What is "Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil" and what is its utility?

The Atlas cedar is a tree native to the Atlas, a mountain range in North Africa, and later introduced to Europe (France, Italy, Bulgaria). Massive and imposing, it can reach a height of 50 m and live between 1,000 to 2,000 years. It is rot-resistant and is part of the trilogy of sacred woods in King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem (cedar-cypress-sandalwood). The Egyptians embalmed mummies with compositions of essential oil in which cedar oil played a significant role.

The essential oil of Atlas cedar is extracted by hydrodistillation from the bark of the tree, that is, by steam distillation. The principle involves heating a mixture of water and bark to evaporate the volatile molecules and collect them following condensation. This method allows obtaining two extracts, namely the hydrosol and the essential oil, with a yield of 2 to 5%. The essential oil of Atlas cedar presents itself as a viscous liquid, dark yellow in color, with a woody smell. Its composition contains ketones (gamma-atlantone) and sesquiterpenes (beta-himachalene, alpha-himachalene, gamma-himachalene).

In terms of its therapeutic indications, this essential oil is recommended for stimulating arterial circulation. It also has lipolytic properties, which is why it is found in some anti-cellulite treatments.

Due to its biochemical composition, this essential oil offers numerous benefits.

• As a scalp tonic, it combats hair loss.

  The termalopeciais the scientific term used to describe hair loss. As a reminder, this phenomenon is normal and natural: on average, we lose between 50 and 100 hairs per day. However, it can be considered abnormal if the loss exceeds more than 100 hairs per day. The causes are both internal and external (genetics, hormonal imbalance, smoking, nutritional deficiencies, diseases, stress, medical treatments, pollution, etc.). Several studies have highlighted a slowdown in this phenomenon in male subjects following the application of a treatment with Atlas cedar essential oil to the scalp.

• Lipolytic, it promotes the elimination of the appearance of cellulite.

  The sesquiterpenic ketones found in Atlas cedar essential oil promote the breakdown of fats (lipolysis). This activity is sought after in the fight against cellulite.

• As an anti-inflammatory, it soothes redness.

  An in vitro study revealed that Atlas cedar essential oil, and more specifically the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons it contains, exhibited good inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase, a protein at the start of the inflammatory cascade. This essential oil notably helps to alleviate irritations and inflammations caused by acne.

Furthermore, the dry, warm, and woody scent of this essential oil is appreciated in cosmetic care.