Are your diffusers shop ready?

Summer is just around the corner and here at Candle Shack we are thinking about diffusers!

The process of making a diffuser is relatively simple, but you also need to ensure you test them.

Watch the video

How to make & test a diffuser

To make a diffuser you will need your chosen fragrance oil, a diffuser base, diffuser bottle, a cap and reeds.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But the choices you make can affect the performance of your diffuser.

Diffuser base:

We have two bases we use at candle shack:
Augeo
EcoSystem vegan diffuser base

Whether you choose Augeo or Ecosystem Vegan Friendly Diffuser Base for your brand, the CLP label will be the same.

Reeds:

We have two different types of diffuser reeds. For the best diffuser performance, we would recommend fibre reeds. These are made from a synthetic material and are designed specifically for use as diffuser reeds.

However, if you would prefer a more sustainable diffuser, rattan reeds may be a better choice. Rattan reeds are natural products, but they generally, won’t perform as efficiently as fibre reeds.

So how many reeds should I use?
For 100ml bottle, we typically use 8 long reeds.
For 165ml bottle, we typically use 6 short reeds.

You can use as many reeds as you want. The performance will depend on how your oil will diffuse.

IFRA

To make sure that your diffusers meet legal requirements, you should refer to the IFRA Certificate of Conformity for your chosen fragrance oil.

This can be found on the web page for each of our fragrance oils. If you refer to Annex 1 of the IFRA Certificate, you will see that reed diffusers are classified as IFRA Category 10A. If you then refer to the table on the front page of the IFRA Certificate, you will find the maximum permitted level of that fragrance oil in a reed diffuser. For example, The IFRA Certificate for Fairydust tells us that it can be safely used in a diffuser at up to 40%, so if you want to make a diffuser at 15%, then that will be fine.

Testing

Testing is an important part of any product development and diffusers are no exception.

Here at Candle Shack, we go through a lengthy process of testing our diffusers. This is done over a period of 12-13 weeks.

After making your diffuser weigh them with your reeds in, then ensure that you weigh them at the same time every week to get their weekly diffusion rate.

Here we have an example of a diffuser that is performing well. You can see that over time the diffuser has evaporated fully.

Here we have an example of a poor performing diffuser, you can see that after a while the graph levels off as our diffuser is no longer evaporating. We have found the ideal level for your di users will be between 6-8 weeks to fully evaporate. However, your diffuser may last up to 12 weeks.

You may find that your diffuser reeds can get blocked and may start to level off on your graph after a few weeks. If this happens, play around with percentages and reed amounts.

Labelling

Once you are happy with your final product it is time to label and sell your diffusers!

Use our free CLP design tool to create your labels. These can be added to your diffuser bottles and packaging for EU and UK regulation.

We hope that you found this video informative and good luck in your diffuser adventure!