Nootka

NaturalWOODS & MOSSESwoody · warm · amber

Seven perfumesOne of them is looking at you

BasePyramid

5/5Strength

—Tenacity

1Origins

Specimen

Callitropsis nootkatensis (D.Don) Oerst.

Definition

Nootka cypress, also called Alaska cedar or yellow cedar, is a conifer whose heartwood yields an essential oil on steam distillation. Its smell is a cedarwood note with grapefruit aspects.

CITRUS WARM FRESH RESINOUS

Nootka cypress, Cupressus nootkatensis, Alaska yellow cedar, yellow cedar, Alaska cedar, Nootka cedar, yellow cypress, Alaska cypress

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Woods
Subfamily: Aromatic woods
Cluster: Earthy woods
Source: heartwood
Chemical class: essential oil

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

5/5Strength

Very high

odour strength

Producing countries

Canada (British Columbia)

Scent

The profile is a fresh and breezy grapefruit crispness combining spicy, aromatic and linear woody hints. Its technical descriptors are cedarwood, leathery and grapefruit. Nootkatene and nootkatone, two of the main components of the oil, have distinctive grapefruit peel scents.

In PREMIEREPEAU

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

The Full Story

The tree

Callitropsis nootkatensis is a species of coniferous tree in the cypress family, native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. It grows from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to the Klamath Mountains in northernmost California. The tree usually grows to 40 meters (131 ft) tall. The specific epithet nootkatensis is derived from the area of Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Composition

The essential oil of Alaska cedar heartwood contains compounds which contribute to the remarkable durability of this species. Nootkatin, nootkatone and valencene are among the major components of the steam-distilled oil. In a steam-distilled heartwood oil, carvacrol made up 35.37% w/w, nootkatene 20.08% and nootkatone 17.39%. Valencene made up 1.50% of that oil.

Related molecules

Valencene is a sesquiterpene that is an aroma component of citrus fruit and citrus-derived odorants. Nootkatone is produced commercially from valencene, another more abundant sesquiterpene. Nootkatone is a sesquiterpenoid, a C15 derivative that also contains a ketone group.

Other properties

Nootkatone is a heartwood component active enough against arthropods to justify research into its use as a commercial repellent and biopesticide for ticks, mosquitoes and possibly other arthropods.

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Amburana Bark · Apple Tree

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Obtained by distillation of the biomass with water, or steam. The essential oil is physically separated from the aqueous phase by decantation. In a laboratory run, 1.5 kg of ground heartwood steam distilled for 12 h gave 26 g of essential oil (1.73% yield). Cedarwood Alaska from Canada is a byproduct of sawdust from the forest industry.

Formula: Complex natural mixture (key constituents: nootkatone C₁₅H₂₂O; valencene C₁₅H₂₄; nootkatene; carvacrol)
CAS: 1069136-34-0
Botanical: Callitropsis nootkatensis (D.Don) Oerst.
Odour strength: Extremely powerful
Synonyms: Nootka cypress, Cupressus nootkatensis, Alaska yellow cedar, yellow cedar, Alaska cedar, Nootka cedar, yellow cypress, Alaska cypress

IFRA status

See note

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

Physical properties

Flash point: 96 °C

In Perfumery

In the oil, grapefruit aspects bring a sparkling effect to a cedarwood note, due to its nootkatene and nootkatone content. Compared with a cedarwood, it is less camphoraceous and smoky, but stronger, longer-lasting and very linear.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02backbone

03lifting agent

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

essential oil