There are mainly four different types of cedar trees. Atlas-Cedar (Cedrus Atlantica), Cyprus-Cedar (Cedrus Brevifolia), Himalayan-Cedar (Cedrus Deodara), Lebanon-Cedar (Cedrus Libani).
The oil of these species most commonly used in perfume comes from the Atlas-Cedar. However, there is also the Eastern-Red-Cedar or also called Virginian-Cedar, whose oil is very often used in perfume. This tree is actually not a cedar tree at all, but a juniper tree. Because of its similarity, the tree, which is widely grown in Virginia (USA), was long thought to be a cedar tree. The botanical name is "Juniperus Virginiana." However, the name referring to cedar wood is still common.
The scent of Atlas-Cedar is very different from Virginian-Cedar. The odor profile of Atlas- Cedar is woody, slightly oily, and very sweet smelling for a conifer oil. Virginian-Cedar, on the other hand, is woody-fresh, with mildly balsamic facets. The scent of Virginian-Cedar is also often compared to that of pencil shavings.