French cedar

Cedarwood has perfumed human civilization for over 5,000 years. Mesopotamian clay tablets from 1800 BCE recorded cedar oil recipes, while Ancient Egyptian priests used it in temple rituals and embalming. The Mediterranean cedar (Juniperus oxycedrus) specifically grew throughout Southern France, where Grasse became the center of European perfumery in the 12th century. French cedar found its place in leather goods workshops first, masking animal hides before becoming a foundational perfumery ingredient. During the 19th century, as French perfumery professionalized, cedarwood from Provencal and Alpine regions became standardized for fragrance work. The combination of traditional cultivation knowledge and French distillation expertise created an oil with distinctive character. Today, French cedar remains valued for its refined profile in masculine and unisex woody compositions, carrying centuries of Mediterranean olfactory heritage.