"I have air fresheners on my mirrors so my car doesn't stink," rhymed Michael "Mike D" Diamond in the 1980s Beastie Boys song ' Slow Ride.' I'm not sure why these lyrics resonated with me during my teenage years, but as the 808 bass notes shook the speaker cones in my 1994 Mazda Miata, I figured I had to spend a few dollars on a trio of Black Ice Little Trees to put up on my rearview mirror. If they were good enough for the Beastie Boys, then they were certainly good enough for me.
Mike D understood the fundamental idea but may not have known the scientific background behind the well-known Little Trees. These were developed by Julius Sämann, a German-Jewish chemist who escaped Nazi persecution and researched aromatic oils in Canada’s pine woods. In 1952, a dairy delivery driver based in Watertown, New York, approached Sämann regarding the unpleasant scent of spilled milk inside his vehicle. Two years after this encounter, Sämann patented odor-neutralizing perfumed blotters. Although early designs depicted an alluring pinup figure, they eventually adopted the now-familiar tree form. Following World War II, as automobile ownership surged along with America's penchant for smoking Pall Mall cigarettes (over half of American adults partook at that time), these pine-scented devices became popular. Today, the business remains under family management and offers additional scents beyond their initial Royal Pine release, including varieties such as Black Ice, New Car Scent, and Vanillaroma.
Although that might seem like an abundance of scents for your car, it represents just a small portion of the aromas that have been offered throughout the years since Little Trees frequently refreshes their selection. As stated by the company, website “To keep introducing fresh and appealing scents each year, regrettably, we must discontinue some that might have lost their popularity over time,” states the company. This announcement brings little joy to enthusiasts of lesser-known varieties such as Heat, Dew Kiss, and Bouquet. Kevin Fielding, a resident of Utah, expressed his deep disappointment at the cessation of Bouquet, calling it "one of the biggest injustices ever perpetrated against car culture." Upon learning about its discontinuation from Little Trees, he promptly purchased the last box of Bouquet air fresheners still available online.
It's fortunate that Fielding filled his supplies when he had the chance. Automobilia Collectors engage in fierce bidding contests for scarce and out-of-production Little Trees, and the current price for an individual Bouquet freshener on eBay typically hovers around $40. Similar to numerous trends in today’s auto world, enthusiasts display their accumulations of these tiny pine-shaped ornaments through platforms such as Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube. It may seem puzzling why people save old-fashioned car scents since one could reasonably think they'd fade away over time. However, according to a user within the r/LittleTrees subreddit, air fresheners kept untouched since the 1980s can still emit a faint scent once removed from their original plastic packaging.
The Beastie Boys song fails to mention that the cellophane wrapping around Little Trees isn’t meant to be discarded right away. The patent states that you should gradually remove the air freshener from this packaging since "if users had complete control over how far they pulled out the device, they could end up using too much of it, leading to an overpowering scent which may not be enjoyable." This explains why my Miata smelled overwhelmingly like Black Ice.
This tale initially surfaced in the March/April 2025 edition of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join the club To get our acclaimed magazine and gain exclusive entry to car-related happenings, rebates, emergency road service, and additional perks.
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