Cypress

NaturalWOODS & MOSSESwoody · fresh · balsamic

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

44hTenacity

2Origins

Specimen

Cupressus sempervirens

Definition

Resinous, vertical, bone-dry. The smell of a Provençal cemetery in August — dark columnar trees baking in white heat, needles releasing a sharp piney transparency undercut by a faint peppery rasp. Leaner than pine, more architectural than juniper, with none of the sweetness of fir balsam.

Cypress wood, Cypress oil

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Woods
Subfamily: Dry woods
Cluster: Cedar-like dry woods
Source: wood
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

44hours

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

at 100 %

Producing countries

Morocco Spain

Scent

Sharp, green-resinous, arid. Opens with a turpentine-bright flash of α-pinene — cleaner than pine oil, more transparent than juniper berry, entirely without the balsamic sweetness of fir or spruce. The body is woody and mineral, closer to pencil shavings than to a forest floor. A peppery-spicy undertone persists from top to base, giving cypress an almost savory quality. The cedrol dry-down adds a thin layer of woody amber, but the overall impression remains austere and skeletal — structural scaffolding, not decoration.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →NUIT ÉLASTIQUEExtrait →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

Terroir & Maturity

The Full Story

Cypress oil is steam-distilled from the branches, leaves, and young cones of Cupressus sempervirens — the tall, dark, flame-shaped trees that punctuate Mediterranean landscapes from Tuscany to the Peloponnese. The oil is dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons: α-pinene (40–50%), δ-3-carene (15–25%), with smaller contributions from limonene (3–5%), α-terpinolene (3–5%), and α-terpinyl acetate (5–10%). The sesquiterpenol cedrol (2–4%) provides the only meaningful base-note anchor in an otherwise volatile composition. Morocco and Spain remain the largest producers; French cypress oil, particularly from Provence, commands a premium for its cleaner, less terpenic profile.

Scent Architecture

The opening is sharp and turpentine-bright — raw α-pinene pushing through like rubbing alcohol cut with crushed pine needles. This clears within minutes into a dry, green-woody body where the δ-3-carene asserts itself: less aromatic than pinene, more structural, almost mineral. The cedrol fraction surfaces late, contributing a quiet woody-ambery warmth that extends the oil's life beyond what its volatile terpene skeleton would suggest. There is a persistent peppery-spicy thread throughout, sometimes likened to a coniferous black pepper.

Perfumery Use

Cypress functions as a heart-note structural element, providing lift and vertical architecture. Its dry, austere character suits fougère, chypre, and eaux fraîches where coniferous green is needed without resinous heaviness. It brings Mediterranean aridity to citrus accords and sharpens woody bases. Natural bridges include lavender, bergamot, juniper, clary sage, and oakmoss. PREMIEREPEAU sources sustainable cypress oil from France for Nuit Élastique, where it provides a dry, vertical counterpoint to the composition's dense jasmine-indole heart.

This note in PREMIEREPEAU. Nuit Élastique. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Steam distillation of the branches, leaves, and young cones of Cupressus sempervirens. Distillation runs approximately 4 hours. The resulting oil is a pale yellow to brownish-green liquid. Yield is modest and variable by origin: 0.26% (Algerian material) to 1.0% (Cameroonian), with most Mediterranean sources falling between 0.3–0.6%. Leaf distillation yields higher α-pinene content; wood distillation produces more cedrol. Supercritical CO₂ extraction is sometimes used commercially, completing extraction in roughly 1 hour with yields approximately 34% higher than steam distillation, though the resulting extract has a different olfactory profile — heavier, more resinous, less terpenic.

Formula: Complex essential oil — principal components: α-pinene (C₁₀H₁₆, 40–50%), δ-3-carene (C₁₀H₁₆, 15–25%), cedrol (C₁₅H₂₆O, 2–4%)
CAS: 8013-86-3
Botanical: Cupressus sempervirens
Appearance: brownish green viscous liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: 44 hours at 100.00%
Synonyms: Cypress wood, Cypress oil

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Flash point: 108.00 °F. TCC ( 42.22 °C. )
Specific gravity: 0.87000 to 0.89100 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive index: 1.47100 to 1.48200 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Cypress oil operates as a heart-note modifier and structural element. Its high α-pinene content (40–50%) provides diffusion and lift, while the cedrol fraction (2–4%) contributes modest base-note persistence — roughly 44 hours of substantivity at full concentration. In fougère compositions, it reinforces the aromatic-herbal axis alongside lavender and coumarin. In chypre accords, it contributes dry Mediterranean warmth without heaviness. In colognes and eaux fraîches, it provides coniferous backbone at low dosage. Cypress is a blender and equalizer: it smooths transitions between citrus top notes and woody-ambery bases. The α-terpinyl acetate component (5–10%) provides a subtle bergamot-lavender layered that aids integration. Natural allies include lavender, juniper, bergamot, clary sage, and oakmoss. No single synthetic replicates cypress oil's full profile. However, α-pinene (synthetic), δ-3-carene, and cedrol isolate can approximate its skeleton. Dihydromyrcenol extends the fresh-woody quality. Iso E Super can amplify the woody-ambery dry-down. PREMIEREPEAU uses sustainable cypress oil from France in Nuit Élastique (/products/nuit-elastique-jasmine-night-perfume), where it provides arid, vertical structure against the jasmine absolute.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02signature note

03lifting agent

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

essential oil