dōTERRA Petal Diffuser Review

Over the course of more than 40 hours, we tested several of the best essential oil diffusers on the market. This included the dōTERRA Petal Diffuser, which was one of our favorites overall thanks to its ability to diffuse a significant amount of essential oil per hour, as well as its durable aesthetically-pleasing design.

Table of contents

• Why buy an essential oil diffuser
• What we liked about the dōTERRA diffuser
• What we didn’t like about the dōTERRA diffuser
• Is there a better essential oil diffuser on the market?

Why buy an essential oil diffuser

There are a number of reasons why someone might consider purchasing an essential oil diffuser. First and foremost, essential oil diffusers can be used with any of the hundreds of different essential oils available on the market — many of which have distinct and pleasant scents.

Essential oil has been used for aromatherapy for thousands of years, and in recent years, essential oil aromatherapy has become increasingly popular as well. This is due largely to growing knowledge about the benefits of essential oils, including lavender (for relaxation) and peppermint (for settling your stomach and increasing alertness), among many others.

For most of their history, essential oils were diffused passively, which meant putting the essential oils in a jar with wooden reeds that would absorb and diffuse the essential oil slowly over time. However, active essential oil diffusers make it possible to diffuse a significantly larger amount of essential oil over the course of several hours, producing a more significant and effective scent.

Essential oil diffusers are a great addition to a living room or bedroom and are a safe and cost-effective alternative to candles.

Essential oil diffusers are also well-suited for businesses. While yoga studios and massage parlors are the most obvious candidates, the wide variety of scents available make it possible for almost any business to use essential oils to their advantage.

What we liked about the dōTERRA diffuser

We tested seven of the most popular essential oil diffusers on the market, and the dōTERRA diffuser came in a very strong second place.

One of the things we noticed right away was the superior build quality of the dōTERRA diffuser. Unlike many of the essential oil diffusers on the market — including a few of the finalists we tested in our office — the dōTERRA diffuser is built from high-quality plastics and materials. Not only does this ensure that the dōTERRA diffuser will work reliably for years, but it also makes the diffuser an appropriate addition to more upscale environments.

Operation of the dōTERRA diffuser was simple as well. In addition to being the quietest essential oil diffuser we tested, the dōTERRA diffuser only has two buttons: one for turning on the mist (in increments of one, two or four hours) and a button to turn the light on and off. Once activated, the diffuser permeates the room very quickly, almost tying our top pick overall, the Smiley Daisy Hibiscus Diffuser.

Finally, we liked that the dōTERRA diffuser only turns on when water is inside and automatically turns off if the water is fully depleted, regardless of how much time is left on the preset timer. Preventing the diffuser from running dry should have a significant impact on the longevity of the dōTERRA diffuser.

What we didn’t like about the dōTERRA diffuser

Almost all of the essential oil diffusers we tested came with a small water pitcher which could be used to fill the essential oil diffuser. Notably, the dōTERRA diffuser did not come with a water pitcher included.

While this certainly isn’t a dealbreaker, we found it to be considerably more convenient to fill up diffusers with a water pitcher included, since the pitchers were usually sized to perfectly fill the water reservoir.

Another thing we didn’t like about the dōTERRA diffuser was that it produces less vapor than our top pick, the Hibiscus diffuser. Based on our calculations, the dōTERRA Petal diffuser produces about 37.5 milliliters of vapor per hour, while the Hibiscus diffuser produces between 50 and 58 milliliters per hour.

Finally, the dōTERRA diffuser is more expensive than most of the other essential oil diffusers on the market, including the Hibiscus diffuser. While the price is by no means excessive, we still had to take it into account when comparing units.

Is there a better essential oil diffuser on the market?

The dōTERRA Petal diffuser is an excellent product overall, and we are confident in recommending it to anyone who is looking to buy an essential oil diffuser. That being said, the Petal diffuser does perform slightly worse and is more expensive than our overall pick, the Smiley Daisy Hibiscus diffuser.

Top Pick: Smiley Daisy - Essential Oil Diffuser

The Smiley Daisy essential oil diffuser is our top pick overall and offers the best performance and value of all seven diffusers we tested.

See Price at Amazon.com

The dōTERRA diffuser also stands out for its compact footprint, which is significantly smaller than the Hibiscus diffuser. If you are working with limited space, the dōTERRA diffuser is an even more compelling option.

If you’re looking for an all-day essential oil diffuser, the dōTERRA Petal might fall a bit short as well. With a maximum run time of only four hours, you’ll have to replace the water and essential oil at least once or twice to make it through an entire day.

If you want an essential oil diffuser that can last all day, the Pure Enrichment PureSpa Deluxe was our top pick for all-day essential oil diffusing. In our testing, the PureSpa lasted between eight and 10 hours. This means that the PureSpa should last for all (or most) of a full work day and should even last all night if you turn it on before going to sleep.

Ultimately, if you are looking for a high-quality diffuser that will match the decor in almost any home or business, the dōTERRA diffuser is worthy of your consideration. However, depending on your preferences, there are other options that might be a better fit.

Should you buy the dōTERRA essential oil diffuser?

If you are in the market for an essential oil diffuser — and are comfortable with the $60 price of of the dōTERRA Petal diffuser — you can buy confidently with the knowledge that the dōTERRA diffuser is well-made and is effective in living rooms as well as in more highly trafficked offices.

Before making a decision on whether the dōTERRA essential oil diffuser is right for you, we strongly encourage you to read our full review of the best essential oil diffusers in which we take an in-depth look at seven different diffusers and discuss the pros and cons of each of the top picks. And if you love essential oils, we highly recommend checking out our essential oil review.

Runner-up: dōTERRA Petal Essential Oil Diffuser

This diffuser fits in any home or office setting, and effectively fills a room with the essential oil scent of your choice.

See Price at Amazon.com

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Bryan Vu, Editor

Bryan is our cooking and kitchen expert, with more than 15 years of experience of cooking and testing kitchen products. When outside of the kitchen, he enjoys woodworking, photography, videography and figuring out how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. He thoroughly enjoys discovering the best, whether it’s ingredients or equipment, and finding products that can stand the rigors of daily use.