Cedarwood Atlas is an essential oil steam-distilled from Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas cedar, native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It is golden in colour, deeply woody and dry in scent, and it is the base note of our Black Cedar Beard Oil and Black Cedar Beard Balm.
The Atlas Cedar
The Atlas cedar prefers cold temperatures and high altitudes, which is why it grows where it does. It is long-lived, reaches around 35 metres, and carries needle-shaped grey-green leaves in clusters around its branches. Purple and pale green flowers appear in summer.
It is closely related to the Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani — the cedar of the Bible, and a symbol of abundance in it. The Lebanese cedar was harvested to the point of collapse in antiquity and is no longer commercially available. The Atlas cedar is now classed as endangered in the wild, and plantation-grown stock is what supplies the essential oil trade.
A Long History of Use
Cedarwood is thought to be among the first essential oils extracted and used by people. Egyptians used cedar oil in embalming, and cedar wood for temples, furniture and ceremonial coffins. King Solomon is said to have felled cedars on an extraordinary scale across his reign.
The wood's resistance to insects and decay is what made it valuable for building and for preservation — the same property that keeps cedar in wardrobes and blanket chests today.
How Cedarwood Atlas Oil Is Made
The oil is steam-distilled from the wood, and yields well compared with many essential oils. Chemically it is dominated by sesquiterpenes — principally cedrol and thujopsene — which give it its characteristic dry, woody, slightly balsamic scent.
Cedarwood in Beard Care
Cedarwood Atlas is a base note. It anchors lighter, more volatile scents and keeps a fragrance from disappearing within the hour. In our Black Cedar blend it sits beneath black pepper, patchouli and palmarosa — the pepper providing bite, the patchouli earth, the palmarosa a faint floral lift over the top.
Essential oils are used in beard products at low concentrations, diluted in carrier oils such as jojoba and grape seed. Undiluted essential oil should never be applied directly to skin.
Cedarwood Atlas FAQs
What is Cedarwood Atlas oil?
An essential oil steam-distilled from the wood of Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas cedar of Morocco. It is used in perfumery, aromatherapy and cosmetics for its dry, woody scent.
What does cedarwood smell like?
Dry, woody and warm, with a faint balsamic sweetness. It is a base note — it lingers long after lighter notes have gone.
Is Cedarwood Atlas the same as Cedar of Lebanon?
They are closely related but different species. Cedrus libani, the biblical cedar, was over-harvested in antiquity and is no longer used commercially.
Can you put cedarwood oil directly on your skin?
No. Essential oils must be diluted in a carrier oil before skin contact, and used at appropriate concentrations.
What's in Cutthroat's Black Cedar blend?
Cedarwood Atlas, black pepper, patchouli and palmarosa, carried in jojoba and grape seed oil. Available as beard oil and beard balm.
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