Cedarwood smells dry, woody and clean — most people recognise it at once as the smell of sharpened pencils. Depending on the source, it can lean drier and more pencil-like, softer and more balsamic, or slightly smoky and sweet. In perfume, cedarwood is one of the most widely used woody notes: it gives structure and a clean, upright woodiness to everything from fresh colognes to dark ambers. Curiously, several of perfumery’s "cedarwoods" do not come from true cedars at all, but from junipers.

The different cedarwoods

The name covers several woods, each with its own character:

  • Virginia cedarwood — from Juniperus virginiana, the eastern red cedar of North America. Botanically a juniper. Dry, clean and sharply pencil-like (pencils were traditionally made from it).
  • Texas cedarwood — from Juniperus ashei and related junipers. Woody and slightly smoky.
  • Atlas cedarwood — from Cedrus atlantica, a true cedar of the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. Softer, warmer and more balsamic, with a faintly sweet, honeyed depth.
  • Himalayan cedarwood — from Cedrus deodara, also a true cedar. Similar to Atlas, woody and resinous.

Cedarwood oils are usually steam-distilled from wood chips, sawdust or stumps, often by-products of timber use. Perfumers also use refined fractions and molecules derived from cedarwood that give a smoother, more velvety wood. See How Perfume Ingredients Are Extracted.

What cedarwood smells like, facet by facet

  • Pencil shavings — the dry, clean core.
  • Balsamic and sweet — especially in Atlas and Himalayan cedar.
  • Smoky — a hint, particularly in Texas cedar.
  • Earthy and mineral — a dry, stony quality that makes it feel calm. See What Does Earthy Mean in Perfume?.

Cedar is the straight line in a perfume: the wood that holds everything else up.

How perfumers use cedarwood

  • As a backbone. Cedar gives structure in the base of countless perfumes, often unnoticed but essential. See Top, Heart and Base Notes.
  • In woody perfumes, where it can be the theme, often with vetiver and sandalwood. See Woody Fragrances.
  • In fresh and citrus perfumes, giving bergamot and lemon a lasting, clean base. See Bergamot in Perfume.
  • In fougères and aromatic perfumes, with lavender and herbs. See What Is a Fougère Fragrance?.
  • In florals, where a little cedar keeps roses and violets from becoming too sweet. See Violet in Perfume.
  • With spices and leather, beside cardamom, saffron and smoke. See Cardamom in Perfume.

Cedarwood compared with other woods

Wearing cedarwood

Cedarwood is one of the easiest woody notes to wear: clean, unsweet and quiet. It suits daytime, offices and every season. If you find woody perfumes too heavy, a cedar-led fragrance is a good place to start. As a base note, it is most noticeable after the first hour; see What Is the Dry Down of a Perfume?.

Common questions

Why does cedarwood smell like pencils?

Because pencils were traditionally made from it — especially Virginia cedar, a juniper that perfumery also calls cedarwood.

Is Virginia cedar a real cedar?

Botanically, no: it is a juniper (Juniperus virginiana). True cedars belong to the genus Cedrus, such as Atlas and Himalayan cedar.

Is cedarwood a masculine note?

It is common in perfumes marketed to men, but it appears in perfumes for everyone. See What Makes a Fragrance Unisex?.

Does cedarwood last long?

Yes. It is a base note and one of the longer-lasting woods.

Sources

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plants of the World Online — entries for Juniperus virginiana, Juniperus ashei, Cedrus atlantica and Cedrus deodara, checked on 11 October 2026; botanical names change.

Further reading

For perfumers, RUŌOD Lab covers cedarwood oils and woody aroma chemicals in Woody Notes in Perfumery. The differences between Virginia, Texas and Atlas cedarwood oils, and the derivatives made from them, are set out in Cedarwood in Perfumery.