Virginia cedar (Juniperus virginiana, the eastern red cedar) yields an essential oil that is drier, slightly sharper, and more pencil-shaving in character than Atlas cedar or Texas cedar. The oil is steam-distilled from the heartwood of trees grown across Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Virginia cedar became a niche-perfumery staple in the 2010s "dry-wood" wave that prized texture over warmth, appearing in many Le Labo and Comme des Garcons releases that wanted a clean structural wood without the smokiness of guaiac or the cosmetic edge of sandalwood. It pairs especially well with vetiver, papyrus, iso-E-super, and pink pepper for modern unisex and masculine compositions. Browse Virginia-cedar-led fragrances at the Virginia cedar collection.
