PLANT OIL
Cedarwood Oil
A woody essential oil valued for its warm, grounding aromatic character in skin and scalp care. As with many aromatic plant oils, it is used in small amounts within a formula.
Source
Cedar and juniper wood
Used for
A warm, woody scent
How it works
Cedarwood oil is steam-distilled from Cedrus wood and needles. Its sesquiterpene compounds, including cedrol and alpha-cedrene, give the oil its distinctive warm, woody character.
Cedarwood oil has a long history of traditional and aromatic use in skin and scalp care, valued above all for this warm, woody, grounding scent, and that aromatic role is the reason it is included.
As with other essential-oil-derived ingredients, cedarwood is used at low concentration within a formula rather than applied undiluted, and those with known fragrance sensitivities may want to patch test before regular use.
Cedarwood oil has a long history of traditional and aromatic use in skin and scalp care, valued above all for this warm, woody, grounding scent, and that aromatic role is the reason it is included.
As with other essential-oil-derived ingredients, cedarwood is used at low concentration within a formula rather than applied undiluted, and those with known fragrance sensitivities may want to patch test before regular use.
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01
Contains cedrol and other aromatic sesquiterpene compounds
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Traditionally used for its warm, woody, grounding character
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A natural aromatic long used in skin and scalp care
Questions
What is cedarwood oil?
Cedarwood oil is the essential oil from the wood of trees known as cedar. That name covers the true cedars (Cedrus) but also several other groups of trees, including junipers (Juniperus), cypresses (Cupressus), Thuja and Cryptomeria. These wood oils have long been used as flavour and fragrance materials, so the botanical name on an ingredient list tells you which tree the oil came from. (Setzer & Satyal, 2026)
Are all cedarwood oils the same?
No. Their character depends on the tree. Oils from true cedars and from junipers such as Juniperus virginiana have different natural compound profiles, though most share a family of compounds called sesquiterpenoids that gives cedarwood its classic woody fragrance. (Setzer & Satyal, 2026)
Is cedarwood oil the same as juniper extract?
Not quite, although the two can be related. Virginian cedarwood oil comes from the wood of eastern red-cedar, Juniperus virginiana, a juniper native to eastern North America. Juniper extracts such as juniper callus extract come from common juniper, Juniperus communis, a different species native to Europe and temperate Asia. Same genus, different trees and different plant materials. (USDA GRIN Taxonomy)
About the plant
Cedarwood oil can come from quite different trees. Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, is a true cedar of the pine family (Pinaceae), native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria. (USDA GRIN Taxonomy)
Eastern red-cedar, Juniperus virginiana, is botanically a juniper in the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It grows naturally across eastern North America, from Ontario and Québec south to Florida and west to Texas, and its essential oil has a long-established use in perfumery. (USDA GRIN Taxonomy)
Eastern red-cedar, Juniperus virginiana, is botanically a juniper in the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It grows naturally across eastern North America, from Ontario and Québec south to Florida and west to Texas, and its essential oil has a long-established use in perfumery. (USDA GRIN Taxonomy)
Good to know
Cedarwood oil is a natural fragrance ingredient, and some people are sensitive to fragrance. If you know you react to fragrance ingredients, patch test first.
The research
- Setzer WN, Satyal P. Cedarwood Oils: The Wood Essential Oil Compositions from Trees Known as "Cedar". Plants (Basel), 2026. doi:10.3390/plants15040659 (opens in a new tab)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, GRIN-Global Taxonomy: Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) G. Manetti ex Carrière (opens in a new tab)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, GRIN-Global Taxonomy: Juniperus virginiana L. (opens in a new tab)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, GRIN-Global Taxonomy: Juniperus communis L. var. communis (opens in a new tab)
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