Smellmaxxing has been the buzz-worthy fashion trend of the year. Now, it has trickled past just perfuming your person and has wafted into the home scenting space. Simply put, it's all about curating your own fragrance identity.
Think of it as blending scents to concoct a fragrance cocktail that feels like a perfect fit for your home. Aside from making your home smell good, it's meant to leave a lasting impression on guests, too.
Here's how to bring this trend home and make it work so you'll have people fawning over your scenting secrets like everyone did Rihanna.
What Is Smellmaxxing?
To truly understand this trend, first, we need to get acquainted with the concept itself. Gini Lin, founder of Airy Fragrances, tells me that smellmaxxing is the art of optimizing your scent, building what some call a personal 'fragrance identity'.
"Online, the trend began with young men layering premium perfumes, the best candles, and soft sprays to maximize projection and longevity. At its extreme, it usually describes young men spending hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds collecting endless bottles of fragrance. It became a competitive hobby where the goal was to own more and more," she notes.
"But in its more thoughtful sense, smellmaxxing is about curation, not excess. It’s about treating fragrance the way you treat interiors, art, or style. Using it deliberately to enhance atmosphere, create memories, and influence how others perceive you."
At home, say when learning how to make your living room smell good, Gini finds that true smellmaxxing is about refinement. "A single refined diffuser, already designed with layered complexity, can transform a room more elegantly than ten clashing aromas. Fragrance, like music or wine, needs time to unfold. Living with one scent for a season allows you to appreciate its character fully," she says.
"Switching occasionally keeps things fresh, citrus for winter brightness, soft blossoms for spring, and grounding woods for autumn. But the essence of luxury is restraint. Real sophistication comes from selecting just a few scents you love and letting them breathe, rather than drowning your space in endless layers."
There's an art to this mesmerizing medium of thoughtful moodscaping. And while the recipe to smellmaxxing can be completely your own, there are a couple of guidelines that will help you set the tone for your home like a professional perfumer.
How to Use Smellmaxxing at Home?
1. Curate Like Decor
You could have the best home fragrance in your space, but if you neglect the method in which you curate your scents, then you're losing out on what could be a beautiful ambiance.
"Smellmaxxing should be treated as part of your interior design. Just as you choose the right artwork or lighting to suit a space, you should select a scent that enhances the textures, colours, and mood of your home," she explains.
"A sleek diffuser in a hallway creates a welcoming first impression, while a subtle fragrance stone on a bookshelf adds an invisible finishing touch. When scent is integrated into decor, it elevates the entire atmosphere without drawing attention to itself."
2. Shift With the Seasons
If you're not switching up your scents by season, you're doing it wrong. "Our homes change with the seasons, heavier fabrics in winter, lighter ones in summer, and fragrance should follow that rhythm," says Gini.
"In colder months, a burst of citrus brings clarity and warmth. Spring calls for soft florals that echo new beginnings. Autumn benefits from woody, resinous notes that anchor us when the days shorten."
She explains that these subtle seasonal scenting shifts keep fragrance exciting and make the experience feel natural. So if you're planning to reset your home for fall, let this be your sign to refresh your fragrance with it.
3. Match Mood to Function
According to Gini, every room has a role, and scent should support it. "In living spaces, energising notes like citrus or tea spark conversation and keep the atmosphere lively," she says.
"Bedrooms benefit from calming woods and white florals that encourage rest. A workspace or office corner can be grounded with hinoki or sandalwood, creating clarity and focus."
She explains that matching fragrance to function ensures each environment feels intentional and supportive. Whether you're picking scents to make your bathroom smell like a spa, or bedroom fragrances to relax your sleeping space, plan your mood and go from there.
Burn Time: 40 Hours
A beautiful choice for when you're playing host, this Jazz Club Candle by Maison Margiela is a cult-favorite.
Includes: 70 Incense Sticks + Tin Holder
Collins' Fluffy Pillow Incense Tin is a lovely choice for your bedroom to set the mood as you wind down from the day.
Notes: Clove Bud + Black Pepper + Damascus Rose
I love using MALIN+GOETZ's Otto Home Spray to refresh the atmosphere in my kitchen and banish any lingering cooking smells.
FAQs
What Are the Best Notes for Smellmaxxing?
The key to scent-layering in your home is to select soft and subtle fragrances that mix well. Gini tells me that you can't go wrong when smellmaxxing with these notes.
Citrus essence — "These notes are bright, optimistic, and clean. Citrus notes instantly energise a space, making them perfect for mornings or gatherings where you want people to feel refreshed," she says.
Tea notes — "Elegant and modern, tea-based fragrances feel sophisticated. They feel refreshing but never overpowering, and they work particularly well in social spaces like the dining room or lounge."
Soft florals — Gini finds that romantic, soft, and welcoming florals warm family gatherings and intimate evenings alike. This Elegant Harmony 優 Home Reed Diffuser from Airy Fragrances is a balanced choice. "Rose smooths relationships and adds refinement, while jasmine brings a touch of brightness and charm," she says. "In the right measure, they elevate rather than overpower, adding emotional richness to the air."
And it doesn't have to always be candles, room sprays, and diffusers. If your wish is to organically perfume your home, here's our guide on how to make your home smell like fall naturally.
