GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Cade Oil, Unrectified
Juniperus oxycedrus L.
Chemotype: sesquiterpene- and phenol-rich empyreumatic cade oil
- PLANT PART
- wood and branches
- EXTRACTION
- destructive distillation / pyrolysis
- AROMA NOTE
- base
LEARN AS YOU COMPARE
What’s inside this oil?
Constituents are the natural chemicals that give an oil its character. See the main ones, learn what they do, and explore differences between batches.
Meet the main constituents, then select one to see what makes it interesting.
FOLLOW YOUR SENSES
Aroma & character
A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.
- Aroma intensity
- 80 / 100
- Note layer
- base
If you like this scent, explore
A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY
Using it thoughtfully
Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.
- Cited dermal maximum · leave-on
- 0%
- Phototoxicity
- Not flagged in this profile
- Oxidation risk
- medium
A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.
No public source found in this pass describing cade oil as a furocoumarin-driven phototoxic oil; the primary public safety concern is PAH and phenolic toxicity, not UV reactivity.
Contraindications & cautions
- majorCrude unrectified cade oil should not be used internally or externally because of benzo[a]pyrene contamination and carcinogenic concern.
- majorBenzo[a]pyrene has been reported up to 8 ppm in unrectified cade oil, while rectified material is much lower.
Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches
A supplier report describes a particular sample. Open this workspace to investigate measured constituents and their original documents.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT
Inside the oil
An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.
About this composition
Public regulatory and review sources describe unrectified cade oil as an empyreumatic juniper tar oil whose major fractions are sesquiterpenes plus phenolic pyrolysis products. The record below prioritizes public government and review sources that explicitly distinguish unrectified from rectified material. The phenolic fraction is represented by guaiacol (~12%, midpoint of the reviewed literature) plus a separate Cresols row (2.5%-14%, midpoint 8.25%) drawn directly from the same government assessment's physical/chemical property table, consistent with its narrative description of cade oil phenols as composed largely of guaiacol and cresols.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadinene isomers | 16.75% | 14.5–19% | Sesquiterpenes | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 554-558: cadinene 14.5% to 19%, including delta/gamma/alpha isomers) |
| Widdrol | 16.5% | 11–22% | Sesquiterpene alcohols | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 555-558: widdrol 11% to 22%) |
| Epi-cubenol | 10.6% | 8.2–13% | Sesquiterpene alcohols | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 555-558: epi-cubenol 8.2% to 13%) |
| tau-Muurolol | 6% | 0–12% | Sesquiterpene alcohols | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 556-557: tau-muurolol up to 12%) |
| Thujopsene | 15.6% | 9.2–22% | Sesquiterpenes | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 557-558: thujopsene 9.2% to 22%) |
| alpha-Cedrene | 7.5% | 0–15% | Sesquiterpenes | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 557-558: alpha-cedrene up to 15%) |
| Guaiacol | 12% | 12–12% | Phenols | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (p. 14-15 / lines 560-565: phenols 17-26%, composed largely of guaiacol 12% and cresols) |
| Cresols | 8.25% | 2.5–14% | Phenols | View sourceDraft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf (Table 3-1, Physical and chemical properties: cade oil representative constituent cresols, CAS 1319-77-3, percentage composition 2.5%-14%; corroborated by narrative text p. 14-15 / lines 668-675 identifying guaiacol plus cresols as the chief phenolic constituents, citing Skalli et al. 2014, Al-Snafi 2018, CIR 2001, and Tisserand and Young 2014) |
Profile source: Draft Assessment - Fourteen Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group (Canada); Cade Essential Oil: Benefits, Uses & Insights · https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/pded/terpenes-5/draft-assessment-fourteen-terpene-and-terpenoid-substances-group.pdf ; https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/cade-essential-oil.php
A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY
Traditional & reported uses
These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.
- traditionally used in topical folk remedies for skin conditions, applied in heavily diluted form
- reported use in perfumery for a strong, smoky, tar-like, leathery note
- used in niche and leather-accord perfumery for its distinctive empyreumatic character
- traditionally associated with historic veterinary and skin-care folk uses in Mediterranean regions
- reported use in small amounts within blends aimed at a rustic, smoky woodland atmosphere
For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.
What we're still learning · 2 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- Odor intensity 80 is a normalization from public descriptions of a 'strong smoky smell' and a darker, thicker, smokier unrectified oil rather than a directly published 0-100 laboratory scale.
- No public source located in this pass gave directly measured volatility-rate or tenacity-hour values for unrectified cade oil.