In short
Virginia cedarwood oil is distilled from Juniperus virginiana, the eastern red cedar, which is botanically a juniper rather than a true cedar. It gives the classic dry, pencil-shaving wood note.
What Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) smells like
Virginia cedarwood oil is woody and dry, traditionally reminiscent of the wood of a lead pencil, and slightly ambery, in dsm-firmenich's description. Givaudan describes it as mild, woody and slightly balsamic at first, evolving into a drier woody note, and recalls its use in pencil making; the withdrawn ISO 4724 gave woody, pleasantly sweet and balsamic, recalling the wood. Scentspiracy calls it dry-woody and slightly balsamic, with soft, sweet undertones. It is often described as finer but less powerful than Texas cedarwood.
- Leading note
- Dry pencil wood
- Supporting facets
- Balsamic, sweet
- Faint facets
- Ambery
- Character
- Dry, clean, smooth
What makes Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) distinctive
The pencil cedar: dry, clean and sweet-woody, smoother than the smoky Texas oil.
How Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) is used
Used as a dry woody base in masculine, woody, chypre and fougère compositions and in functional products.
Typical role: backbone (used in large proportions as a structural material of an accord); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).
How Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) differs from similar materials
- Cedarwood Oil (Texas)
- Texas cedarwood is more powerful and, as crude oil, more tar-like and smoky; Virginia is finer, smoother and sweeter. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Cedarwood Oil (Atlas)
- Atlas, a true cedar, is sweeter and more balsamic, with a camphoraceous-cresylic top; Virginia is the drier pencil wood. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Cedrol
- Cedrol, one of its constituents, is almost odourless pure — a faint, tenacious woody note; the oil is the full dry pencil wood.
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
Stable and long-lasting; a workhorse woody note.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Woody / Aromatic
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Virginian cedarwood oil
- Botanical source
- Juniperus virginiana L.
- CAS number
- 8000-27-9
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
-
Cedarwood Oil (Atlas)
Essential oil · Woody / Amber — woody, warm, balsamic, sweet
-
Vetiver Oil
Essential oil · Woody / Green — earthy, smoky, woody, rooty
-
Iso E Super
Aroma chemical · Woody / Amber — woody, velvety, amber, cedar
-
Vertofix
Aroma chemical · Woody / Leather — woody, vetiver, leathery, warm
-
Cedramber
Aroma chemical · Woody / Amber — woody, amber, dry, cedar
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) is also suggested as a partner on the pages for alpha-Cedrene, Amyris Oil, Australian Sandalwood Oil, Cedarwood Oil (Himalayan), Mahagonate and Terrasol.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 25 published formulas
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) is an ingredient in 17 perfume formulas, 7 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)
Is Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) natural or synthetic?
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) 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 Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)?
8000-27-9, 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 Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)?
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia) is used in 25 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including 1882 Naturals, Bright Wolf and Citrus Censer. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 87565717, checked 19 October 2026.
- dsm-firmenich — Cedarwood Virginia USA EO — manufacturer's description.
- Givaudan — Cedarwood Virginia oil USA — manufacturer's description.
- Scentspiracy — Cedarwood Virginia oil — distributor's description.
- ISO 4724:1984 (withdrawn) — Oil of cedarwood, Virginian — 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.