Atlas cedarwood absolute

Dry wood, sweet resin, a light honey, a hint of leather. Warmer, rounder and longer-lasting than the oil, with less pine at the top.

Atlas cedarwood absolute is a Pinaceae derivative; IFRA has a peroxide specification standard for this group.

There is no other dedicated IFRA standard. Store dark, sealed and cool.

Cedrus atlantica is a conifer native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria. The fragrant timber is used in building and joinery; chips and sawdust from mills are the raw material for oil and absolute. The species is listed as Endangered by IUCN.

Atlas cedar is a Cedrus, a true cedar. Virginian and Texan cedarwood, also in the library, are actually Juniperus in the cypress family, with different chemistry.

An absolute is made in two steps. The raw material is extracted with a non-polar solvent such as hexane to give a waxy concrete. The concrete is then washed with ethanol, chilled to precipitate waxes, filtered and freed of alcohol. What remains is the absolute.

Atlas cedar odour comes from himachalenes and atlantones. The absolute keeps more atlantones and heavier compounds, so it is sweeter, warmer and closer to freshly planed wood than the oil.

In perfumery Atlas cedarwood absolute serves woody, chypre, fougère and amber bases. It pairs with rose, patchouli, vetiver, labdanum and lavender.

Given the species' threatened status, legal and traceable wood sources matter. Most raw material is a by-product of managed timber harvest.

Atlas cedarwood absolute is usually a yellow-brown paste. It evaporates slowly and acts as a fixative. In soap and candles it gives a stable, lasting woody note. Compared with the oil it has less pine at the top and more sweet wood at the base. It is also used in masculine fragrances.