The Magic Scent | Hotel di Positano REVIEW

A look into Hotel di Positano by The Magic Scent

When the box first arrived we uncapped the bottle and were greeted by a breeze that felt unmistakably Mediterranean. Clean citrus, soft floral air and a faint sun-warmed boardwalk dryness. The brand markets the oil as a sensory shortcut to Italy’s Amalfi coast, and, after three weeks of testing in three very different homes, we think that description is on point.

How the scent profile progresses

The opening: citrus you can almost taste
Diffused neat through a cold-air nebulizer, the fragrance launches with a simultaneously zesty and slightly sweet duet of lemon and peach. The lemon slices through stale indoor air the way a twist of peel brightens a spritzer, while peach rounds off any sharp edges so the room never smells like cleaning fluid. In our experience the top accord announces itself within thirty seconds and lingers for roughly five minutes before giving way to the florals. Reviewers on Amazon echo this “sunny but not sour” effect, calling the opening “hotel-lobby fresh” and “vacation in a bottle.”

The heart: an airy veranda of flowers
Once the citrus mist settles, jasmine and violet unfurl in a gauzy layer that feels like white curtains billowing over tiled floors. Jasmine contributes dew and brightness; violet adds a powdery softness that stops short of vintage-perfume heaviness. Because the peach continues to hum underneath, the florals never turn soapy or cloying, even in a smaller powder-room test. We noticed the floral heart persisted for nearly two hours on a 30 sec ON / 2 min OFF schedule in a 600 ft² studio—long enough to carry through a WFH morning without needing a refresh.

The dry-down: driftwood at dusk
Behind the flowers waits a quiet blend of cedarwood and clean musk. The cedar here is polished rather than pencil-sharp. The musk smells freshly laundered, not animalic. Together they create an almost tactile hug of warmth, the olfactory equivalent of stepping from sun into the shade of a wooden deck. Because the base is subtle, it functions as a smooth landing strip. We found that guests notice the room “just smells good” rather than “smells perfumey.” It’s calming yet elegant. It doesn’t hit you in the back of the throat.

Projection & Longevity, and some tips

Across the three bottle sizes the oil holds an Amazon average of 4.3 / 5 from roughly 280 ratings. Happy buyers praise its strength in foyers and hallways; the main gripe is that it can feel faint in cavernous open-concept rooms when run through small ultrasonic diffusers. Our own figures align: in a 1,200 ft² loft we needed to double the nebulizer cycle (40 sec ON / 2 min OFF) to maintain a perceptible trail. Expect to use about 5–7 ml per day at those settings, which places a 120 ml bottle in the one-month range.

We found that the sweet spot for this Magic Scent oil is 300 W / 120 P (30 sec ON, 2 min OFF) for a 1,500 ft² main floor. Anything longer can burn through oil with little added benefit. Also, try not to use water-based ultrasonic units as they mute the fragrance and leave citrus molecules behind in the tank. If you're serious about the scent, a cold-air nebulizer or HVAC injector preserves both the clarity and reach.

Because citrus oxidizes quickly, we recommend transferring a week’s worth of oil to a dark 10 ml vial and store the main bottle in a drawer. Also, this oil surprisingly works well even in travel situations. A single cotton pad soaked in Positano inside a zip-lock bag can turn a bland hotel room into a mini home-away-from-home. So, feel free to include it in your next travel checklist.

Where it shines

Entryways, guest bathrooms and home offices all benefit from the sparkling top and clean base. The scent is gender-neutral and avoids gourmand sweetness, making it safe for shared spaces and Airbnbs. It’s also pet friendly: both our dogs and cats showed zero irritation, likely thanks to the absence of heavy spicy oils.

Final take
Collectively, we rank Hotel di Positano as The Magic Scent’s crowd-pleaser: bright enough to energize, refined enough to feel upscale, and versatile across seasons. It doesn't really have a place where the scent would not feel right at all. This is why we describe it as the crowd-pleaser. Pair it with the right cold-air diffuser and you’ll have a slice of beautiful Amalfi at your home.