Cedar smells clean, dry and resinous, with a pencil-shaving sharpness and a faint sweet-balsamic undertone. It is one of the most recognisable woods in perfumery and one of the most useful as a structural ingredient.
The name covers several unrelated species. Virginia cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is actually a juniper and provides the classic dry, pencil-like scent. Texas cedar is similar but sharper. Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) from Morocco's Middle Atlas is softer, more balsamic and slightly sweet, while Himalayan or Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) sits between the two. Oil is steam-distilled from the heartwood, and cedar-derived molecules such as Iso E Super and Cedramber are ubiquitous in modern perfumery.
Cedar is a base note and a workhorse. Perfumers use it to add backbone to fougeres, transparency to modern woody compositions, and dryness to florals and gourmands. It pairs cleanly with vetiver, sandalwood, iris and citrus.
Cedar is a year-round note, reading coolest in summer and most resinous when layered with wool, leather or amber in winter.
