the making of own time

According to Sleep Advisor, 1 in 3 adults worldwide report not getting enough sleep, and according to YPulse, 67% of British 18-39-year-olds feel constantly stressed. With statistics like these, it’s a fair assumption that we’re amid a generation of burnt-out, dysregulated, and extremely tired people seeking help with switching off. As experts in sleep science, This Works has made it our mission to bring simple, science-backed solutions for better sleep, focus, stress, and mood management that work with modern lifestyles. This year, we’re taking this a step further with a Neuro-Platform, which includes a portfolio of first-of-its-kind fragrances and nervous system care. While we are pioneering and shaping the landscape of rest with a suite of neuro-modulating solutions you’ve never seen before, we first take a look back at how we got here, why Own Time had to exist, and why we were the brand that had to bring it to you. It all begins with sleep.

Since our launch in 2004, our aim has always been to create sleep and wellness products that not only work but fit into, and most importantly, improve people’s lives. It was our mission to put sleep on the map by educating people about the Circadian Rhythm (the internal 24-hour clock that governs alertness, hormone release, and sleep) and the importance of high-quality, restorative rest. We did this by developing a first-of-its-kind Functional Fragrance for our iconic deep sleep pillow spray and, eventually, the rest of our Deep Sleep collection. We drew on the power of neuroscience by examining how essential oils and terpenes activated specific areas of the brain under functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Our Deep Sleep Functional Fragrance uses a blend of Lavender, Camomile, and Vetivert and has been shown to activate areas of the brain associated with emotions, pleasure, and calmness, demonstrating the potential to encourage a predisposition towards sleep.*

The launch of deep sleep pillow spray cemented us in people’s lives as the world’s leading experts in the sleep-wellness space, and a wellbeing brand they can truly trust. We were the first to align skincare and wellness with the body’s Circadian Rhythm, supported by clinical trials, independent studies, and the belief that sleep is the most important step in any skincare routine. Since its launch, deep sleep pillow spray has sold in over 50 countries, won 200+ awards, achieved over 18,500 five-star reviews, and sold over 12 million bottles worldwide (that’s 1 sold every 79 seconds!).

Today, This Works is trusted because we stick to our promise. While it’s an honour to have the name ‘This Works’, it’s something we don’t take lightly, and it serves as a constant reminder that we don’t just claim we can do something; we prove it. Now, we are working to bridge the gap between fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest by expanding our evening collection beyond sleep and educating people on how to harness and protect those precious evening hours of 6pm-midnight We want to show that, through neuro-modulating fragrance and behavioural adjustments, we can transform our evenings in a way that feels calmer, more connected and in tune with how we want to spend our time, leading to better sleep.

For our CEO, Dr Anna Persaud, the making of Own Time is not just business; it is personal. Nervous system dysregulation is something she has been living with for most of her life, after her nervous system was injured as a child. After feeling she had been learning to manage a very sensitive nervous system that feels in a state of high alert for many years, Anna began looking for products and practices to help her regulate. It’s this experience that drives This Works into a new phase of nervous system care. The products we’ve developed and the research we have done give people simple, enjoyable ways to build daily rituals into their lives, providing an extra tool or lever to manage what they cannot control. Anna believes that if you can regulate your nervous system, you can regulate your experience, and her mission is to put science and evidence behind the products that can help you do that. “As a brand, if we can help people do that, it will make the biggest difference to the quality of our lives,” says Anna.
“My understanding of the nervous system began not in a lab, but in life. As a scientist, mother, and CEO, I’ve lived through the effects of nervous system dysregulation — sleeplessness, emotional overload, and chronic stress. This experience shaped my belief that true wellbeing starts with the brain. We, at This Works, have been at the forefront of neuroscience, and now we’re doubling down on this rather unique expertise with the This Works Neuro Platform, our science-led framework to help guide the body from stress into regulation. Learning to support my nervous system in response to my own dysregulation has shaped how I think about wellbeing and the support we all need at points during the day. Own Time is really the result of this realisation: a science-backed tool that supports shift us from survival mode into calm, connection, and rest.” - Dr Anna Persaud.

Our collection of skin, body and sleep care products is not just for the evening - they are designed to help you manage your nervous system and mood from the moment you wake right through to bedtime. Our In The Zone range helps you start your day with good intentions. The shower gel and body lotion use an invigorating Functional Fragrance of Eucalyptus, Patchouli & Frankincense, shown in memory recall tests to support cognitive function. The Perfect Collection is a range of bodycare products that uses a mood-boosting fragrance shown under fMRI brain imaging to activate areas of the brain associated with reward, memory and positive emotions. Our stress management collection, Stress Check, uses Eucalyptus, Frankincense, and Lavandin oils to create handy solutions, like a pulse-point roll-on, that encourage you to take a micro moment in your day to pause, breathe, and calm your nervous system.

We launched the Functional Fragrance generation with the Lavender, Camomile and Vetivert aromatherapeutic Superblend in deep sleep pillow spray. Now, over 15 years on, we’re redefining how we use the power of scent through innovation and the addition of Own Time to our scent library informed by over seven years of neuroscientific research.

Own Time is the first luxury neuroscent of it’s kind, specifically created to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s natural ‘rest and digest’ mode, through a unique blend of behaviour-altering terpenes. This groundbreaking innovation helps support the sift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the senses, reduce stress, and support deeper, more restorative sleep while accenting skin with a woody, ambery, and aromatic scent that lingers long into the night.

In 2026, we are at war with ourselves over self-care, rest, and sleep. We may have more knowledge about how sleep affects our mood, energy, digestion, and performance, but we’re still struggling to switch off from the fast-paced lives we have created. We’ve seen a considerable uptick in wellness trends that promote better sleep and focus on those moments just before you drift off, like wearable tech that lets us track sleep quality, mouth tape that helps improve breathing, and pre-sleep supplements that help speed up falling asleep. Yet, somehow, restorative rest still feels out of reach. Why? Because we’re stuck in a cycle of craving rest but not knowing how to access it.

We've lost those precious hours between 6 pm and midnight. A time that should be for calmness, conversation, human connection, and stillness has been replaced by screens, rushed meals, more work late into the night, and nervous system overload. We want to bring you back to yourself, to a place where your body and home feels like a safe enough space to switch off and leave the day behind you.

The intention is there, and evening behaviours are shifting. People are no longer just collapsing into bed - they’re creating routines, consciously or not, that help them transition into a calmer state. Rest is being redefined as something that involves both neural and behavioural components. We all want more sleep. We want to feel calmer, but without the right cues or structure, we default to overstimulation: more scrolling, more snacking, more noise. From a biological perspective, this matters because ongoing evening stimulation is associated with elevated cortisol and delayed melatonin release, both of which are linked to poorer sleep quality. People want calm, but their habits and environments often work against their biology, causing more stress and poorer sleep quality.

The lining of the nose contains 50 million olfactory neurons, which receive and transmit signals and carry information directly to the limbic system in the brain. This system, consisting of the hippocampus, hypothalamus and amygdala, helps control numerous voluntary, endocrine (hormonal) and visceral (instinctive) responses to the world around us and is also a key player in our emotional health and wellbeing.

When creating Own Time, we began with mapping the terpene (the aromatic building blocks of essential oils) landscape, really looking into the science of how these work and their potential to influence behaviour and wellbeing.

Research suggests that certain terpenes are associated with a shift away from sympathetic nervous system dominance, which is linked to alertness and stress, and toward parasympathetic activity, often described as the body’s ‘rest and digest’ mode. This shift supports relaxation and readiness for rest, particularly in the evening.

We conducted our own thorough scientific review of the neurological effects of terpenes to identify which ones specifically elicited a nervous system response with calming effects, or were linked to faster sleep onset or better-quality sleep. It was then that we were able to choose which terpenes were best suited to this fragrance and for what they would be used.

Over 100 journals and studies were reviewed to collate information on the neurological effects of essential oils upon the central nervous system. From this research, a palette of terpenes and essential oils was selected for the ability to downregulate the sympathetic nervous system’s ‘fight or flight’ and activate the parasympathetic nervous system’s ‘rest and digest’.

From this palette, over 25 fragrances were developed and refined until their olfactory profiles matched the scientific research. Eventually, two scents were selected and put forward for user trials, as well as a neurological pilot trial with Professor G Badre.

“In the creation of our first fine fragrance, we adhered to the fundamental principles that underline everything we do here at This Works – science first. Our first step was to conduct a thorough research review of the published scientific literature on terpenes, to identify those that had a desired effect upon the body or central nervous system. . These included linalool and limonene, which have excellent anti-antioxidant properties, helping to calm, as well as cedrol and santalol, which have been shown to help improve sleep quality and duration in studies.” - Fraser Fergie, Director of Product Development and Cosmetic Scientist, specialising in essential oils and terpenes. Essentially, trying to switch the body from fight-or-flight mode into rest-and-digest. From these building blocks, we selected a palette of essential oils and worked with a renowned fragrance house and perfumer to craft what became our first Eau Du Parfum, Own Time. Key terpenes we identified were also reviewed by our consulting professor of neuroscience.

When it came to the neuroscience, we called on MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Neuroscientist & Medical Doctor, Professor Gaby Badre. Badre is a Swedish expert in sleep medicine and a clinical neurophysiology specialist in chronobiological disorders, and This Works’ expert scientific advisor. His expertise and specialism helped us refine the terpenes, sesquiterpenes and essential oils. Together, we landed on a scent which uses a unique blend of terpenes, odourless sesquiterpenes and a UV activated molecule, which has been shown to be able to support relaxation and sleep. Together, this powerful blend is supported by fMRI, EEG and HRV studies to help soothe the senses, reduce stress and support deeper, better-quality sleep.

Own Time is a luxury Eau de Parfum with a 25 percent fragrance concentration, but it is formulated differently from traditional perfumes because of the terpenes and sesquiterpenes included, which initiate a neuro-journey that supports the body’s natural circadian rhythm and prepares both mind and body for rest.

It features a secretive note that lies dormant in the formula until it encounters daylight. Once activated, a warming burst of Coumarin evolves the fragrance with an intoxicating powdery rose note that prompts a feeling of calm and comfort at any point in your day. Recent studies have revealed Coumarin’s ability to modulate neurological pathways associated with emotional regulation. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties lend this luxury eau de parfum a further wellbeing note, by helping to reduce oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.

A next-generation sesquiterpene molecule, derived from lavandin grown in the fields of Provence, works in harmony with your body’s natural rhythm to promote restorative rest. When misted on the skin, it helps resynchronise the circadian cycle by supporting melatonin production. As you inhale its soothing aroma, the molecule travels through your olfactory pathways, to help encourage deeper, more peaceful sleep.

With a group of aromas that we believed would work, we needed to craft the elegance and emotional profile fitting to a luxury fragrance, so we asked Alice du Parcq to be involved. As an award-winning fragrance journalist and scent expert with a deep understanding of how fragrance is experienced emotionally, Alice helped translate the science into something truly wearable. Working closely with our perfumer, her role was to refine the aroma profile so that Own Time felt indulgent, cocooning and nurturing - something you would want to return to each evening. Her ability to articulate how a fragrance smells, feels and wears helped ensure Own Time honours its neuro-wellness ambition while remaining a beautifully balanced fine fragrance for everyday life.

“Own Time by This Works is the fragrance you never knew you needed, but it makes total sense. This is the scent companion to the last chapter of your day - that sweet moment of coming home from work, kicking off your shoes, tying up your hair and switching your emails off. The wind-down me-time you’ve been waiting for all day. Around this time last year, Dr Anna Persaud got in touch and told me she wanted to create a first-of-its-kind fragrance that helped people claim back the lost hours of the day from 6pm to midnight when the body goes into rest and digest mode. She wanted to make a beautiful, luxurious, sensual and comforting perfume for people to really indulge in, but with the added functional benefits of terpenes, which Anna and her team have been researching for years. Anna asked me to help her guide the scent profile, and over a couple of sessions, I helped perfumer Julie Noé to tweak the blend slightly to use textural, tonal and temperature concepts that, after years of listening to my audience, I knew felt right and people might crave.” - Alice du Parcq

Once we had laid the scientific and emotive foundations for Own Time, we briefed ‘the nose’, Julie Noé of Givaudan Perfume, to create the scent. She was able to take the science, story and understanding of the way in which Own Time would be used during evening hours to encourage rest, and translate it into a fragrance that feels timelessly elegant; a woody, ambery and aromatic blend that feels grounding, like a comforting veil over skin. She incorporated specific terpenes known to calm the central nervous system and instil a sense of comfort, creating an atmosphere that encourages you to switch off from stress and focus on connecting with the people around you for a more fulfilling evening and restful sleep.

The fragrance opens with a bright note of Rose, Lemon Myrtle, and Pink Peppercorn. Followed by a richer heart of Cardamom, Olibanum, and Cyclamen. Grounding Sandalwood, Musk, and Incense create a lasting finale that lingers on skin long into the night.

To go beyond perception and into physiology, we ran a small lab pilot. Unlike home studies, which tell us how people feel, this allowed us to measure how the body responds to scent-tracking sleep stages and nervous system activity overnight.
We tested two fragrance profiles, a synthetic placebo, and no scent at all. The results were mixed, but meaningful. Some scents may initially act as stressors before becoming soothing, and heavy lab equipment can disrupt natural sleep rhythms.
Clinical and self-perception studies were carried out to evaluate their effects on sleep duration and quality and the central nervous system. We selected the best-performing blend which showed the following across a 28-day use period:

71% felt their sleep quality improved*
74% fell asleep faster*
69% felt calmer and more relaxed in the evening**

*In a panel of 42 participants over a 28-day period.
**In a panel of 45 participants over a 28-day period.

We wanted to bring you a final product that touched all the senses, with a single thread of meaning. Which is why when it came to the bottle, we revised each part until it felt like the perfect shape, colour and opacity. We opted for a round bottle with a design that replicated a clock with a section missing – signifying the lost hours of the evening. The midnight navy colour was chosen for two reasons – the Eau Du Parfum contains a UV-activated molecule, so it is essential we protect the scent from light with a dark bottle, which is best kept away from daylight. And because it replicates those precious nightfall hours where darkness descends, calm and connection should be prioritised. The rounded top feels smooth in the hand with a subtle gold that feels calm and luxurious. The colour palette on the bottle is reflected throughout the website design, with luxurious pink-hued beiges, warm amber, and touches of navy – all of which are a subtle nod to the fragrance's notes: pink peppercorn, sandalwood, cardamom, and powdery rose.

Finally, after many years in the making, we were proud to bring Own Time to press, insiders, and most importantly, you.

We hosted an intimate dinner with editors, journalists and press from globally renowned publications, where Anna introduced the fragrance and her story behind it. The event signified all that Own Time represents: calmness, safety, and connection. We focused on the finer details to immerse our guests in the neurojourney from the 6 o’clock spritz onward. The menu was designed to focus on easing digestion, with a delicious three-course meal and non-alcoholic drinks served. Conversation was in full swing, and the human connection was palpable – proving that with the right tools, even in a social setting, the nervous system can feel regulated and safe to surrender to everything an evening should bring.

Since its launch, Own Time has received industry attention, with articles featured in WWD and multiple 5-star customer reviews.