Ingredient

Cedarwood Oil

Cupressus funebris

Cedarwood oil has a pleasant balsamic and woody aroma with earthy undertones and is used extensively in perfumery. This ancient, antiseptic and astringent oil tones the skin, helps to balance sebum production and clears the skin and scalp.

‘Cedarwood’ is an umbrella name for oils and absolutes distilled from the wood of many different conifers, belonging to the Cupressaceae or the Pinaceae families. Traditionally, the oil is distilled from the Atlas cedar, a very tall tree, growing in North Africa. This is the tree used to produce the cedarwood absolute found in Lush products. However, the essential oils are steam distilled from the wood of two other species, resulting in different scents with different notes to play with.

This oil has smoky notes and is obtained from the Chinese weeping cypress (Cupressus Funebris). The other oil that Lush use is distilled from the eastern red cedar, a large cedar originating from North America, with a distinctive red trunk. Its oil is a little sweet and is closer to the scent of sandalwood with a dry side.

Aromatherapists believe that cedarwood has a sedative and balancing effect on the nervous system. It has been used in meditation to relax and harmonise the mind.