Homedics Ellia Adore review: an excellent oil diffuser with a few added tricks

The Ellia Adore is a plug-in aroma diffuser that delivers a fine mist of scent, as well as soothing sounds and light effects, to lull you into a state of zen. It's designed for use in the home, office or yoga / meditation area – and in the not-unusual case that those are all the same place at the moment, could be a good way to easily alter the mood of a space from 'work' to 'relaxation'. 

I tested one out to see if it's worthy of inclusion in our best oil diffuser ranking. It works with a water reservoir, to which you add a few drops of essential oil, which is then vapourised to add scent to your room. Read on for my full Ellia Adore Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser review.

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Homedics Ellia Adore diffuser review: design and features

The look of the Ellia Adore is simple and stylish, with a thin wooden base onto which sits a rounded, dark frosted glass dome with an opening at the top, where the mist is emitted. At 15.5cm tall and 15cm wide, it's on the larger side, so aimed at those who want to make a feature of their diffuser (which makes sense given the light effect function), rather than just a functional way to scent a room (for something more natural feeling, check out the Beurer LA40).

This glass dome covers the diffuser's inner workings, including a reservoir which you fill with water to the indicated level, before adding up to seven drops of your favourite essential oil. This is then converted into a scented mist via "ultrasonic, high-frequency technology". There are two modes: continuous and intermittent (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off), and from one load of water you'll get up to six hours of continuous aroma or up to 12 hours of intermittent mist. Power is via the mains, so you'll need to position your diffuser near a socket. This isn't usual but it is a bit annoying.  

As well as scent, the Ellia hits another two of your senses. There's a colour-changing light, which cycles through a range of rainbow hues to soothe you further (you can choose to pause on any of the colours for as long as you want), and it'll also play a selection of gentle soundscape tracks. 

This oil diffuser is controlled via a neat remote, which you can use to switch on and off any of the functions from a distance. The buttons are fairly straightforward, but Homedics has also helpfully printed explanations of what each one does on the back of the remote, as a handy reminder while you're first getting to grips with it.

Homedics Ellia Adore diffuser review: use

In use, I was very impressed with the Homedics Ellia Adore essential oil diffuser. The mist function is reliable and effective, but it's the extras that help elevate it from the competition. 

Although the sound function isn't strictly necessary – most people have any number of devices for piping music into their homes, after all – the soundscapes are soothing, and you can skip between them and turn the volume up or down as needed. I've been using it as a background to my Zoom yoga classes, and it's pretty effective way to make the living room feel a bit more zen. 

The light function is pretty subtle in the daytime, as the frosting is so dark, but much more visible in low light. As you can see if the video below, this diffuser cycles through the colours fairly briskly, although not jarringly so (please ignore any flickering you see – this is to do with the video rather than the actual product; the light is smooth and solid). My preference is to pick one colour and stick to it, as I find the rainbow effect a bit more 'disco' than 'meditation', but each to their own. 

Homedics Ellia Adore diffuser review: verdict

Now to the crux of my Homedics Ellia Adore diffuser review: is it any good? I'd say so. While your choice of diffuser will likely mainly come down to if the styling matches your room, if a big dark globe is your vibe then there's plenty to recommend this as a top choice. As well as being very effective at dispersing scents, the inclusion of light and sound options means it can really transform the feel of a space. The remote control is another big benefit, making it easy to switch to a new soundtrack, change the lighting or swap to the intermittent mist mode if the scent is getting to much, all from your yoga mat or sofa.