Bois de Cédrat (1875)
by Creed

A truly beautiful cedrat topped woody scent that hints of better times and values. Wear this and feel wonderful.

Cedrat (citrus medica) is neither lime (citrus aurantiifolia or latifolia) nor your normal household lemon (citrus limon), but a thick-peeled variety best known in the form of candied lemon peel. The people of the Mediterranean use it in a variety of ways, liqueur de cedrat (from Corsika) not being the worst of them. As I have now learned, from Nigel Groom's Handbook and the wonderful Perfumes of Yesterday by David G. Wiliams, cedrat oil no longer refers to oil of cedrat, but a composition of citrus oils/synthetics. As Williams writes (p. 201): "Genuine Cedrat Oil disappeared from perfumery no doubt because it was found not to supply any interesting fragrance notes that could not be produced by the use of other materials at lower cost." He quotes from Piesse's 1855 Art of Perfumery that it had a "very beautiful lemony ordour" and "was principally used in the manufacture of essences for the handkerchief." Creed's Bois de Cedrat, if the listing on cale.it is correct uses bergamot, Sicilian lemon and mandarin over a cedar base and the result is an immensely refreshing, zesty citrus with a soft woody underbelly. The citrus is the star, of course, it's very natural (compare it to the artful fiction that is Terre d'Hermes) and, amazingly, lasts a while. Bois de Cedrat is a good compromise between Trumper's West Indian Lime, which is pure citrus and gone in a flash, and Monsieur Balmain, which is a fantastic - and very affordable - lemon beauty with a lot more going on in the drydown. There are of course many very nice citrus scents (classic sharp Eaux de Cologne like Guerlain Impériale or Eau des Fleurs de Cedrat, Eau d'Hadrien etc.) and when you scour the markets of Southern France you will find local products on par with this at a fraction of the cost of a Creed. Buying this at full price is thus a luxury, but pleasure it will certainly give.

first submitted May 31, 2008

A great solio-citrus, not one iota impressionistic or abstract. As pointed out below, Meyer lemon is the closest real world analogue to BDC thanks, I'd wager, to a hint of bergamot providing the orange aspect and some kind of subtle herbal accord providing bitterness--the two features that separate Meyer lemon peels from their martini-riding brethren. BDC is also half of the only layering combo I'd actually wear out of the house:--two or three spritzes of BDC on top of one of Bois de Santal (which has a nice creamy lemon opening of it's own) provides an amazing two hour balancing act of smooth and sharp followed by whatever's left of BDS, which persists a good three hours longer than BDC.

Excellent SOUR citrus scent, with a very nice and "truly dry" cedar note.
I stress dry cedar, because so much of the "cedar" used in perfumery is a very bad, greasy synthetic "petrol cedar" and misses the dry appeal of fine woodwork made of cedar. It lasts very well for a sour citrus, especially on fabrics, as the tart lemon/citron used here contains alot of basenote (citronellol) [not citronellal)
Thumbs up for filling a small niche in the citrus category so well.

This beautiful citrus scent is how I found my way back to Creed. All hype aside, Bois de Cédrat IS an extremely natural EdT, if not the most natural one in my wardrobe. Almost entirely composed of light, airy citrus, with just a hint of wood underneath, it's gentle, cool, and amazingly refreshing. I love wearing this one on hot days, but I always bring the bottle with me, because the citrus is SO light, the longevity is - in a word - terrible, and because the topnotes are just indescribably good. I enjoy wearing this one to bed at night, because it's so comforting, and also pleasant for my wife. An excellent choice for seafood dining as well.

There are other citrus scents which I prefer when I need longevity, sillage, presence, or complexity, but when I want something truly divine, this is the one.

I can't quite bring myself to give this a neutral rating, anymore that I can bring myself to go to a restaurant and complain that the waiter brought me a lime or a lemon, while I distinctly asked for a cedrat.

BdC is much too linear for me. Still, one could wear it for Spring and Summer and REL for Autumn and Winter and be done with it!

No one could fault your ever so refined taste if you stuck to these two alone.

No more fragrance addiction! Take up Scrabble or Yahtzee as a hobby. But then life would be rather boring , wouldn't it?


BdC as the name translates is a forest of lim--er--I mean cedrat. It's definitely a 'gentlemen's' scent with a delightful feel and a depressing price tag.

I rather like it. For a while.