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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..

WOODS AND MOSSES / woody · fresh · green

Thuja

Category	WOODS AND MOSSES
Subcategory	woody · fresh · green
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Thuja occidentalis
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Canada, United States
Pyramid	Heart

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

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

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.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Sharp, camphoraceous, green. Bitter and medicinal.

After a few hours

The camphor softens. Dry, herbal, cedar-leaf warmth.

After a few days

A subtle, dry, herbal-woody residue.

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 oils 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 · Ambramone · Amburana Bark · Antillone · Apple Tree

Did You Know?

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.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex — key component: alpha-Thujone (C₁₀H₁₆O), Fenchone (C₁₀H₁₆O), Sabinene (C₁₀H₁₆)
CAS Number	8007-20-3
Botanical Name	Thuja occidentalis
IFRA Status	Restricted (contains alpha-thujone and isothujone, neurotoxicity concern)
Synonyms	ARBORVITAE · NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR · EASTERN ARBORVITAE
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	8 hours at 100.00%
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
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.