A Nishinomiya Fragrance Expert Shows Us How to Make a Magic Spray That Makes You Want to Wear a Mask

It’s been almost a year since mask-wearing became part of daily life because of COVID-19.

“I’m used to masks already” is what you might be thinking, but…

This time, Nishitsu has successfully developed a magical spray that will absolutely make you want to wear a mask.

So, let’s get into it.

When You Think Fragrance, You Think Aroma. So We Invited an Expert

Last year, Makiko Matsumoto invited Nishitsu onto Sakura FM.

Believe it or not, she’s very active in Nishinomiya as an aroma expert.

We asked Matsumoto-san to teach us how to make a magical spray that will absolutely make you want to wear a mask!

Matsumoto-san’s aroma event at Nishinomiya Hankyu in March is already fully booked, so this article gives you a peek at part of what it’s about.

List of Items for Making the Magical Spray

Here are the items you need for the magical spray that will absolutely make you want to wear a mask. There are surprisingly few.

DIY Magical Spray Item No. 1

Aroma oil.
(Pros call it essential oil)

These are all aroma oils. And even with this many, it’s only a small sample.
（We call them oils, but they’re actually not oil. They’re extracts of fragrance components）

For example, if a 10ml orange aroma oil costs around 1,500 yen, the quality should be fine.

The price of aroma oils varies a lot depending on the type. For example, damask rose can cost 20,000 yen for 10ml!!

Personally, I buy mine from 生活の木. フレーバーライフ is good too.

DIY Magical Spray Item No. 2

Purified water.

It’s around 159 yen for 500ml on Rakuten.

You can also buy it at pharmacies.

DIY Magical Spray Item No. 3

Anhydrous ethanol.

Right now it’s around 1,500 yen on Amazon.

It’s gotten a bit more expensive because of COVID-19. You can also substitute it with alcoholic vodka. Japanese sake doesn’t have enough alcohol, so it won’t work

DIY Magical Spray Item No. 4

A beaker, measuring cup, and spray bottle.

You might be able to get all of them at a 100-yen shop.

The spray bottle is for 30ml. A 50ml one is fine too.

How to Make It（Takes 3 Minutes）

The mask spray itself can be made in 3 minutes.

But choosing the fragrance takes time. The Nishitsu members agonized over it for about an hour.
（We’ll talk about choosing aroma oils later）

Here’s how to make it.

1. Put 5ml of anhydrous ethanol into the spray bottle
2. Add 6 drops of aroma oil to the above and mix
3. Add 25ml of purified water, close the lid, and mix.

That’s it! Easy!

Put 5ml of Anhydrous Ethanol into the Spray Bottle

Measure 5ml of anhydrous ethanol with a measuring cup.

Then put it into the spray bottle.

Add 6 Drops of Your Favorite Aroma Oil

Add 6 drops of your favorite aroma oil.

There’s one important note. When adding the oil, don’t shake it!

Some aroma oils are a little thick, but if you tilt the bottle for a bit, a drop will fall out. (If it really won’t come out, warming it with your hands helps, apparently）

Add 25ml of Purified Water, Close the Lid, and Mix

Measure 25ml of purified water with a measuring cup.

Then put the lid on,

and shake it up.

After that, dig in! enjoy the fragrance.

“Smells sooo good～～”

About 2 sprays on your mask is best.

How to Choose Aroma Oils

This time, we’re using 6 drops of aroma oil.

And there are about 300 kinds of aroma oils in total.

You’re probably thinking, “No way I can choose from that many.”

So we’ll narrow it down to our recommendations.

There Are 2 Types of Mask Sprays

To be honest, the recommended aroma oils for masks fall into the following two types:

• Antibacterial and antiviral
• Ones that smell good

Antibacterial and antiviral↓

• Eucalyptus
• Tea tree
• Cypress
• Ravintsara
• Peppermint

Ones that smell good↓

• Lavender
• Petitgrain
• Neroli
• Orange
• Bergamot
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Rosewood
• Geranium
• Frankincense
• Sandalwood
• Ylang-ylang

Whether you prioritize antibacterial properties or fragrance for your mask spray is totally up to you.
(Orange is listed under “ones that smell good,” but apparently it also has antibacterial and antiviral qualities)

By the way, kids tend to like the scent of orange.

Adults tend to like grapefruit. Actually, almost no one dislikes it??

Here’s an archive-style collection of the aroma oil talk we had with the Nishitsu members and Matsumoto-sensei while making the aroma spray. Use it as a reference when choosing your aroma oils. (That said, the Nishitsu members’ opinions (we chose orange) are probably way too personal, so please just take it as “aha, so some people think that way.”)

Orange

Citrus. A scent kids love.

Mandarin

Citrus. Richer than orange. Fruity.

Eucalyptus

An herbal scent. Koalas’ staple food. Since it’s a tall tree, the keyword is “growth.” The Nishitsu members said it smelled like a bathroom.

Tea Tree

Colds, hay fever. Nasal congestion and such. The Nishitsu members said it smelled medicinal, like preservatives, or like the smell given off by swallowtail butterfly larvae.

Ravintsara

A scent used in perfumes and the like.

Lavender

A relaxing scent. Good before bed and so on.

Petitgrain

Orange twigs. If you don’t like lavender, this can be used as a relaxing alternative.

Grapefruit

Citrus. A scent 99% of adults like. Good for stress relief. It has that refreshing! kind of image. It’s also used at hospital reception areas. Recommended for moms raising kids or when you’re feeling irritated. And it’s cheap.

Lemon