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    Ingredient Profile

    Juniper wood fragrance note

    Juniper wood offers a crisp, resinous aroma that bridges pine freshness with subtle spice, grounding modern blends with a forest‑born depth.…More

    France

    1

    Fragrances

    Fragrances featuring Juniper wood

    Character

    The Story of Juniper wood

    Juniper wood offers a crisp, resinous aroma that bridges pine freshness with subtle spice, grounding modern blends with a forest‑born depth. Its dry, woody heart carries a faint citrus edge, making it a versatile anchor for both masculine and unisex compositions.

    Heritage

    Juniper has scented human rituals for millennia, appearing in ancient Mesopotamian incense blends and Egyptian burial rites. Medieval European apothecaries prized Juniper wood for its reputed cleansing properties, grinding it into powders for medicinal poultices. By the 16th century, distillers in the Alpine regions began extracting oil from the wood to flavor early gin recipes, a practice that spread across the continent. The 19th‑century rise of modern perfumery saw French houses incorporate Juniper wood into masculine fougère accords, capitalising on its dry, resinous character. Throughout the 20th century, the note remained a staple in niche compositions, valued for its ability to anchor bright citrus top notes while adding a subtle, lingering earthiness. Today, sustainable forestry initiatives ensure that Juniper wood continues to support both aromatic heritage and contemporary fragrance innovation.

    At a Glance

    Fragrances

    1

    Feature this note

    Origin

    France

    Primary source region

    Ingredient Details

    Extraction

    Steam distillation

    Used Parts

    Dried heartwood

    Did You Know

    "Juniper wood oil can be harvested from trees older than 100 years, and a single mature trunk yields enough oil for roughly 30 standard perfume bottles."

    Production

    How Juniper wood Is Made

    Harvesters select mature Juniper trees, typically 80 to 120 years old, and fell them during the dormant season to preserve aromatic integrity. The heartwood is stripped, cut into uniform chips, and air‑dried for several weeks to reduce moisture content below 12 %. Dried chips enter a stainless‑steel still where steam passes through at 100 °C for 3 to 5 hours. The volatile compounds vaporize, travel with the steam, and condense in a chilled separator, yielding a clear, pale‑gold oil. Yield averages 0.3 % by weight, meaning 300 ml of oil from a ton of wood. The raw oil undergoes a brief vacuum filtration to remove micro‑particles, then is stored in amber glass bottles at 15 °C to protect it from light and oxidation before distribution to perfumers.

    Provenance

    France

    France46.2°N, 2.2°E

    About Juniper wood