Thuja

Q: Is Thuja natural or synthetic?

Extraction: Steam distillation of leaves and branch tips of Thuja occidentalis. CAS 8007-20-3. Minimum 60% thujone content by ketone assay..

NaturalWOODS & MOSSESwoody · fresh · green

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

8hTenacity

2Origins

Specimen

Thuja occidentalis

Definition

Green, camphoraceous, and sharply herbaceous. Cedar leaf oil from Thuja occidentalis -- dominated by thujone, dry and medicinal. Not cedar wood but cedar foliage.

ARBORVITAE NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR EASTERN ARBORVITAE

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

8hours

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

at 100 %

Producing countries

Canada United States

Scent

Sharp, green-camphoraceous, and medicinal. Like crushing a handful of cedar leaf tips in winter -- the volatile oils release in a burst of herbal camphor, dry and almost bitter, with none of the warm sweetness of cedar wood. Foliage, not timber.

Terroir & Maturity

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Thuja oil (Thuja occidentalis, white cedar or arbor vitae) is steam-distilled from the leaves and branch tips, not the wood. The resulting oil is pale yellow with a powerful, herbaceous, camphoraceous character dominated by thujone (alpha and beta forms, comprising approximately 60-65% of the oil).

Thujone gives the oil its defining sharp, medicinal, almost bitter quality. Supporting compounds include fenchone, sabinene, and alpha-pinene. The overall impression is green, dry, and intensely aromatic -- like crushed cedar foliage on a cold day.

Important: thujone is neurotoxic at high doses. Thuja oil is a restricted essential oil in perfumery (IFRA limits apply). It is used in very small quantities as an accent note for herbal dryness.

In perfumery, thuja adds a dry, aromatic, cedar-leaf quality to citrus colognes, masculine fragrances, and woody-herbal compositions. CAS 8007-20-3.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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

Did You Know?

Thuja's common name arbor vitae (tree of life) was given by 16th-century French explorers who learned from indigenous Canadians that a tea made from the leaves cured scurvy.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Steam distillation of leaves and branch tips of Thuja occidentalis. CAS 8007-20-3. Minimum 60% thujone content by ketone assay.

Formula: Complex — key component: alpha-Thujone (C₁₀H₁₆O), Fenchone (C₁₀H₁₆O), Sabinene (C₁₀H₁₆)
CAS: 8007-20-3
Botanical: Thuja occidentalis
Appearance: Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: 8 hours at 100.00%
Synonyms: ARBORVITAE NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR EASTERN ARBORVITAE

IFRA status

Restricted

Restricted (contains alpha-thujone and isothujone, neurotoxicity concern)

Physical properties

Flash point: 152 °F / 67 °C (TCC)
Specific gravity: 0.900–0.910 @ 25 °C
Refractive index: 1.445–1.460 @ 20 °C

In Perfumery

Accent note in masculine, herbal-aromatic, and woody compositions. Functions as a dry, camphoraceous green element. Thujone-dominant (60-65%). CAS 8007-20-3. IFRA-restricted due to thujone neurotoxicity. Used at trace levels for dry herbal character.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02signature note

03lifting agent

04volume builder

05freshness

Available as

essential oil

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