In short
Cedar leaf oil is distilled from the leaves of Thuja occidentalis, the eastern white cedar. It is rich in thujone and has a sharp, fresh and camphoraceous odour.
What Cedar Leaf Oil smells like
Cedar leaf oil (Thuja occidentalis) is sharp, fresh, camphoraceous, woody and green, in Firmenich's description, lifting herbal, aromatic and woody notes; another Firmenich note adds a hay background. The Good Scents Company lists woody, spicy, camphoraceous, thujonic, herbal and green hay, with high odour strength; the USP forum a strong camphoraceous, sage-like odour. Thujone is its chief constituent, and IFRA restricts it.
- Leading note
- Sharp camphoraceous green
- Clear facets
- Thujonic, sage-like
- Supporting facets
- Woody
- Faint facets
- Hay
- Character
- Sharp, fresh, powerful
What makes Cedar Leaf Oil distinctive
Thuja's thujone: a sharp, sage-like camphor with a green, woody, hay-like background.
How Cedar Leaf Oil is used
Used in small amounts to lift herbal, aromatic and woody compositions, within IFRA's thujone limits.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Cedar Leaf Oil differs from similar materials
- Cypress Oil
- Cypress is a drier, smokier wood; cedar leaf is sharp, thujonic and herbal.
- Sage Oil (Dalmatian)
- Sage is also thujone-rich, warmer and more herbaceous; cedar leaf is sharper and greener, with a woody, hay background.
- Fenchone
- Fenchone is listed with cedar-leaf and thuja facets, but is warmer and earthier; cedar leaf is sharper and greener.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Rich in thujone; check the regulatory position before use. It is not a cedarwood oil.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Aromatic / Woody
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Thuja oil, Eastern white cedar leaf oil
- Botanical source
- Thuja occidentalis
- CAS number
- 8007-20-3
The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
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
-
Camphor
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — camphoraceous, medicinal, cooling
-
Fenchone
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — camphoraceous, herbal, fennel, earthy
-
Scots Pine Needle Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Woody — pine, resinous, fresh, balsamic
-
Cedrol
Natural isolate · Woody / Musky — woody, cedar, faint, dry
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 1 published formula
Cedar Leaf Oil is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Cedar Leaf Oil
Is Cedar Leaf Oil natural or synthetic?
Cedar Leaf Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.
What is the CAS number of Cedar Leaf Oil?
8007-20-3, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Cedar Leaf Oil?
Cedar Leaf Oil is used in 1 published formula in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Cypress Bathhouse. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 491232337, checked 19 October 2026.
- dsm-firmenich — Cedar leaf EO — manufacturer's description.
- The Good Scents Company — cedar leaf oil — odour database.
- Food Chemicals Codex — cedar leaf oil — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.