Himalayan cedarwood

Two main families of cedarwood oils are used in perfumery. The first is extracted from trees of the family Juniperus. These oils are known as English, Texan or Chinese cedarwood and their components are derived from the cedrane and thujopsane groups of sesquiterpenes. Atlas and Himalayan cedarwoods are obtained from Cedrus species and their terpenes are mostly from the bisabolane family. The cedrane-thujopsane derivatives are much more widely used than the bisabo-lanes. 

The methyl ether of cedrol is also used as a woody-amber note. The Atlas and Himalayan cedarwoods have a sweeter and less ambery woody smell than the materials described above. This odour is due to materials such as atlantone (25) and deodarone (26). 

There are two main types of cedarwood sources for perfumery. One comprises plants of the juniperus family and the other of the cedrus family. The former are known as English, Texan or Chinese cedarwood and are produced principally in China and U.S.A. The leaf oils are extracted from this family. Chemically, the major components of these oils are based on the cedrane skeleton. The products obtained from members of the cedrus family are known as Atlas or Himalayan cedarwoods. They are produced in North Africa and the Himalayas and the chemical structure of their major components are based on the bisabolane skeleton. 

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