This £30 M&S electric diffuser looks just like The White Company's – but £40 less

Scenting our spaces is something we love to do over here at Ideal Home - and the new M&S electric diffuser is looking to make this even easier to do.

Whether or not you've already given your home a signature scent (and if not, we really can't recommend this enough), keeping the right level of fragrance around your space can be something of an art form – especially if you don't want to keep candles burning 24/7.

So when we discovered M&S had released a gorgeous new electric diffuser we were delighted as these clever gadgets are the perfect way to ensure you have just the right amount of scenting in your home. No matches, timers or Alexa reminders required.

The M&S electric diffuser

The Apothecary Electric Diffuser, £30 at M&S has both style and substance (always music to our ears). The white fluted ceramic design is bang on trend and would fit seamlessly onto a sideboard, bedside table or bookshelf.

This diffuser works by using silent ultrasonic vibrations to regularly send gentle mists of the best home fragrance into the air and even has a light function, in case you want a warming glow in the evenings. No worries if you forgot to switch it off, either, as it will automatically turn off after six hours anyway. 

The first thing we thought of when seeing this product was, of course, the cult Electronic Diffuser, £70 from The White Company which we have raved about on many occasions for how to make a home smell nice, so let's look at the two side-by-side...

The two diffusers work in the same way, but the more expensive White Company option does come with some added bells and whistles – namely, the lovely wooden-effect base and different functionality.

While, unlike the M&S one, the White Company's diffuser doesn't have a light it does have a 'Mist' function' so you can easily add extra scent as and when needed, and a timer for two, fours and eight hours so you can choose how long you'd like it to run for or if you'd like it to auto shut-off.

Whichever option you go for, you're sure to enjoy having a scented home – perhaps full of scents to calm you down, or scents to get you going in the mornings. They're both easy to add to any space thanks to their chic and sophisticated good looks, so they're both winners in our eyes.