Fragrance allergen

Virginian cedarwood

Virginian cedarwood oil comes from the wood of Juniperus virginiana, the eastern red cedar, which is a juniper rather than a true cedar. It smells dry, woody and like pencil shavings. The EU added Juniperus virginiana oil to its list of named fragrance allergens in 2023.

Where it comes from

ScenTree says the tree is called a cedar but is actually a juniper. The trunk is cut and ground, and the chips and sawdust are steam distilled, with an oil yield of 2.5 per cent. The SCCS says the oil contains chiefly cedrene, cedrol, thujopsene, cuparene and widdrol.

Smell and use

Dry, woody and cedar-like, with oily, balsamic tones. The Good Scents Company lists cedar, woody, oily and balsamic, and Robertet describes a woody, dry, typical cedar note with a pencil note.

ScenTree says it is used in home fragrances, in woody and masculine fragrances for a dry, powerful facet and strength, and also in floral and spicy notes. Firmenich, quoted by The Good Scents Company, says it is widely used to give a dry woody and ambery effect.

On the label

Named on 5% of the 6,851 perfume ingredient lists we hold (312 perfumes).

Printed as
Juniperus Virginiana Oil
EU
Annex III, entry 358. Must be named above 0.001% in leave-on products (0.01% rinse-off).
Great Britain
Not on Great Britain's list, so a GB label need not name it. The EU list does.

SCCS/1459/11 (2012) lists Juniperus virginiana in its ++ band of established contact allergens in humans (11 to 100 reported positive test reactions). Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added Juniperus virginiana oil to the labelled list, with naming required above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products. One industry source says Great Britain has not adopted the expansion.

A list that does not name it does not prove it is absent: brands only have to name it above the threshold.

Frequency by concentration

  • Eau de parfum 5% of 4,929
  • Eau de toilette 3% of 1,228
  • Extrait 4% of 341
  • Parfum 13% of 194
  • Cologne 5% of 121
  • Body spray 4% of 49
  • Other 11% of 27

Share of the perfumes we hold a list for, in each concentration.

Named alongside

Share of the lists naming Virginian cedarwood that also name each of these.

Notes whose materials include it

Perfumes whose box names it

Common questions

What does Virginian cedarwood oil smell like?

Dry, woody and cedar-like, with a pencil-shavings quality. The Good Scents Company lists cedar, woody, oily and balsamic, and Robertet describes a typical cedar note with a pencil note.

Is Virginian cedarwood a cedar?

No. ScenTree says the tree is called a cedar but is actually a juniper, Juniperus virginiana. The oil is steam distilled from chips and sawdust of the trunk.

Why is Virginian cedarwood oil on my perfume label?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added it to the list of fragrance allergens that must be named, as Juniperus Virginiana Oil. It is listed above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products.