Adopting a “wellness menu” mindset has genuinely helped me this year. Rather than expect any single product or practice to fix everything, I instead choose between flexible habits that support my mental, emotional, and physical health. But regardless of what the goals of the day are, the best essential oils have become foundational to my rituals. Used intentionally, essential oils can support anxiety, sleep, focus, energy, and mood, depending on the blend and the moment.
The appeal of a head-clearing or aromatic essential oil is nothing new. After all, the use of essential oils dates back thousands of years (aromatic plants have been used therapeutically for centuries and essential oils formally entered modern French pharmacy in the early 20th century) and has been lauded by everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow and Miranda Kerr—plus, it can have serious mind-body benefits.
Best Essential Oils
Reason being, there’s real science behind why scent works so quickly. “The olfactory senses connect very early in brain wiring to emotional centers, so the distance from when a scent hits the nose to when it hits an emotion is very short,” explains Leslie B. Vosshall, Ph.D., a molecular neurobiologist at the Rockefeller University, in Vogue’s June 2019 issue.
And so, having the likes of lavender, chamomille, or lemon at the ready helps me feel calm and grounded; taking my pick between a small lineup of options depending on what my day calls for. For anxiety, sleep, mental focus and more, we break down the best essential oils to buy (a range of pure oils and blended formulas), how to use them, and when they’re most effective—backed by expert guidance to help you curate your own scent pharmacy.
In This Story
- What are essential oils good for?
- What to Look for in Essential Oils
- How to Use Essential Oils
- How We Tested
- Meet the Experts
For Anxiety
As an anxious person, there’s very little I won’t try, from EFT tapping to calming essential oils like vetiver, neroli, clary sage, and geranium. While there are general guidelines when it comes to scent, how your body responds is still highly personal, often shaped by memory, place, or a sense of comfort. When I need quick relief, I reach for Osea’s Vagus Nerve Oil, a grounding blend of chamomile, juniper berry, lavender, lemon tea tree, and Moroccan rosemary designed to help quiet the mind. I warm a few drops between my palms, inhale deeply, then apply it along my neck and behind my earlobes. When I’m craving something more spa-adjacent, Alo Yoga’s Awaken Center Oil leans on tea tree to purify, offering a deeper sense of reset and renewal.
For Sleep and Relaxation
If you want to level up your sleep routine, adding a calming oil like lavender or chamomile can make a noticeable difference. Instead of reaching for sedatives, I rely on Vitruvi’s Moonbeam Essential Oil, a dreamy blend of bitter orange, ho wood, mandarin, sweet marjoram, geranium, jasmine, blue yarrow, rose, ylang ylang, and more. I like to add 10 to 15 drops to my diffuser about an hour before bed; or, when I’m feeling especially lazy, take a gentle whiff straight from the bottle at a safe distance. If you prefer something you can apply directly to the skin, This Works’ sleep rollerball is another great option, formulated with a soothing blend of essential oils, including eucalyptus, to help quiet the mind before bedtime. Its sleek tube makes it especially convenient for travel.
For Mental Focus
As an iPad adult, focusing can feel nearly impossible, especially with social media’s addictive siren song calling my name all day long. That said, there is real science behind concentration. New York City dermatologist Michele Green, MD, notes that studies show certain essential oils can help support energy levels and mental focus. When I’m working, I like to diffuse a few drops of Neom’s Focus the Mind, a blend of pine, cedarwood, and eucalyptus designed to boost clarity and concentration. I also keep Wonder Valley’s Hinoki Roll-On in my bag. It’s compact, making it easy to apply to the neck and pulse points throughout the day, offering a grounding moment with notes of green tree bark, fir needles, and cedarwood.
For Energy
While getting enough rest is the cure-all we all aspire to, there are plenty of days when those coveted eight hours feel out of reach. On mornings like that, an “energy oil” can offer a quick mental reset. These blends typically feature invigorating notes like eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, cypress, and cardamom to help sharpen focus and wake up the senses. De Mamiel’s Altitude Oil leans into exactly that mix and is handmade in England using high-quality botanicals. For a brighter, citrus-forward boost, Aromatherapy Associates’ Revive blends grapefruit, bergamot, and neroli to gently energize even the sleepiest among us.
For a Mood Boost
Even the saddest of souls can’t really argue with the principles of olfactotherapy, or neuro-fragrance. Case in point: Neuraé’s Emotion Booster Roll-On, which features the brand’s beloved Sérénité scent and is designed to spark an immediate sense of calm. Dab it onto your temples or the soft spot between your thumb and index finger whenever you need a lift. If you’re looking for something more price conscious, Gya Labs’ Lemon Oil comes in under $10 and is made with cold-pressed Italian lemon rinds, channeling the feeling of a sunny Mediterranean afternoon even in the depths of winter SAD (otherwise known as Seasonal Affective Disorder) season.
For Sore Muscles
In an ideal world, every ache would be handled on a massage table. In reality, I make do with essential oils like vetiver, peppermint, helichrysum, and pine, which are known for their ability to ease soreness and tension. Saje’s Pain Release is an easy go-to that can be rolled directly onto tight areas. It combines marjoram to help the body relax, rosemary to calm inflammation, and lavender to soothe overworked muscles. For something more targeted, helichrysum oil is also worth keeping on hand. Just be sure to dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut or almond oil before massaging it into sore spots. It’s often used to help reduce inflammation, calm muscle discomfort, and support recovery after exercise.
For Rejuvenation
To add a little energy to an otherwise drab day, or give yourself a mental reset, look for essential oils that calm the nervous system while gently lifting your mood. L’Occitane’s lavender oil is a classic for a reason. It helps promote a sense of peace and can be added to bath water or blended into a neutral massage oil for direct application to the skin. Another favorite is Notos Rooted Oil, an especially grounding multi-use blend that’s safe to apply directly. It combines coconut and argan oils with palo santo, vetiver, cedarwood, labdanum, and cardamom to steady the mind, subtly uplift the mood, and bring you back into your body when the day starts to feel a little scattered.
For an Essential Oil Set
If you tend to go all in when discovering a new niche or hobby, might we suggest starting with an essential oil set? It’s the easiest way to experiment, figure out what actually works for you, and even play around with creating your own blends. Both Alo Yoga and Vitruvi offer 100 percent pure essential oil sets that are perfect for diffusing. Alo’s set includes six mood-driven options, from energy and awake to chill, spa, uplift, and sleep. Vitruvi’s set is more streamlined, featuring grapefruit, lavender, spruce, and eucalyptus, but they’re just as effective on their own and blend beautifully together for a more customized mix.
Everything You Need to Know
What are essential oils good for?
Essential oils are best thought of as supportive tools rather than cure-alls. According to esthetician Cali Strauhs, they can help support the nervous system, ease muscle tension, and provide respiratory or congestion relief. “They’re not solutions,” she explains, “but they’re wonderful for enhancing certain moments in a therapeutic way. I use them to feel more connected to the earth, which is especially important when living in a city like New York.”
French pharmacist and cosmetic chemist Natacha Bonjout echoes this, noting that essential oils can support everyday well-being by easing stress, promoting relaxation or sleep, aiding focus, or offering comfort for minor, occasional discomforts. Their effects, she explains, are closely tied to aromatic compounds and how they interact with both our sense of smell and the skin, making them as much a sensory experience as a functional one.
What to Look for in Essential Oils
When shopping for essential oils, quality and traceability matter most. Bonjout advises prioritizing oils that are 100 percent pure, undiluted, clearly labeled with their botanical (Latin) name, and sourced from brands that are transparent about both origin and extraction methods. She also stresses the importance of paying attention to contraindications, as some essential oils are not suitable for children, pregnant people, or those with certain health conditions.
If you want to get a bit more granular, Strauhs suggests looking closely at how the oil was made. High-quality oil brands will disclose their extraction method. Steam distillation is standard for leaves, flowers, and woods, while cold-pressing should only be used for citrus peels. She also looks for GC/MS testing (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry), which is considered the gold standard for verifying purity and chemical composition. Ideally, this testing should be batch-specific rather than generic.
Country of origin is another key detail. Plants grown in different regions can produce oils that vary significantly in aroma and therapeutic profile. Lavender from France will not smell or perform the same as lavender from Bulgaria, just as eucalyptus from Australia differs from eucalyptus grown elsewhere. Transparency here signals intentional sourcing rather than bulk repackaging.
Finally, packaging matters more than most people realize. She explains that essential oils should always be housed in dark glass bottles, such as amber or cobalt, with tight, controlled droppers. Light and plastic can quickly degrade volatile compounds, diminishing both potency and effectiveness.
How to Use Essential Oils
“Essential oils must always be handled with care,” says Bonjout, noting that inhalation through diffusion is often the gentlest and safest approach. When it comes to skin application, dilution is key. She emphasizes that essential oils should always be mixed with a carrier oil to avoid irritation or sensitization.
Strauhs takes a more ritual-driven approach. She likes adding a few drops to a hot towel to help open nasal passages, incorporating them into baths or showers depending on the formulation, or even adding them to toilet bowls to naturally freshen the bathroom. Some oils can be applied directly to the scalp or body, but caution is still essential.
“If you suffer from perioral dermatitis, avoid essential oils on the face entirely,” Strauhs warns. “That includes skincare from heavily botanical lines.” While she notes that formulation ultimately matters, it’s something to be especially mindful of if your skin is reactive or prone to flare-ups.
How We Tested
When we test and review a product, we take a holistic approach to deliver well-rounded product recommendations. First, we lean on Vogue’s vast network of experts—from board-certified dermatologists to celebrity estheticians—to gain professional acumen on the industry’s standout products, ones these specialists would actually use on their clients. We pair their expertise with our editorial best practices to curate the thoughtful edits you read on our site.
As it relates to essential oils, we selected the best based on the following characteristics: quality ingredients, traceability, pure oils vs blends, packaging, and the wellness concerns they address. To do this, we paired our own personal tests of each formula with expert guidance and reviewer insights to determine which we would recommend to you.
Meet the Experts
- Cali Strauhs is an esthetician, and the founder of Strauhs Studios in New York City.
- Natacha Bonjout is a French pharmacist and cosmetic chemist based in New York City, and the founder of Bonjout Beauty.
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