Creating a Coconut Mango Diffuser & Room Spray Blend

I have a coconut and mango hand soap that smells so good that I wanted to know if I could recreate something similar with essential oils for my diffuser. It is a slightly sweet, tropical scent that reminds me of warm weather, fresh fruit, and just a little bit of creamy coconut. But, trying to turn this scent into actual coconut mango blends was a bit tricky as there really isn't a true coconut essential oil or mango essential oil.

The coconut and mango scents you find in soaps, candles, and other scented products are usually created with fragrance oils or combinations of aromatic ingredients instead of using essential oils. It doesn't mean it can't be done, it just takes a little experimentation to have something that has the same tropical feel. By combining citrus oils with a touch of something soft, floral, or warm, can create a scent that is reminiscent of mango and coconut without actually containing either one.

Creating Coconut Mango Blends

Mango has a sweet, juicy, slightly citrusy tropical aroma. Mandarin and sweet orange are good places to start because they provide a bright fruitiness without being too sharp. Bergamot adds another layer of citrus while also having a softer, slightly floral character.

Coconut is harder to imitate. Its familiar fragrance is creamy, sweet, and warm rather than bright or citrusy. A very small amount of ylang ylang can help give a blend that lush tropical quality, while a soft wood such as cedarwood can add warmth and keep all that citrus from smelling like a bowl of oranges.

None of these blends will smell exactly like a coconut mango fragrance oil, but they can create a fresh, fruity, tropical scent with some of the same character.

Coconut Mango Diffuser Blends

This is where I would start if you're looking for a balance of tropical fruit and a softer, warmer background.

• 2 drops mandarin essential oil
• 2 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 1 drop bergamot essential oil
• 1 drop ylang ylang essential oil

Ylang ylang can easily take over a blend, so I don't be tempted to add too much. It's used to soften the citrus and add a tropical note, not turn the whole thing into a floral scent.

Tropical Coconut Mango

This is the number of drops I used in my 500ml diffuser and has turned into a favorite. It's juicy tropical with a softer, creamy base - yummy.

• 4 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 3 drops mandarin essential oil
• 2 drops bergamot essential oil
• 2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
• 1 drop cedarwood essential oil
• 1 drop diluted benzoin*

*Benzoin is technically a resin extract/absolute rather than a traditional essential oil, and it can be thick which is why I use a product that is already diluted. If yours is too thick for your diffuser, leave it out.

Fresh Mango Diffuser Blend

If you want to bring the fruity side forward and make the blend smell a little brighter and fresher, try adding lime.

• 2 drops mandarin essential oil
• 2 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 1 drop lime essential oil
• 1 drop ylang ylang essential oil

This version won't have quite as much of the creamy coconut feel, but it has a cheerful tropical fruitiness that works especially well during spring and summer.

Warm Tropical Diffuser Blend

For something warmer and a little less fruity, cedarwood helps give the lighter oils a softer base.

• 2 drops mandarin essential oil
• 1 drop sweet orange essential oil
• 1 drop bergamot essential oil
• 1 drop ylang ylang essential oil
• 1 drop cedarwood essential oil

The cedarwood isn't meant to make the blend smell woody. It's just enough to add some depth and help create the warmer side of the coconut-mango combination.

Coconut Mango Room Spray

I also like this scent combination for a room spray because it's light, fresh, and doesn't immediately make me think of one particular season. It would be just as nice in the middle of summer as it would be when you want the house to smell a little more tropical during winter.

For a 4-ounce room spray:

• 12 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 8 drops mandarin essential oil
• 5 drops bergamot essential oil
• 2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
• 2 drops cedarwood essential oil
• 3 drops benzoin resinoid (undiluted benzoin can also be used in the room spray, although it may be much thicker and require a little extra mixing)
• 1/4 teaspoon Polysorbate 20
• Distilled water to fill the 4-ounce bottle

Sweet orange is more likely to be in most people's essential oil stash than mandarin. If that's the case, simply use 18 to 20 drops of sweet orange to start.

Essential oils and water don't stay mixed on their own, so you can use something like Polysorbate 20 to help disperse the oils. Combine the essential oils with 1/4 teaspoon Polysorbate 20, mixing well before adding the water. If the oils aren't fully dispersed, add a little more Polysorbate 20 and mix again. Pour into a 4-ounce spray bottle and fill with distilled water, leaving a little room at the top. Replace the sprayer and shake well before using.

Since this is a small 4-ounce batch made with water and doesn't contain a preservative, making it in small amounts and keeping it in a cool place will help. If you notice the scent, color, or appearance change, it's time to make a fresh batch.

Making Coconut Mango Blends Your Own

One of the fun things about trying to recreate a scent from a soap, lotion, candle, or other scented product with essential oils is experimenting with different oils until you find a combination you like. If you want more of that juicy mango feeling, add another drop of mandarin. If it's too citrusy, reduce the sweet orange and let the ylang ylang and cedarwood come through a little more.

And if you're expecting the unmistakable smell of freshly cut mango and creamy coconut, essential oils aren't really going to give you that exact scent. For that, you would need a properly formulated fragrance oil. These blends are more about capturing the fresh, sweet, tropical personality of coconut and mango using essential oils.

For me, that's close enough to bring a little of that coconut mango hand soap fragrance into the rest of the house.

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