- Latin name
- Juniperus oxycedrus
- Family
- Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
- Origin
- the Mediterranean (Spain, Morocco, the Balkans)
- Parts used
- wood and branches
- Raw materials
- rectified cade oil (prickly juniper tar)
- Extraction
- dry distillation of the wood
- Olfactory group
- smoky, leather
- Position in the pyramid
- base
- Synthetic substitutes
- birch tar, guaiacol, leather bases
Cade is a tar obtained by dry distillation of the wood of the prickly juniper, a Mediterranean relative of common juniper. Its dense smoky smell was used for centuries by shepherds and cobblers, and in perfumery it gives a note of campfire and leather.
How it smells: smoky, resinous and sharp: smouldering wood, birch tar, leather, a faintly smoked and phenolic shade. Cade sounds rugged, bold and very expressive.
Perfumery uses only carefully rectified cade oil: crude tar contains undesirable substances. Even rectified cade is very strong, so it is added literally by the drop, as an accent.
What it pairs with: with leather and birch — “hunting” leather compositions, with incense — resinous smoke, with vetiver — a dry earthy base, with tobacco — dark evening fragrances, with vanilla — warm sweet smoke.
Good to know: cade oil has long been used in soaps and skin remedies, and shepherds in Provence rubbed it on their sheep to protect them from insects.
