Atlas cedarwood oil
None of the restricted materials in IFRA's annex limits this oil in rinse-off soap.
IFRA maximum for soap
no IFRA limit in soap
Restricted constituents, at the typical levels IFRA's annex gives:
- alpha-Cedrene
- 1.5 %
- Longifolene
- 0.6 %
Worked out from typical levels. A supplier's certificate for your lot comes first, and its figure is the one to follow.
Check a blend against its IFRA limits and list its allergens in the fragrance and allergen calculator.
How essential oils behave in soap, and how much to use: Scenting soap.
Identity and labelling
Cedrus Atlantica Wood Oil
- Botanical name
- Cedrus atlantica
- CAS
- 92201-55-3
- EC
- 295-985-9
The EU names this oil itself as a fragrance allergen (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex III entry 122): it goes on the label by name above 0.01 % in a rinse-off product.
Annex III, entry 122: the peroxide value shall be less than 10 mmoles/L.
What it is and how it behaves in soap
Atlas cedarwood oil is steam-distilled from the wood of the Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, a tree of the mountains of Morocco and Algeria (RBGE); Morocco has long made the oil in small volumes (FAO). It smells warm and dry, sharper than Virginian cedarwood, with a sweet, balsamic undertone.
Cedarwood lasts in cold process soap. Faiola lists it among the oils that behave well, and Fisher uses cedarwood to anchor lighter scents and give a blend weight. Faiola's recipe uses cedarwood at about 1.3 % of the oils beside lavender. The IFRA figure on this page is the ceiling.
The Atlas cedar has been listed as Endangered since 2013, through logging, fire, grazing and drought (RBGE), and its oil is often cut with cheaper deodar cedar (Setzer and Satyal), so ask where yours comes from. EU law also limits how far the oil may have oxidised: buy it fresh and keep it cool and closed.
Recipes that use it
- Cedarwood and lavender bar
- Creamy tallow and olive bar
- Firm scrubbing bar
- Five-layer blue ombre bar
- Gardener's pumice scrub bar
- Goat milk and shea hot process bar
- Green cube embed bar
- Honey and beeswax bar
- Indigo in-the-pot swirl bar
- Liquid shampoo
- Nettle shampoo bar
- Rhassoul clay and argan facial bar
- Seaweed and sea salt bar
- Stout beer bar
- Vegan hard bar
- White bar with a feathered mica top
Sources
- CosIng, the cosmetic ingredient database: CEDRUS ATLANTICA WOOD OIL, European Commission
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, European Commission. Annex, entry 122
- Cedrus atlantica, Threatened Conifers of the World, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Endemic to Morocco and Algeria; Endangered (A2cd) since the 2013 assessment; logging, fire, goat grazing and drought; essential oils distilled from the timber
- J. J. W. Coppen, Flavours and fragrances of plant origin (Non-Wood Forest Products 1), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1995). Atlas cedarwood oil is produced in Morocco, in volumes believed to be small
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Soap Crafting, Storey Publishing (2013). Cedarwood among the essential oils that are typically wonderful in cold process soap
- Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking, Storey Publishing (2016). Cedarwood with lavender at about 1.3 % of the oils
- David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making, Creative Publishing International (2018). Patchouli or cedarwood as earthy base notes to anchor blends and give them weight
- Setzer and Satyal, Cedarwood oils: the wood essential oil compositions from trees known as "cedar", Plants 15, MDPI (2026). Atlas cedarwood oil is frequently adulterated with Cedrus deodara oil
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Annexes II and III, via CosIng, European Commission. Annex III, entry 122: the peroxide value of Cedrus atlantica oil must be below 10 mmol/L