Why Do Fake Flowers Smell Bad?

It's common for artificial flowers and plants to have no scent or a slight, less-than-desirable plastic smell. Don't let this stop you from using artificial flowers! It's easy to take artificial flowers (and plants) up a notch by making them smell as good as they look.

Whether you want a strong scent or something more delicate, we've tried and tested several scents and methods of application so you don't have to!

Before we start adding scent, it's important to clean artificial flowers regularly to prevent the buildup of dust and mold. Mold buildup can cause your flowers to have an unpleasant odor. For more information or advice on cleaning, see How to Clean Artificial Flowers.

Can You Scent Artificial Flowers?

The short answer is yes, you can scent artificial flowers.

What sprays can I use to make my flowers smell nice?

From essential oils to perfumes, there are many ways you can choose to scent your artificial flowers. It's important to consider that different methods may change the look of your flowers or plants - for example, using essential oils on "waxy" leaves may give the leaves a shiny, "wet" appearance.

Common methods used to scent artificial flowers and plants are:

Perfume

Essential oils

Scented lotions/scented creams

We have tried and tested different methods of scenting artificial flowers. To learn more about our in-house testing, results, and recommendations, see "Our In-House Testing" below.

How do I scent artificial flowers?

It is important to consider the texture of your artificial flowers; "wax" artificial flowers and leaves may be scented differently to "fabric" artificial flowers and leaves. To learn which methods we have found work best for "wax" and fabric artificial flowers and leaves.

Before you begin scenting artificial leaves, make sure you are in a well-ventilated space.

Using Perfume

For a sprayed scent, you can hold the plant or artificial stem at a distance and lightly spray the plant, or for a more realistic effect you can get up close and use a sprayer and spray only the flower.

Using Essential Oils or Diffusers

One to two drops of essential oil or liquid diffuser scent can be added directly to the center of the flower.

To add scent to artificial leaves, place one to two drops of scent on a cloth and "rub" into the leaves.

To prevent any color distortion on artificial stems, we recommend choosing an alcohol-free diffuser.

Using a scented lotion

For scented creams or lotions, simply add a pea-sized amount to your hands and "massage" into the plant.

What scent should you use?

To enhance your artificial experience, try to find a scent that matches your artificial rose. Applying a rose scent to a wonderful artificial rose can easily be mistaken for a real rose!

For flowers, a mild floral scent will create the most realistic tone; for leaves, menthol or woody pine scents work best.

Essential oils are often very strong and can be too overpowering. Try to find the essential oil that works best with your type of imitation, for example, using lemongrass essential oil on an herb may be both effective and realistic.