthol activates the cold receptors and the brain reads it as freshness. Especially useful against that stuffy feeling on long days. Gyms, work areas, hospitality with intensive service.
Green Tea. The middle ground: it energises without being invasive and polarises nobody. Perfect where you need dynamism but also concentration (coworking spaces, training centres, offices), and the safest option if you are in doubt.
When to use them
Scheduling by time of day is the most underused feature of a professional system. Not every moment of the day asks for the same thing.
Opening. Fresh citrus sets the tone for the day, for the team before the customer. A venue that smells of lemon first thing communicates that it is ready.
Peak hours. Mint and green notes maintain the sense of clean air. And this is where you turn the intensity down: with a full venue there is far more human odour in the air and the system needs to work less, not more.
Transitions. Between the lunch and evening service, or between check-out and check-in, a fresh register resets how the space is perceived. It is one of the most effective uses and one of the least exploited.
By sector
Gyms. Mint and citrus in the training rooms. In changing rooms, take care: what you need there first is a neutraliser. Fragrance on top of body odour produces a mix that is worse than the original smell. More on gyms.
Retail. Citrus brings a sense of cleanliness and brightness, which is exactly what sustains the perception of a well-kept product.
Offices and coworking spaces. Mint and Green Tea are the standard. With one important caveat: a lower intensity than anywhere else, because the exposure lasts eight hours straight and not five minutes. More on offices.
Hospitality. A fresh citrus at the entrance creates a positive expectation before the customer sits down. In the dining room, always below the kitchen. More on restaurants.
Spray or nebuliser
An aerosol creates an intense peak that disappears within minutes, and it is perceived as artificial for precisely that reason: the ear and the nose pick up whatever appears and disappears. A nebuliser holds a constant concentration throughout opening hours, with no peaks or troughs, and the result is perceived as atmosphere rather than as an added product.
What it costs
On a monthly scenting plan, from €29.90/month + VAT per unit, with fragrance included and monthly resupply. No minimum term and no upfront investment. The unit arrives configured for your square metres and is set up in five minutes.
We send you samples beforehand so you can choose by smelling them in your own venue.
