Sleep Mist

Not on its own, and we would rather say that plainly. It is not a sedative and it does not act on you chemically. What it does is give your body a consistent cue at the point in the evening where you want to be winding down.

The people who get the most out of it use it the same way every night. The ones expecting it to knock them out are usually disappointed.

Because there is nothing in it to stop the oils separating from the water. Sleep sprays almost always include a solubiliser that holds everything in suspension. We left it out.

The trade-off is that the oils float, and the straw draws from the bottom, so an unshaken bottle gives you a weaker spray rather than a stronger one. A firm shake fixes it.

Light. Noticeable when you put your head down, largely gone from your conscious attention within a few minutes.

That is deliberate, and for two reasons. A pillow spray sits against your skin for eight hours, so it belongs in a lighter category than something you spray into the air and walk away from.

The second reason is more interesting. Research on scent and the nervous system has found the calming effect depends on whether you like the smell. At low intensity, a scent settles most people either way. Turned up, a scent someone dislikes does the opposite of settling them. A light hand is not us being mean with the oils. It is the setting that works for the most people.

You will notice it through getting into bed and settling. Cedarwood and jasmine are the notes that linger longest.

Once you are asleep, you are not smelling much of anything. That is how the human nose works in deep sleep, and it is the reason a bedroom scent does not disturb you.

Here is the honest answer, because we would rather you had it than a reassuring one.

Children. Lavender is one of the few essential oils specifically studied for use around children, and paediatric guidance supports it from age three. Below three there is not enough research for us to make a claim, so we do not make one. Mist the pillow before bedtime and let it settle rather than spraying near a child.

Dogs. Ambient use around dogs is widely considered fine. Spray the bed before you get in, not while your dog is lying on it.

Cats. Cats process certain plant compounds differently to us, and veterinary bodies advise caution with essential oils around them. There is no evidence that a lightly misted pillow harms a cat, and there is no research establishing that it is safe either. Our recommendation: mist the bed and let it dry before your cat settles on it, keep the room ventilated, and give your cat a way out of the room. If your cat sleeps on your pillow, we would rather you skipped the mist than took our word for it.

Full ingredients are listed further up this page. If your vet wants the detail, send them our way.

On everyday linen, cotton and wool, no. The mist is fine and there is very little oil in it.

On delicate, vintage or very pale fabric, patch test an edge first. Any oil-bearing product on a natural fibre deserves that much care.

Yes. With the Linen & Wisewool™ Sleep Mask, mist the linen outer lightly and let it dry before you put it on. That mask is unscented for exactly this reason.

The Weighted Eye Mask already carries dried lavender through the fill, so with that one we would mist the pillow instead.

By us, by hand, in our Auckland workroom. Each batch is blended and bottled in house so we can protect the quality from start to finish.