Cedarwood oil is a natural essential oil that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. It helps to soothe irritated skin and combat visible signs of aging, making it a great skincare ingredient for mature skin. 

Even so, you may be wondering, is cedarwood oil safe on skin? Let’s discuss its safety profile for different skin types as well as key tips for safely using it in your skincare routine. 

What Is Cedarwood Oil?

Cedarwood oil is a natural essential oil extracted from the wood of cedar trees. The powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties in cedarwood oil help combat irritation for healthier-looking skin. 

If you struggle with sensitive or reactive skin, adding cedarwood essential oil to your skincare routine can be beneficial to combat irritation.

Is Cedarwood Oil Safe on Skin?

Potential Issues When Using Essential Oils on Your Skin 

Essential oils offer powerful benefits, but they also have the potential to irritate your skin — especially if you have sensitive skin. If you’re prone to skin irritation, even essential oils labeled as “safe” can lead to redness, dryness, and itching. 

That’s why it’s important to understand the facts about an essential oil before adding it to your skincare routine. But it’s not all bad news for sensitive skin types!

The Good News: Cedarwood Is Gentle on Skin

The good news is that cedarwood oil is a gentle essential oil and is typically safe for all skin types. In fact, you might be surprised to find out that the anti-inflammatory properties in cedarwood oil can actually help combat skin irritation. 

This makes it a great option for those who have sensitive skin and related struggles (like redness or dryness), but you’ll still need to try it for yourself to determine how your skin will react.

Be Sure You Do This Before Using Cedarwood Oil 

All essential oils, including cedarwood oil, are powerful in their concentrated form. That’s why you should always dilute cedarwood oil with a carrier oil like rosehip seed oil or jojoba oil when applying it to your skin. 

Carrier oils help dilute essential oils and “carry” them to your skin for better absorption. Some carrier oils, like rosehip seed oil, also offer antioxidants that help lock in moisture and boost collagen for hydrated, healthier-looking skin. 

You can either dilute the essential oil yourself or choose a skincare product that contains both cedarwood oil and a carrier oil to prevent skin irritation. 

Tips to Use Cedarwood Oil Safely on Skin

Since essential oils can be quite powerful, it’s important you follow these tips before using cedarwood oil on your skin to prevent irritation. 

• Choose a high-quality, pure oil: Be sure to look for cedarwood oil that is therapeutic grade and pure, meaning it only contains cedarwood essential oil (no fillers or fragrance oils). Ideally, also look for an oil that is USDA Certified Organic, especially if you’re worried about skin irritation. USDA Certified Organic means that the essential oil is clean and free of synthetic chemicals — in terms of both what ingredients the product contains and how those ingredients were farmed.
• Always perform a patch test first: It’s also smart to perform a patch test before applying cedarwood oil to your face. You can do this by applying a small amount of product to the inside of your arm, where your skin is the most sensitive, and leave it on for as long as you would normally. If your skin does get irritated, you can attempt the test a few more times, playing around with how much carrier oil you use.
• Choose a product that already contains a carrier oil: It can be difficult to know how much carrier oil to use to safely dilute cedarwood oil, which is why it may be easier to choose a product that already contains the right amount of carrier oil. This way you don’t have to go through trial and error, though you should still perform a patch test to ensure it doesn’t irritate your skin.

Cedarwood + Anti-Aging Skincare for All Skin Types

If you want to get younger-looking skin around your eyes without irritating this sensitive and delicate area, look into the Age-Defying Eye Cream from Purity Woods.

It contains USDA Certified Organic cedarwood oil – in small amounts that add a natural scent while still being suitable for all skin types –  along with over 20 of nature’s most soothing and powerful botanical extracts, including organic rosehip seed oil and antioxidant-rich organic maple leaf extracts. This carefully formulated cream nourishes the delicate skin around the eyes and effectively diminishes the appearance of under-eye bags, dark circles, and other visible signs of aging.

The eye cream is also suitable for all skin types, which makes it ideal for sensitive and irritation-prone skin. Plus, it contains a carrier oil so you don’t have to worry about mixing it yourself. 

Find out more about the Age-Defying Eye Cream here, and add soothing cedarwood oil to your skincare routine.