Bois de Cedrat(1875)

A citrus-and-wood composition centered on cedrat, the large, thick-skinned citron prized in perfumery for a peel oil that is sharper and more bitter than lemon, paired here with general citrus notes in the heart and a cedar-and-musk base. This structure, citron over citrus over cedar, produces a dry, slightly austere freshness distinct from the sweeter bergamot-forward colognes more common in the period, closer in spirit to the citron-based waters historically associated with southern Italy and Corsica. Cedrat has a long history in perfumery predating this composition by centuries, used since the medieval period in citrus waters valued as much for their perceived medicinal properties as their scent. As with much of Creed's 19th-century catalog, detailed independent documentation of this specific formula's origins is limited. The composition nonetheless reflects genuine period technique, built from real citrus and woody materials available to perfumers well before the synthetic era.