- Latin name
- Callitropsis nootkatensis (Cupressus nootkatensis)
- Family
- Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
- Origin
- the Pacific coast of North America (Alaska, British Columbia)
- Parts used
- wood
- Raw materials
- essential oil (rarely), woody accords
- Extraction
- steam distillation of the wood
- Olfactory group
- woody
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- nootkatone, cedar and cypress molecules
“Alaska cedar” is actually not a cedar but the Nootka cypress, a slow-growing tree from the cold, misty forests of North America's Pacific coast. Its pale-yellow wood is dense, fragrant and very durable.
How it smells: dry, fresh and slightly spicy: pale wood, the coolness of a coniferous forest, a light citrus-grapefruit and resinous shade. Alaska cedar sounds cleaner and cooler than Atlas cedar, without its honeyed warmth.
Nootkatone — a molecule that smells of grapefruit and is named after the Nootka cypress — was first isolated from this tree's wood. That is why its woody scent has an unexpected citrus freshness.
What it pairs with: with grapefruit and bergamot — fresh woody fragrances, with fir and cypress — a “northern forest”, with vetiver — a dry masculine base, with marine notes — a cool coast, with musk — clean pale wood.
Good to know: the indigenous peoples of the Pacific coast carved canoes, totem poles and paddles from this wood — it hardly rots even in a damp climate.
