Woods · Ingredient
Cedar
WoodsBoth
What does cedar smell like?
Dry, woody, and clean with a slightly pencil-shaving quality. Can range from sharp and camphorous to smooth and velvety.
About Cedar
Cedar is the workhorse of woody perfumery. It is affordable, versatile, and blends beautifully with almost everything. There are several types used in fragrance. Virginia cedarwood (actually a juniper) has a dry, pencil-shaving quality. Atlas cedar from Morocco is richer and more resinous. Texas cedarwood is sharper and more camphoraceous. Most "cedar" you encounter in fragrances is actually a blend of several types, often supplemented with synthetic molecules like Iso E Super, which has a warm, velvety cedar character.
Origin and Extraction
Origin
United States (Virginia), Morocco (Atlas), Texas
Extraction Method
Steam distillation of wood chips and sawdust. Cedar oil is one of the most efficiently produced essential oils.
Common Pairings
Cedar works especially well alongside these ingredients:
Interesting Facts
- Virginia cedarwood is not actually from the cedar family at all. It is a juniper.
- Iso E Super, one of the most used synthetic molecules in perfumery, has a warm cedar-like character.
- Cedar oil is one of the cheapest essential oils to produce, which is why it appears in so many fragrances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Cedar smell like?+
Dry, woody, and clean with a slightly pencil-shaving quality. Can range from sharp and camphorous to smooth and velvety.
Is Cedar natural or synthetic?+
Cedar used in modern perfumery is both. Cedar is the workhorse of woody perfumery.
What fragrances have Cedar?+
Many luxury fragrances use Cedar to add woods characteristics.
Try before you commit to the bottle
Not sure yet? Our 10ml gives you 150+ sprays to decide. Starting from under $7.
References
- Sell, Charles. "The Chemistry of Fragrances." RSC, 2006.
Last updated: 2026-04-02