Sharp, camphoraceous, green-herbaceous. Not a true cedar at all: Thuja plicata smells like pencil shavings crossed with eucalyptus, with a turpentine-like lift.
Sharp and camphoraceous with dominant thujone character. Green-herbaceous, almost eucalyptus-like. Less warm than true cedar, more medicinal, more turpentine-like. A clean, antiseptic quality from the thujaplicins. The foliage smells like crushing a conifer branch between your fingers.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sharp camphoraceous-thujone burst, green
After a few hours
After a few hours
Herbaceous-woody, eucalyptus-like
After a few days
After a few days
Persistent green-woody, faint camphor
Terroir & Maturity
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Western redcedar (Thuja plicata) is a giant conifer native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, reaching heights of 60 meters. Despite its name, it is not a true cedar (Cedrus) but a member of the cypress family (Cupressaceae). The essential oil, distilled from the foliage, has a particular profile dominated by thujone, a monoterpene ketone.
The foliage oil contains alpha-thujone (up to 82%), beta-thujone, fenchone, and sabinene. This chemistry produces a sharp, camphoraceous, green-herbaceous scent quite different from the warm, pencil-shaving character of true cedarwood (Cedrus or Juniperus). The heartwood contains thujaplicins, tropolone compounds with antimicrobial properties that contribute to the wood's famous rot resistance.
In perfumery, western redcedar provides a fresh, camphoraceous green-woody note. It functions in the heart-to-base of forest, Pacific Northwest, and green-woody compositions. The oil's intensity requires careful dosing. It is more frequent in functional fragrances (soaps, cleaners, room sprays) than in fine perfumery due to its assertive, almost medicinal character.
This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest call Thuja plicata the 'tree of life.' The Haida, Tlingit, and Kwakwaka'wakw peoples used every part of the tree: bark for clothing and rope, wood for canoes and totem poles, roots for baskets, and branches for medicinal teas.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of the foliage (leaves and small twigs). The heartwood can also be distilled but produces a different oil profile rich in thujaplicins. Commercial production is centered in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest United States.
Western redcedar oil is a heart-to-base note in forest, green-woody, and Pacific Northwest compositions. The thujone-dominant chemistry provides camphoraceous freshness distinct from warm true cedars. Used more commonly in functional fragrances than fine perfumery due to its assertive, medicinal character. The thujaplicin content connects it to antimicrobial and cleansing applications.
