What is it?
An essential oil from the wood of the deodar cedar, Cedrus deodara, a true cedar native to the western Himalayas. The EU ingredient database describes it as the volatile oil obtained by steam distillation of the tree’s stumps. It is used as a fragrance ingredient, and its makeup and woody scent are very close to those of Atlas cedarwood oil from North Africa.
Key information
- Deodar cedarwood oil is made up mostly of sesquiterpenes called himachalenes, along with compounds called atlantones.
- In its 2012 opinion on fragrance allergens, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety found only limited human evidence of skin allergy to this oil.
- Unlike the closely related Atlas cedarwood oil, deodar cedarwood oil is not on the EU list of fragrance allergens that must be named on ingredient labels.
More information
Deodar cedar belongs to the pine family, like the other true cedars. Several oils sold as cedarwood oil come instead from junipers and cypresses, which have a different chemical makeup. A 2026 review of cedarwood oils found that 43 commercial samples of deodar oil averaged about 35 percent beta-himachalene, 14 percent alpha-himachalene and 9 percent gamma-himachalene, and that atlantones usually make up at least 20 percent of the oil. Because Atlas cedarwood oil is pricier and rarer, the review notes, it is frequently adulterated with deodar oil.
We found no Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) or SCCS safety assessment of deodar oil as a cosmetic ingredient. In its 2012 opinion on fragrance allergens, the SCCS placed it among natural extracts with some positive human data that were not enough to call it an established contact allergen. Two Polish studies found 3 reactions among 200 patients tested with 2 percent cedarwood oil, and 3 reactions among 86 patients (3.5 percent) already allergic to a standard fragrance mix. By comparison, the SCCS classed Atlas cedarwood oil as an established allergen, and the EU now requires Atlas oil, but not deodar oil, to be named on labels of new products.
Because oils sold as cedarwood can come from different trees, the botanical name is the most reliable guide to what a product contains. If you react to woody fragrances, look for Cedrus Deodara Wood Oil and Cedrus Atlantica on ingredient lists.
Sources: European Commission CosIng: Cedrus Deodara Wood Oil; SCCS: Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (2012); Plants (2026): Cedarwood oils, the wood essential oil compositions from trees known as cedar; EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on labelling of fragrance allergens
