The science

Four decades of clinical evidence. Finally wearable.

HME technology has been used in hospitals, operating theatres, and intensive care units since the 1980s. OASIS brings that same validated mechanism to the environments real people move through every day.

40+
Years of clinical HME use in hospitals worldwide
40-60%
relative humidity is the ideal range for upper airway defense
5-12%
Relative humidity inside a commercial aircraft cabin

The mechanism

What is Heat and Moisture Exchange?

A Heat and Moisture Exchanger (HME) is a passive respiratory device that captures heat and moisture from exhaled breath and returns it to inhaled air. In clinical settings, HMEs are used wherever a patient's natural airway humidification is bypassed or compromised, during mechanical ventilation, general anaesthesia, and post-operative recovery.

This process mirrors what your own nasal passages and upper airway do naturally. In environments where the humidity differential is too great for the body to compensate alone, a HME provides the bridge.

Exhale
Warm, moist breath leaves the body
Capture
The HME holds the heat and moisture
Inhale
Cold & dry air returns conditioned and warm

Passive. Continuous. No power needed.

The problem

What cold & dry air actually does to your body.

Your upper airway is designed to warm and humidify every breath before it reaches your lungs. Cold and dry air compromises your body's first line of defense. When air humidity drops, this system works harder. When it drops to the levels found in a plane cabin, it cannot fully compensate.

01
Mucociliary impairment
The cilia lining your airways require adequate humidity to function. In cold & dry air, the ciliary beat frequency slows, reducing your airway's ability to clear particles and pathogens, and thus compromising your body's first line of defense.
02
Mucosal dryness
The mucous membranes lining your nasal passages and throat become dry and irritated. This causes the familiar discomfort of a dry throat, nasal congestion, and post-flight fatigue.
03
Increased water loss
In a low-humidity environment, each breath draws more moisture from your body. Over a long-haul flight, the cumulative effect is significant dehydration of the respiratory tract.

Humidity is not comfort. It is defense.

How HME works

Every time you exhale, your breath carries warmth and moisture. The HME device in OASIS captures both. On your next inhale, dry outside air passes back through and recovers those conditions before entering your body. Passive. Continuous. No power needed.

Why humidity matters

A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Rhinology found that healthy volunteers who wore a passive humidifying device for just one hour showed a measurable improvement in nasal humidity and nasal patency afterward. The research points to a simple idea: restoring moisture to the nose helps it do its job.

The evidence

The clinical evidence base.

Air travel
Cabin air on a typical commercial flight sits at roughly 5-12% relative humidity, far below the 40-60% range associated with healthy upper airway function. Combined with hours of continuous exposure, this is one of the most concentrated low-humidity environments most people encounter regularly.
Exercise in cold environments
A 2006 study of athletes with diagnosed exercise-induced bronchoconstriction found that peak oxygen uptake fell by 6.5% and running speed declined significantly when exercising at -0.4°F compared to 68°F. Post-exercise lung function decline also increased, from a 24% to a 31% reduction in FEV1. The findings point to cold air as a meaningful stressor on airway function during exercise.
FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second) measures the amount of air you can forcefully blow out of your lungs in one single second. Findings specific to individuals with diagnosed exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, not the general athletic population.
Post-operative airway management
HME technology is well established in published literature for preventing post-operative pulmonary complications. General anaesthesia and dry gas ventilation impair mucociliary clearance for 2 to 3 days post-surgery. HME use during this window supports recovery and reduces complication rates.
Mucociliary clearance support
Clinical research on ambient humidity and upper airway symptoms consistently demonstrates that maintaining adequate inspired air humidity supports mucociliary function. Environmental management is increasingly recognised in conservative care pathways for chronic upper airway conditions.
ENT post-surgical recovery
Patients recovering from ENT procedures including rhinoplasty, septoplasty, tonsillectomy, and laryngoscopy represent a high-alignment use case. The upper airway structures operated on are precisely where OASIS delivers its core mechanism, supporting recovery when mucociliary clearance is most acutely impaired.
Radiation-induced oral mucositis
Head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy experience near-universal mucosal dryness. HME-based passive humidification is referenced in international clinical guidelines as a supportive intervention. Studies report significant patient benefit including pain relief and reduced hospital readmission.

THE VAPORTAB

Clinical-grade essential oils. Delivered at the source.

The VaporTab is the second layer inside every OASIS unit. Where the HME device conditions the air you breathe, the VaporTab adds clinical-grade essential oils into that same humidified airstream, at the exact point of inhalation.

Formulated in partnership with Aeroscena

Most essential oil products deliver fragrance into open air. Diffusers, candles, and sprays release oils into a room where they disperse and reach the nose diluted and inconsistently.

The VaporTab works differently. It sits inside the OASIS wearable, within the warm, humid microenvironment the HME device has already created. When activated, it releases clinical-grade essential oils directly into each inhaled breath at the moment it enters your airway.

This matters for two reasons. First, a humidified airstream carries aroma molecules more efficiently than dry air, improving delivery to the olfactory epithelium, the sensory tissue at the roof of the nasal cavity. Second, delivery at the point of inhalation means higher concentration and greater consistency than any ambient method can achieve.

The olfactory system connects directly to the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotion, memory, and autonomic nervous system regulation. Inhaled aroma compounds can influence heart rate, respiratory rate, and perceived stress through these pathways. Each VaporTab formulation is built to engage this system in a specific, intentional direction.

Delivery at the source

The VaporTab releases oils into a humidified airstream already moving toward your airway. Aroma molecules travel further and arrive more consistently than any ambient delivery method can achieve.

The olfactory pathway

Inhaled aroma compounds reach the olfactory epithelium and connect directly to the limbic system, the brain's centre for emotion, memory, and autonomic regulation. The effect is physiological, not incidental.

Formulated for clinical use

VaporTab essential oils are sourced through Aeroscena, whose Ascents formulations have been used in peer-reviewed clinical studies across oncology, paediatric, and surgical settings.

Always optional

The VaporTab comes included with every unit. Activate it when you want it. Leave it untouched for pure humidification. The HME works either way.

THE FORMULATION

Each VaporTab is built for a specific olfactory direction.

VaporTab

Clear

EUCALYPTUS GLOBULUS · CAJEPUT · PEPPERMINT · WINTERGREEN · CLOVE BUD · JUNIPER

Clear is built around a single sensory goal: the feeling of cool, open airways. Peppermint, naturally rich in menthol, delivers the primary cooling sensation, engaging the same cold-receptor pathway responsible for that crisp, clear-headed feeling, without any physical change to airway diameter. Eucalyptus globulus and cajeput reinforce that coolness with a clean, camphoraceous brightness, while clove bud, wintergreen, and juniper add warmth and depth to the profile. Together they create an immediate, easy-breathing sensation suited to congestion, cold and flu season, and high-demand breathing moments.

CLINICAL EVIDENCE

Essential oils in clinical settings.

Moffitt Cancer Center

Anxiety reduction in oncology patients

A clinical study at Moffitt Cancer Center found that patients who received Ascents essential oil aromatherapy reported significant reductions in anxiety scores compared to controls. The inhaled delivery format was central to the study protocol.

Findings relate to Ascents clinical formulations in a research context.

Nebraska Children's Hospital

Pre-procedural anxiety in paediatric patients

Research at Nebraska Children's Hospital examined the use of Ascents aromatherapy to reduce pre-procedural anxiety in paediatric patients. Results demonstrated meaningful reductions in self-reported anxiety prior to medical procedures.

Findings relate to Ascents clinical formulations in a research context.

Drexel University / Johns Hopkins

Stress and mood outcomes

A study conducted across Drexel University and Johns Hopkins evaluated the effect of Ascents inhaled essential oil formulations on stress and mood markers. Participants reported measurable improvements in perceived stress and emotional wellbeing.

Findings relate to Ascents clinical formulations in a research context.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Clinical study findings cited above relate to Ascents essential oil formulations used in specific institutional research contexts and do not represent claims about OASIS or the VaporTab insert.

Not borrowed from healthcare. Born in it.

OASIS was developed by an ENT surgeon, bringing genuine clinical expertise and firsthand patient insight to every aspect of the product. The HME application is the subject of granted patent filings.

Designed in America.

LAUNCHING OCTOBER 2026

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