I went on a hunt for an air freshener that didn’t burn my nostrils - this is what I found

The same can be said for car air fresheners, something of which I have specific feelings around. And when I say feelings, I mean distaste because generally, I find them far too strong and offensive - as if paint stripper is the primary ingredient.

While it is personal taste, my intense feelings have clearly made me a car air freshener snob, which is why I thought I’d check myself, put my bias aside and go on the hunt for a car air freshener that didn’t burn my nostril hairs, and looked good too.

On my quest, I tried low-cost air fresheners, pricier air fresheners, sustainable air fresheners and everything in between. Here’s my (still probably biased) assessment.

There’s no better place to start than with a product named Smelly Balls - which is either a bit crass or funny depending on who you ask.

To be honest with a name like Smelly Balls, I wasn’t overly keen to smell the product and find out whether the curtain matched the drapes, so to speak. However, this was the perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or its name in this case.

Before I get to the smell though, something I truly loved was that the product is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Two big ticks in my book.

They also cater to the user.

“Smelly Balls are a unique and innovative reusable air freshener brand. Our products are crafted using premium quality felt and hand-picked fragrances, offering a customisable scent experience,” founder Georgina Townley says.

The fragrance is applied by you, by adding a few drops (these come in small bottles with the balls) onto the felt which holds the aroma.

This means you can put as much, or (if you’re like me) as little of the fragrance onto the felt.

I tried the Rugged and Cove sets.

The Rugged has white, grey, and black balls and Cove blue, teal and white; these along with the other six sets are all very cute and arguably much nicer than a piece of cardboard hanging from your mirror.

Smell-wise, Cove is described as “a cool refreshing blend of ocean hues”; so, as an ocean lover, I was excited to try it.

The verdict: I was pleasantly surprised with the non-overpowering smell which added a crisp scent to the cabin of my car without giving me a headache.

However, I wasn’t a fan of the tobacco, leather, and vanilla scent of the Rugged fragrance - it truly did smell like tobacco, and I don’t want my car to smell like this.

The balls looked good though and with the ability to apply any fragrance onto them, I am sure they will find a spot swinging proudly soon.

The RRP for the sets are $20 and are available online and via selected independent retailers. 

This brand prides itself in its point of difference – popular trends and “delicious scents” says Aaron Muldoon, Director of Freshies.

The air fresheners which include everything from Bubble O’Bill, Bondi Thermos (a Stanley Cup lookalike), bubble tea, thongs, avocado on toast and coffee cups, are pretty funky and definitely have character.

The designs wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea but for those who love a laugh, a trend, and some unique detail in your car, Freshies would be right up your alley.

In addition to the constantly updated collection of designs, Freshies has approximately 10 scents including freesia, mango, mixed berry, Jasmine, lime, tulip, and cocoa butter, which last for up to two weeks.

I tried the espresso martini, which has the cocoa butter fragrance, however, I wouldn’t say it smelt anything like cocoa butter. It still did smell nice but it was more like a perfume, which for transparency, is part of the scent description.

I also gave the chicken bucket a go and the tulip fragrance gave me spring and summery vibes, and wasn’t overly strong which I liked.

The Birk (a sandal) which had a ‘dark ice’ fragrance reminded me of men’s cologne, so probably not something I’d use but something I could envision a 20-something bachelor loving.

Freshies sell for $5 online or 10+ items from $29 with code 'FRESH10'.

Like Freshies, Smell the Fun is very - as my tween daughter would say - “drip” (cool).

With a range of pop culture icons from the past and present - Kath and Kim, Monica and Ross Gellar, 2Pac, Toadie, Harry Styles, Drake, Kanye and David Bowie - available to hang from your car.

Created with fun at the forefront of their minds, Smell the Fun works with local Aussie artists to create their designs which is what Adam from Smell the Fun, says is their point of difference.

“We have a team of talented and award-winning Australian artists, and each design is our own original artwork. We focus heavily on making sure our products don’t only smell good, but look fantastic,” he says.

The scents include apple, grape, cologne, vanilla, strawberry, and watermelon.

I tried Dave Grohl in grape and while I do like grape Hubba Bubba, I wouldn’t want my car smelling like it. The smell, I also found quite strong.

Russel Coight in vanilla wasn’t as powerful and had a more mature-feeling scent to it which I preferred.

Smell the Fun air fresheners are available online for $5.96 each, or you can buy two and get one for free.

Finally, I dabbled in a more expensive air freshener: DS & DURGA Concrete After Lightning Auto Fragrance.

Described by Sangeeta Smith, MECCA Fragrance Hair and Body Education Manager as “an auto fragrance that fills your car with the scents of New York City after a summer storm. 

Think, hot asphalt cooled by rain, steam and weeds growing through the cracks of NYC. The auto fragrances come in 7 scents, including Big Sur After Rain, Wild Brooklyn Lavender, Breakfast Leipzig, Portable Fireplace, 85 Diesel & Tuberose Myrrhder.”

The air freshener definitely had a more sophisticated palette which as a middle-aged woman, I enjoyed. Again, I did find the smell too strong and had to pop it into my centre console for a rest from time to time.

Available from Mecca for $25.00 – with seven different scents to choose from.

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