The company Sleep Scentsations was started by two sisters who wanted to create an affordable, portable form of aromatherapy. Their first products are "scented pillow liners," with a "scent menu" of six categories ranging from Fresh to Exotic to Botanical. The scents are designed to evoke pleasant memories and positive emotional responses in the user, in order to calm him or her for a good night's sleep.
The pillow liners are individually wrapped in foil packets labeled with their fragrances; each liner has an adhesive backing and can be pressed directly onto a pillow. The liner is thin, so you can't feel it through the pillowcase, but the fragrance filters nicely through the linens. This product strikes me as being very convenient for travel. I'd like to have one of these handy in a hotel room, for example, or even on an airplane. They don't create any mess, and unlike candles, they don't pose any risk (it's never a good idea to burn a candle while you're sleeping!). They're not meant to fragrance an entire room, of course; their scent remains in the area immediately surrounding the pillow, so that it's a more private experience.
I've tried three different fragrances from Sleep Scentsations: "Relaxing" from the Aromatherapy category, "Day at the Beach" from the Clean category, and "My Boyfriend's Shirt" from the Sensual category. Relaxing is a blend of lavender, bergamot, and cedarwood essential oils meant to "promote relaxation and sleep." It's a time-tested aromatherapy recipe, similar to the ones used in my favorite Essence of Vali products, and it worked like a charm for me. I slept with it on my pillow for two nights when I was having a stressful week; by then, the natural fragrance had faded.
Day at the Beach is Sleep Scentsations' version of "ocean air and suntan lotion"; I've written before that I'm not a sun-and-summer person, yet beach-related scents do bring back happy memories for me. I used my Day at the Beach-scented pillow for a Sunday afternoon nap on the couch, where it gave me a smile before I drifted off. Its mix of neroli and salty ozone notes reminded me of CB I Hate Perfume's At the Beach 1966 (or maybe Bond no. 9's Fire Island, without the tuberose note). This liner lasted for four days before its scent disappeared.
My Boyfriend's Shirt, which makes the slightly stalkerish suggestion that "you will feel like he is sleeping beside you as you enjoy his sultry scent," was the most strongly scented of the three liners I sampled. To me, it smelled like a men's cologne based on citrus, pine, and warm musk notes. Unfortunately, when my husband entered the bedroom, he wanted to know which cleaning products I'd just been using there, so this probably isn't a scent I'd try again. I'd enjoy another nap with Day at the Beach, however, and I'm curious about the other essential-oil-based scents.
Do you have any favorite sleep-time scented products? Feel free to mention them in the comments section.
Sleep Scentsations Pillow Liners sell for $19.99 for an eight-pack of liners at the Sleep Scentsations website or Amazon.
Jessica, thanks for the report! These could be, as you say, great for travel. The “Relaxing” and “Beach” ones sound appealing to me.
The only thing I've experimented with is spritzing my pillow with various choices from my regular fragrance wardrobe. I had read that vetiver is soothing and promotes sleep, and I agree. I slept like a baby the couple of times I put Sel de Vetiver on my pillow. Now I need to find a cheaper vetiver alternative, LOL!
What a nice idea. I wonder what their 'exotic' frangrance is. I'll have to look into that.
Thanks, Haunani! I've occasionally brought a small candle with me when I travel, but I feel nervous using them in hotel rooms. This would definitely be safer and simpler! My favorite soothing scents are lavender (like this Relaxing scent) and rose-sandalwood blends, but vetiver sounds great, too.
Thanks for this informative blog post. This is a great idea. I've always been leery of candles, afraid I'll drift off to sleep while they are burning. This is such a great alternative. I use scented body lotions when I go to bed–usually sweeter than I use during the day, and more relaxing.
Quinn, I have few scented body lotions that I like to use at bedtime, too; it's the only time I really enjoy wearing honey or vanilla scents. These liners are pretty handy, and I can verify that they don't harm the pillow or pillowcase in any way.
Thanks for this review, Jessica, and letting us know about this product. I'm tempted to order right now just to try them out — some of the offerings on the site do sound interesting. I love to be smell something as I drift off. I like the sound of Bliss, Shanghai Flowers, and Seduction.
Like others here, I've lightly spritzed my pillows and sheets witht scent, or just put some on myself or the neck area of my tshirt. I love changing my bedtime scent as my mood changes. Bois d'Iris is very nice, as is Bois Farine… and strangely enough, I find Mitsouko a bedtime “comfort scent” sometimes.
Hi Joe, I love Bois Farine, too, at any time of day! And it's interesting, how everyone has a slightly different, personal idea of what makes a scent “comforting.” It can be a really individual thing. 🙂
Oh – thank you for the info! Sounds yummy! 🙂
my kitty smells like roasted marshmallows and she shares my pillow with me
Hey, so does mine! She reminds me a little bit of Bois Farine, actually, or vice versa. 😉
What a lovely scent! My kitty smells like whatever I'm wearing that day…
Tam Dao is my number one bedtime scent. I also have an aromatherapy blend featuring chammomile, hops and lavender that I occasionally scent my pillow with. When I travel, I always take it, the Tam Dao, or some lavender essential oil for the pillow. Having a soothing, familiar scent in bed makes sleeping in strange places so much better. This is a good idea, but I'll probably stick with my own routine.
Sounds like an interesting product! FM L'Eau d'Hiver is my favourite bedtime scent.
I have a kitty who smells like freshly shelled peanuts. Love to bury my nose in his fur!
My kitty also sleeps in my bed with me with her head on the pillow. She smells and feels like a cuddly stuffed toy. Nothing is so comforting to me than that smell.
My bedtime scent is Lolita Lempicka fleur de Corail. It smells salty and like I've been on the beach all day. the soft musk in the end notes is actually sleep-inducing.
Hoiwever I only use this when I can't sleep, otherwise the smell of fresh pillow and freshly washed hair are enough for me 🙂
What would we do without our furry feline friends?! Glad to know I'm not the only one who sniffs my cat's coat so often. 🙂
Tam Dao is Diptyque's sandalwood fragrance, right? I love sandalwood for relaxation. And I've read that people used to sleep with hops-filled pillows for a good night's sleep, so hops must be a time-tested remedy!
Oh, that's such a pretty one. There's a Malle for every purpose. 🙂
I need to try that new Lolita Lempicka version; I've enjoyed all the others in this line. And it's true, there's nothing like clean sheets for a good night's sleep!
Thanks for the interesting post! The product and the comments so far have been really informative, I can now see a use for a vetiver scent I'm not using. I like the idea of Sleep Scentsations (clever name). From your report, each liner doesn't last particularly long, but I can understand why–you don't want to be suffocated with scent while trying to doze off. I enjoy using different Demeter sprays on my sheets, “Grass” is my favorite.
I wish my cat were as nicely scented as those in this post. I would say my cat's smell is “musty carpet” plus “Frito feet” (her paw scent), as she gently presses her paw into my nose.
I always smell my cat. I can kind of see the marshmallow/peanut thing – I get a little bit of that, but he is indoor/outdoor so I also get grass, nasturtium, pine sap and sandy dirt. It is very comforting and I want CB to figure it out and bottle it.
lol – my cat smells good (see above) but I have gotten “Frito feet”!!
The last few nights I have wanted really sweet fragrance for sleeping. Michael Kors set it off, last night was Avon Rare Pearls, just really girly stuff I could spray at will. Another in a long line of PMS symptoms?
Yum! I adore nasturtium.
Sweet is good, anytime! Bedtime is my favorite time for almondy-vanilla lotions, actually. 🙂
I know exactly what you mean, AussieBec!
Thanks, Faraway! The liners seem to last 2 to 4 nights, depending on the scent. That seems about right for a weekend, or a spell of insomnia, or just a change of scene/scent. 🙂
Hello Jessica,
Well, when I read your article I went to buy them online right away.. After reading on their site what it was all about ,. Then
I was so DISAPPOINTED!
The lavender mix is smelling good for just one small night, the next morning the scent is totally GONE!
And I was very UNHAPPY to see that it is manufactured in CHINA! even so they write fragrances from the US. Why not doing it entirely in the US?
I loved the idea . But honestly this is just Nothing!
Really this is a bad product that do not smell for more than 8 hours, and they write two days!
Next time I shall pour drops of my organic lavender and it shall be as good!
Jessica this is not for you , I love all what you write, but against the manufacturer of this product, that by the way should mention on the site that it is Made in China.