Two essential oil fragrances that are up there with the best of warmth, depth, and versatility: cedarwood and cinnamon bark. The profiles and benefits of these rich earthy scents are what make them so popular from personal fragrances to home aromatherapy. Which one is right for you though? In this blog, we have done an in-depth comparison to discuss cedarwood vs cinnamon and you can decide which fragrance you need.
Why Compare Cedarwood and Cinnamon?
Cinnamon bark and cedarwood essential oils are both warming, rich fragrances, but they feel quite different. Cedarwood smells like the grounding, wooden essence of forests and cinnamon dreams of sweet, spicy warmth that will bring to mind cozy fall nights. By making a comparison, you provide yourself with a better opportunity to choose an essential oil fragrance for private usage or home diffusing.
Cedarwood: Earthy Elegance in a Bottle
The essential oil is obtained from the wood of different types of cedar trees. It is warm, woody, and slightly sweet, which has made it a favorite for people looking for the scent to help with grounding and calming. Due to this, Cedarwood is very often used in blends for inclusion into a relaxing practice, meditation practice, or any type of relaxing work environment.
Scent Profile:
- Lightly sweet with warm undertones, with notes of woody areas
- Earthy, grounding aroma which isn’t heavy or overpowering
- A great way of creating things that feel calming and relaxing
Uses: It is extremely versatile and the essential oil of cedarwood. You will often find it in personal fragrance as many people prefer woodsy but natural scents. Besides being a useful oil for its suggested use in aromatherapy, it also makes a nice base note in a complex scent blend, especially when put with other oils, such as bergamot, jasmine, or cinnamon.
Benefits: As you know, cedarwood has calming properties that can ease stress and help you relax. Because it’s so soothing, it’s often used in diffusers or added to bath products. Cedarwood essential oil acts as an astringent on the skin, supporting healthy clear skin.
Cinnamon Bark: A Spicy Scent That Warms the Soul
The cinnamon bark essential oil comes from the bark of a cinnamon tree. It has an unmistakable spicy, warm, and sweet scent, with a richness that makes it perfect for cool months. Its bold, energizing fragrance makes it a favorite scent for those who like their scents to be loud.
Scent Profile:
- Bright, spicy, and slightly sweet
- Vigorous and energizing aroma with a comforting element.
- Great for making your room welcoming and cozy.
Uses: Cinnamon bark essential oil is a fan favorite for fall and winter fragrances, as its’ warm spicy scent goes hand in hand with the chilly months. In addition to using it in personal perfumes and home diffusers to create a festive inviting aroma, it can even be used in cleaning products. It’s always a good pair with orange, cardamom, and cedarwood essential oils, for a rich and layered fragrance.
Benefits: Cinnamon bark essential oil has a stimulating effect. It’s great for help with boosting energy and concentration, so it’s perfect for those morning routines or workspaces. However, it also has antimicrobial properties and is used in DIY cleaning products or even in some air-purifying blends!
Comparing Cedarwood vs. Cinnamon: Fragrance Showdown
With an understanding of the basics, let’s compare the scents of cedarwood vs cinnamon. Here’s how they stack up across different categories:
1. Strength of Scent
Cedarwood: Cedarwood offers a subtle and long-lasting grounding scent that doesn’t overwhelm other fragrances.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a dramatic and strong scent, from the moment it’s diffused or applied. It is a strong scent that will overpower a blend if used in large quantities.
Winner: Cedarwood is perfect as an alternative if you love a softer smell as well. Cinnamon is stronger if you want something that says something.
2. Best Season
Cedarwood: The quirkiness of this oil is such that it is versatile enough that it can be used all year long, but it is an earthy warm oil, perfect for fall and winter.
Cinnamon: The colder months of autumn and winter particularly seem to go hand in hand with cinnamon bark. Seasonal shift brought on by its warmth of holiday spices: it’s a perfect companion.
Winner: Cinnamon is the ultimate fall and winter flavor because of its warm, festive scent, but they’re both great for warming up your home.
3. Mood and Atmosphere
Cedarwood: A perfect addition to your home with which to create a place of calm and meditation. Perfect for stress relief and relaxation with Its grounding aroma.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is uplifting and energizing on the senses making it a great choice for boosting mood and dispelling negative emotions.
Winner: Cedarwood makes for the perfect relaxing and unwinding choice, and cinnamon makes for a great energy or cozy, comforting scent.
4. Versatility
Cedarwood: Cedarwood can be a great base note to work with and can combine with almost any number of other oils, from citruses to florals or even spices.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon pairs well with some oils, like orange and vanilla, but it’s too bold for other, lighter scents.
Winner: Cedarwood can be combined with more ingredients so it’s a go-to for a custom blend.
Blending Cedarwood and Cinnamon: The Perfect Fall Pairing
Cedarwood vs. cinnamon might seem an either/or choice, but they make beautiful companions. A combination of the grounding, earthy tones of cedarwood and the bold, spicy warmth of cinnamon works to create a balanced blend that is at once calming and energizing.
For a DIY fall fragrance blend, try this combination:
- 3 drops of HBNO cedarwood essential oil fragrance.
- Add 2 drops of HBNO cinnamon bark essential oil fragrance
- 2 drops of HBNO orange essential oil fragrance for orange, citrus top note.
This is a blend that epitomizes the season of autumn, marrying the heartiness of cinnamon with the balsamic woody resonance of Cedarwood. Orange brings a bright freshness, a nice balance to the darker notes.
How to Choose Between Cedarwood and Cinnamon
If you’re trying to decide between cedarwood and cinnamon for your next fragrance purchase, consider the following factors:
- Mood: Do you prefer something calmer, grounding, exciting, energized, and bold?
- Season: Fall cannot be improved upon, and both oils smell fantastic; cinnamon is the ultimate festive scent, but cedarwood can be used all year.
- Versatility: Cedarwood is more versatile if you like to blend your oils, however, when you want a fingerprint, and a stand-out smell then cinnamon is immeasurable.
Conclusion: Which Essential Oil Wins?
Ultimately, whether you’d prefer cedarwood or cinnamon is all up to a personal preference. If you want a soft earthy grounded scent then look no further than cedarwood essential oil. However, if you desire cinnamon in all its spicy, warm beading glory, cinnamon bark essential oil gives you that.
The good news is that you don’t have to pick just one. Each of these oils gives its special benefit—and can be used together if you want a scent just right for fall. If you’re diffusing theirs at home or using theirs as part of your personal scent routine, you’ll want to get your hands on some cedarwood and cinnamon from HBNO, they each carry a touch of autumnal elegance with them.
Therefore, why not try both and see if you can create your own custom fall fragrance, just as unique as this season?
