How to Follow the “Memory Study” Scent Routine at Home

A step-by-step guide using our Memory Essential Oil Sets & Aroma Infinity Diffuser

In 2023, researchers at UC Irvine published a small but important study on “overnight olfactory enrichment” — using scent while you sleep to support memory and brain health. In the study, adults ages 60–85 diffused one essential oil for 2 hours each night and rotated through seven different scents across the week.

View the entire research publication here. 

After six months, the scent-enriched group showed:

• A 226% greater improvement on a standard memory test (the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test) compared to controls
• Measurable changes in a key brain pathway involved in memory (the left uncinate fasciculus)

This routine is what many of our customers now call “the Memory Study.” Below, you’ll find a simple, practical guide to trying a similar scent routine at home using:

• Our Memory Essential Oil Set
• Our Certified Organic Memory Essential Oil Set
• Our Aroma Infinity Atomizing Diffuser

Important: This article is for educational purposes only and is inspired by published research that you can access here. It is not medical advice and is not a treatment or cure for any disease. Always talk with your healthcare provider before starting a new wellness practice, especially if you have asthma or respiratory conditions, are pregnant or nursing, or are managing a neurological condition.

1. What Did the Study Actually Do?

Here’s the basic design, in plain language:

Who participated:

• 43 community-dwelling adults aged 60–85 with no diagnosis of dementia

What they did:

• Used a diffuser at home every night for 6 months
• The “enriched” group diffused one essential oil each night for 2 hours as they fell asleep
• They rotated through seven pleasant scents, so each night had a different aroma
  

What they measured:

• A standardized memory test before and after 6 months
• Brain imaging to look at changes in a memory-related white matter tract

The key takeaway: consistent, low-effort scent exposure at night was associated with better memory performance and changes in brain connectivity in this older adult group.

Our Memory Sets were designed to mirror this seven-oil routine so you can easily recreate a similar nightly pattern at home.

2. What You’ll Need

To try a home routine inspired by the study, you’ll need:

One of these oil sets:

• Memory Essential Oil Set – 7 oils
• Certified Organic Memory Essential Oil Set – 7 oils
  

Note that we offer a 10ml, 15ml and 30ml kit , and diffusers may require a specific size, so please double-check depending on your needs

These include the seven essential oil aroma profiles used in the research. We’ve also included organic options if you’d prefer even though these were not included in the study:

• Lavender 40/42 
  • Certified Organic Lavender Bulgarian
• Geranium (used in place of Rose Bulgarian for a comparable floral profile)
  • Certified Organic Geranium
• Oregon Peppermint 
  • Certified Organic Peppermint
• Eucalyptus
  • Certified Organic Eucalyptus
• Lemon
  • Certified Organic Lemon
• Sweet Orange 
  • Certified Organic Sweet Orange
• Rosemary 
  • Certified Organic Rosemary
    
    
• A bedroom diffuser that can run on a timer for at least 2 hours:
  • Aroma Infinity Atomizing Diffuser – our cold-air, waterless diffuser that diffuses straight from the bottle and pairs beautifully with this protocol.
    
    
• Optional, but helpful:
  • A small notebook or “Memory & Sleep Log” to track your experience over time

Safety & Comfort Checklist (Read This First)

Before you start:

Check with your provider if you:

• Have asthma or other respiratory conditions
• Are pregnant, nursing, or have migraines triggered by scent
• Have been diagnosed with cognitive impairment or neurologic conditions
  

Start gently:

• Use a low-to-moderate output on your diffuser, especially in a smaller bedroom
• If anyone in the home is sensitive to fragrance (including pets), start in a well-ventilated room and monitor comfort
  

General essential oil safety:

• Do not ingest essential oils
• Keep bottles out of reach of children and pets
• Discontinue or reduce use if you experience irritation, headaches, or discomfort

4. Step-by-Step: Your At-Home “Memory Study” Routine

Step 1: Set up your diffuser

Place your Aroma Infinity Atomizing Diffuser (or other diffuser) in your bedroom:

• Close enough that you’ll notice the scent
• Far enough away that it doesn’t feel overpowering near your face
  

Follow your diffuser’s instructions to attach the bottle or fill the reservoir.

Make sure you know how to:

• Set a 2-hour timer, or
• Choose a mode that will run for ~2 hours on a low, steady setting
  

Step 2: Choose your 7-night rotation

The original research used one scent per night and rotated through seven different aromas across the week. You don’t need a specific order, but consistency matters.

Here’s a simple example schedule using our Memory Essential Oil Set:

• Night 1: Lavender 40/42
• Night 2: Geranium
• Night 3: Oregon Peppermint
• Night 4: Eucalyptus
• Night 5: Lemon
• Night 6: Sweet Orange
• Night 7: Rosemary

Then you repeat the cycle.

Key idea: The brain loves novelty. You’re not overloading with many scents at once; you’re offering a different single aroma each night.

Step 3: Your nightly ritual (2 hours at bedtime)

Each night:

1. About 15 minutes before bed, insert that night’s oil bottle into your Aroma Infinity Diffuser (or add drops to your diffuser if using water-based).
2. Turn on the diffuser and set it to run for about 2 hours while you fall asleep.
3. Turn off any other strong scents (candles, cleaning products, heavily scented lotions) so this aroma is the main olfactory “signal.”
4. Go to bed as usual. You don’t need to do anything special — just breathe normally and sleep.

That’s it. In the study, participants did not perform memory games while smelling the oils at night. The “work” was simply consistent olfactory enrichment while they slept.

Step 4: Stay consistent over time

In the UC Irvine study, participants followed this routine for six months. That’s a substantial period of time, and it’s part of why the results are so interesting.

For a home routine, you might:

• Aim for at least 4–6 weeks to get a feel for the practice
• For the closest parallel to the study, set a goal of 6 months of near-nightly use

If you miss a night (or a week), no need to start over. Just pick up where you left off and resume the rotation.

5. Optional: Track Your Experience

While you’re not running a clinical trial at home, a simple log can help you notice patterns. A page or spreadsheet might include:

• Date
• Which oil you used
• Approximate sleep time and wake time
• How rested you felt in the morning (1–5)
• Any notes on mood, focus, or memory that day

Some people like to add a small, informal “memory check” a few times per month (for example, trying to recall a short list of words or items later in the day) — not as a clinical measure, just as a personal curiosity.

6. FAQs About the Memory Study Routine

Do I need to be 60+ to try this?

No. Anyone who enjoys scent and is not sensitive to fragrance can appreciate an evening olfactory ritual.

However, the study itself was conducted in adults aged 60–85 without dementia, so we can’t automatically assume the same effects for other age groups or health conditions.

Do I have to use these exact seven oils?

If you want to follow a routine most similar to the study, we recommend using the seven aromas in our:

• Memory Essential Oil Set or
• Certified Organic Memory Essential Oil Set

You can certainly experiment with other oils or blends you love, but that moves you further away from the original protocol.

Do I need the Aroma Infinity Diffuser?

You don’t need that exact diffuser, but it makes the routine simpler:

• The research used a device that diffused one bottle of oil at a time for a set period.
• Our Aroma Infinity Atomizing Diffuser also diffuses straight from the bottle using cold-air technology — no water and minimal setup each night.

Any high-quality diffuser that allows for 2 hours of gentle diffusion in the bedroom can work, as long as you’re using it safely and comfortably.

Can this treat dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other medical conditions?

No.

Olfactory enrichment is a promising area of research, but this home practice:

• Is not a treatment or cure
• Should not replace medical care, medications, or therapies prescribed by your provider

If you or a loved one is experiencing memory concerns, talk with a healthcare professional trained in cognitive health.

7. Bringing It All Together

To recap, a home practice inspired by the “Memory Study” looks like this:

1. Choose your oils: Use our Memory Essential Oil Set or Certified Organic Memory Essential Oil Set (7 oils).
2. Set up your diffuser: Ideally, an atomizing diffuser like the Aroma Infinity that diffuses straight from the bottle.
   Diffuse one scent per night: 2 hours at bedtime, rotating through all seven oils across the week.
3. Stay consistent: Aim for weeks to months of regular use.
4. Listen to your body: Adjust intensity, skip a night, or stop if it doesn’t feel good.
   

Explore the Memory Collection

Ready to build your own olfactory enrichment ritual?

Shop the Memory Essential Oil Set

Shop the Certified Organic Memory Essential Oil Set

• Note that we offer a 10ml, 15ml and 30ml kit , and diffusers may require a specific size, so please double check depending on your needs

Shop the Aroma Infinity Atomizing Diffuser

Create a simple, scent-based ritual that fits into the life you already live.