Top 10 Cedar Perfumes
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
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This 2011 release is a favorite of Creed fans as well as those looking for a refined cedar scent. Cedar, listed here as a heart note, is present throughout the relatively linear dry down. The galbanum and angelica lend different facets of very intense greenness, keeping this from getting too dry or falling too quickly into the creamier sandalwood/musk. Reviewers comment that whatever synthetic oud is used does not make much of an appearance.
Top Notes: Calabrian lemon, Pink berry, Sicilian bergamot
Heart Notes: Cedar, Galbanum, Angelica root
Base Notes: Indian oud, Sandalwood, Tonkin musk
Perfumer PIerre Bourdon, of Green Irish Tweed fame, developed this scent as an aggressive exploration of woods, greens, and earth. It opens with a sharp pepper note that sets up the tension between woods and green well. The combination of angelica, galbanum, and cedar is not unlike Creed’s Royal Oud. Instead of oud, Bois d’Orage uses patchouli and oakmoss to build a sensual and earthy base for the cedar. The nutmeg lends a nice spice note in the heart that makes the eventual woody, ambery dry down less pedestrian.
Notes: Pimento, Galbanum, Angelica seeds, Bay Rhum, Nutmeg, Incense, Cedar, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Karanal
Perfumer Andy Tauer has established a cult following for scents like this. The cumin and coriander brightened with petitgrain provide an earthy, spicy, musky, bright opening. Some reviewers are bothered by this spice opening. The rock rose (labdanum) and jasmine support a sweet, resinous, powdery transition to the dry desert star of the show: cedar. L'Air du Désert Marocain is not unique in the spice, labdanum, vetiver combination. The distinction here is that the dry cedar with hints of ocean driftwood from the ambergris evokes the desert air so true to life.
Top Notes: Coriander, Cumin, Petitgrain
Heart Notes: Rock rose, Jasmine
Base Notes: Cedar, Vetiver, Ambergris
This is a sweeter, more approachable citrus/ginger scent with some spiciness from the nutmeg. The scent stands out for a quality opening and clear focus on woods in the dry-down. Reviewers complain that the synthetic cashmere woods note can be off-putting. This is on the list because Eau de Cedrat offers great value for the money and reaches a broad audience.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Citron
Heart Notes: Nutmeg, Blue ginger
Base Notes: Cedar, Cashmere woods
First released by Shiseido in 1992, this Christopher Sheldrake and Pierre Bourdon perfume was reformulated and re-released under the Serge Lutens brand. This has a delicate and alluring floral/spice combination in the opening and heart that fades into a powdery, vanilla, musky wood. The notes for this scent look like it could be a muddle of sweet nonsense, but the blending and delicate hand leave this ethereal throughout, fairly linear, and certainly a woody scent at its core.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Ginger, Cinnamon, Tarragon, Cardamom, Cedar, Rosewood
Heart Notes: Peach, Plum, Orange blossom, Violet, Orris, Rose, Jasmine, Ylang ylang, Carnation, Mace
Base Notes: Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Benzoin, Musk, Patchouli, Amber, Civet
This is a cedar fan favorite for best price on a good quality cedar-focused perfume. This is fresh ginger, spicy, citrus dropping quickly into an intense relatively synthetic cedar note. The patchouli and amber notes are well blended.
Top Notes: Ginger, Lavender, Mandarin, Artemisia, Bergamot, Cardamom
Heart Notes: Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon
Base Notes: Guaiac wood, Patchouli, Amber, Cedarwood
The pepper and citrus opening is bright, with the pepper lasting well into the dry down along with the incense and nutmeg. None of these notes steals the show. This scent balances the smoky/creamy guiacwood, the balsamic, woody, nutty, spicy, creamy, floral notes of sandalwood, with the dry, warmy, spicy characteristic cedar notes. The oud has a smoothing effect, but is not dominant, in the construction of a dream of woodiness. Wonderwood is unabashedly synthetic in its construction of this fantasy. It does succeed for those not looking for clear, natural wood notes.
Top Notes: Madagascan pepper, Bergamot, Somalian Incense, Nutmeg
Heart Notes: Cristalon, Cashmeran, Gaïacwood, Cedarwood, Carvi Graines
Base notes: Somalian Javanol, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oud
This 2016 release has flown a bit under the radar, but gets high marks for the green, nuanced cedar and vetiver combo. The rose is understated, but gets its fresh, green aspects lifted in this composition. The dry down is fairly linear, ending with a relatively nondescript white musk. This could be a good fit for someone who is not into the citrus blast of L’Occitane’s Eau de Cedrat and finds the Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois to be lacking the intense cedar note that started this search in the first place.
Top Notes: Rose
Heart Notes: Virginia cedarwood
Base notes: Musk, Haitian vetiver
Perfumer Céline Ellena, daughter of Jean-Claude Ellena, designed a restrained spicy/floral scent with a balanced woody base. The ginger and pepper combined with bergamot top notes create a fresh, woody opening that transitions smoothly to the incense, floral heart. The violet note is delicate, blending well with a transparent incense. Violet, with powdery orris and the fresh, green, oily, aspect of undecavetrol, can be overpowering and cloying. Here, it is a gentle breeze that brings life to the white floral and woody neroli. The patchouli is very lightly applied.
Top Notes: Black pepper, Bergamot, Ginger
Heart Notes: Incense, White violet, Neroli
Base notes: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Patchouli
Designed by Jacques Guerlain in 1920 to reflect the experience of the French Riviera. It is meant to be applied throughout the day whenever the mood strikes you. The bracing citrus fades quickly through the animalic orange blossom and a restrained cedar note.
Notes: Lemon, cedrat, verbena, cedar
