12 Years of MONQ - The Story of a Category
2014 - 2026
12 Years of Breathing
Intentionally.
How a surgeon's personal discovery became the world's first personal aromatherapy company - and reached more than one million people.
The Origin
A surgeon walks into a yoga class.
Dr. Eric Fishman spent years as a vascular surgeon - one of the most demanding specialties in medicine. Long hours, high stakes, the particular kind of pressure that accumulates in silence. Like many physicians, he found his own path to decompression. His led to a yoga mat, and eventually to an insight about the nose.
Retronasal olfaction - the mechanism by which scent travels from the mouth through the back of the nasal passage to the olfactory bulb - had been studied in academic literature for decades. What nobody had done was build a product around it. A pocket-sized device that could deliver a precise botanical blend through a single intentional breath.
In 2014, Dr. Fishman did exactly that. MONQ - personal aromatherapy - was born.
No nicotine. No artificial ingredients. No lung inhalation. Just botanicals, heat, and one breath through the mouth and out through the nose. The category did not exist before MONQ. It does now.
The Journey
12 milestones. 12 years.
| 2014 |
Category invented. Dr. Eric Fishman creates the first personal aromatherapy diffuser. MONQ launches. A new wellness category exists. |
| 2015 |
Word spreads. Early retail partnerships and organic word-of-mouth carry MONQ to a rapidly growing audience of wellness seekers. |
| 2017 |
100,000 customers. The first blends - Happy, Focus, Ocean, Sleepy, Zen, and Sexy - develop devoted followings. Customers describe MONQ as part of their daily ritual. |
| 2019 |
CBD line launched. MONQ expands with CBD diffusers - the same retronasal delivery method, now pairing botanical blends with American-grown CBD isolate. Zero THC. Non-intoxicating. |
| 2021 |
500,000 customers. Half a million people have made MONQ part of their lives. The brand earns its place in the modern wellness toolkit alongside meditation, movement, and sleep hygiene. |
| 2023 |
New blends. New reach. Forest, Peace, Fresh, and Relieve join the lineup - each a precisely formulated blend of pure essential oils with a distinct intention behind every breath. |
| 2026 |
1,000,000+ customers. 12 years. Still nicotine-free. Still botanical. Still one breath. The category MONQ created is now a global wellness ritual shared by over a million people. |
The Science
We didn't invent aromatherapy.
We invented a better way to experience it.
Traditional aromatherapy diffuses scent into the air around you. MONQ delivers botanical blends directly to your olfactory system - the part of the brain most directly connected to mood and memory - through retronasal olfaction.
The method is simple: inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose. The aromatic mist travels the retronasal pathway, reaching the olfactory receptors at the roof of the nasal cavity. One breath. An immediate, personal experience.
Explore the Forest ScienceThe Full Story
Why This Top Surgeon Left Medicine
to Build a Wellness Company
Dr. Eric Fishman tells the complete story - from the operating room to the idea that changed his life and the lives of over a million people.
Available on YouTube and major podcast platforms.
12th Anniversary Gift
$12 Off.
Every Original and CBD Diffuser - through August 3.
Use Code
MONQ12
Disclaimer: 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. MONQ blends should not be inhaled into the lungs. Inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose. No Nicotine Ever in MONQ Pens. MONQ Diffusers are not intended for individuals under 18, or women who are pregnant or nursing.