Cedar

Cedar is one of the most widely used materials in all of perfumery, present in nearly every fragrance family as either a primary note or a structural backbone. The most common source in modern perfumery is not actually cedarwood but Virginian cedar (a juniper species), whose clean, dry, pencil-shaving quality is almost universally pleasant. Atlas cedar from Morocco adds a creamier, more refined facet.

What makes cedar so ubiquitous is precisely its versatility. It reads as clean and fresh when paired with citrus, warm and comforting with amber, rugged and outdoorsy with green and aromatic notes, and sophisticated and masculine in leather and tobacco compositions. Cedar is the denim of perfumery, endlessly adaptable and almost always appropriate.

Cedar accord pairs well with citrus, woody, amber, and aromatic notes. If you love cedar, the broader woody, green, and aromatic families offer enormous related territory to explore.