alpha-Cedrene

What alpha-Cedrene smells like

alpha-Cedrene is the main hydrocarbon of cedarwood oil and the raw material for many cedarwood derivatives. A perfumery glossary describes it as sharp and dry, closer to fresh pencil shavings than to polished wood, more angular than cedrol and less polished than cedryl acetate. A review of cedarwood derivatives names cedrene and thujopsene as the two main components of the hydrocarbon cut used to make them. Fraterworks describes a clean, dry, transparent woody aroma reminiscent of fresh pencil shavings, with mild balsamic sweetness and faintly smoky-leathery undertones, lacking the sweet balsamic warmth of cedrol or cedryl acetate; it presents it as a fixative and woody backbone for masculine, leather, chypre and fougère compositions and a cost-effective cedarwood substitute.

Leading note

Sharp dry cedar

Supporting facets

Pencil shavings

Character

Dry, sharp, angular

• cedarwood
• woody
• dry
• sweet

What makes alpha-Cedrene distinctive

The cedarwood hydrocarbon: sharp pencil shavings rather than finished wood.

How alpha-Cedrene is used

Used in woody compositions and, mainly, as the starting material for cedarwood aroma chemicals.

Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).

How alpha-Cedrene differs from similar materials

Cedrol*

A glossary finds cedrene more angular than cedrol, which is faint, warm and tenacious. (compared directly by a cited source)

Cedryl Acetate*

A glossary finds cedrene less polished than cedryl acetate, which is a sweeter, softer cedar. (compared directly by a cited source)

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

Covered by an IFRA Standard; check the limit for your product category.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Woody

Note position

Base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Cedrene

CAS number

469-61-4

Molecular formula

C15H24

Molecular weight

204.35 g/mol

IUPAC name

(1S,2R,5S,7S)-2,6,6,8-tetramethyltricyclo[5.3.1.01,5]undec-8-ene

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 6431015, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering alpha-Cedrene:

• "Cedrene" — Restriction, 49th Amendment, published 2020-01

Limits differ by product category and are set out in the Standard itself; this page does not reproduce them. The list above reflects the library as read on 19 October 2026.

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,715 reports): H400 very toxic to aquatic life (97.7% of reports); H410 very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (95.6% of reports); H304 may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways (95.2% of reports); H226 flammable liquid and vapor (28.7% of reports). 36 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. Unless it is harmonised, this is the notifiers' own classification, not a binding one.

This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.

Materials it works with

• Cedrol

  Natural isolate · Woody / Musky — woody, cedar, faint, dry

• Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)

  Essential oil · Woody / Aromatic — woody, dry, pencil shavings, clean

• Cedryl Acetate

  Aroma chemical · Woody / Leather — woody, dry, cedar, soft

• Vertofix

  Aroma chemical · Woody / Leather — woody, vetiver, leathery, warm

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists alpha-Cedrene here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Cedarwood in Perfumery: Virginia, Texas, Atlas and the Derivatives

  Virginia, Texas, Atlas and Himalayan cedarwood compared; cedrol, cedryl acetate and methyl cedryl ketone; what cedar does, EU allergens and records.

• Woody Notes in Perfumery: Naturals and Aroma Chemicals

  A map of woody materials — cedarwoods, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, smoky woods and woody aroma chemicals — and how to build a woody base.

Questions about alpha-Cedrene

Sources

• PubChem — compound 6431015, checked 19 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• IFRA — Standards Library, read 19 October 2026.
• Premiere Peau — Cedrene — published perfumery reference.
• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists — review of cedarwood derivatives — published literature.
• Fraterworks — Cedrene Alpha — distributor's description.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.