fresh notes
Research check

Can peppermint scent help you feel more alert? What studies actually show

One study found benefits. Others didn’t. A closer look at the mixed results.

By the viff team2 min read
Mint tea beside an open desk calendar
Illustrative photography نشمـيّـه / Pexels
In this article
  1. A study that found differences
  2. Other experiments tell a less simple story
  3. What can we fairly say?
  4. Read the research
The short version

Peppermint and alertness is an interesting research topic, but the findings are mixed. These studies do not establish that a viff inhaler improves focus or memory.

A study that found differences

Moss and colleagues randomly assigned 144 volunteers to peppermint aroma, ylang-ylang aroma or no-aroma conditions. They reported differences favouring peppermint on memory measures and self-rated alertness. [1]

That is worth knowing. It is also one experiment, with particular exposure conditions and tests. Feeling alert and performing better on every attention task are not interchangeable outcomes.

Other experiments tell a less simple story

A 2010 study examined several odorants, including peppermint oil, during a visual vigilance task. Comparisons with a control group did not show the expected performance effects. [2]

A later paper, published online in December 2024 and in a 2025 journal issue, tested a specific claim about peppermint, lavender and the “attentional blink”: difficulty spotting a second target soon after a first. Across three experiments, the researchers found no evidence that the scents changed that effect. [3]

What can we fairly say?

The experiments used different tasks and exposures, so they are not identical tests of one promise. A null result on one task does not erase every other finding; a positive result on another does not establish a general focus benefit.

None of these studies tested a viff inhaler. We describe ours as a pocket-sized scent refresh, without promising improved concentration, memory or productivity.

Read the research

  1. Moss et al. (2008). Modulation of cognitive performance and mood by aromas of peppermint and ylang-ylang.
  2. Heuberger & Ilmberger (2010). The influence of essential oils on human vigilance.
  3. Hackländer, Baess & Bermeitinger. Smells like … no evidence that odors influence the attentional blink. Online 2024; journal issue 2025.