The Scent That Started Everything

Long before “natural” became a marketing term, Clear Light was creating products inspired by the plants and landscapes of New Mexico.

The company began in 1971 with a simple belief: the aroma of New Mexico cedar deserved to be preserved and shared. That belief became a distinctive collection of cedar essence, incense, candles, body care and home fragrance unlike anything found in conventional stores.

More than five decades later, we remain devoted to that original idea.

We are not trying to make cedar smell sweeter, trendier or more familiar. We want it to smell like cedar—the crisp, earthy aroma carried through the high desert air.

True to the Cedar and the Land

Many “cedar-scented” products begin with a fragrance developed to suggest a forest.

Ours begin with New Mexico cedar.

That difference can be experienced immediately. The aroma is layered and alive—woody but not heavy, fresh but not sharp, grounding without disappearing into the background.

It is the scent customers remember years later. It is why people take our products home after visiting New Mexico, send them to someone who misses the Southwest and return when they need that feeling again.

You are not simply choosing another cedar fragrance. You are experiencing Clear Light Cedar.

Products With a Sense of Place

Clear Light Cedar products are made for the moments when you want to slow down, settle your surroundings or reconnect with yourself.

• Light a cedar candle at the end of a long day.

• Burn incense before meditation, writing or welcoming guests.

• Mist your linens with the clean aroma of the high desert.

• Massage cedar lotion into your hands and carry the scent of New Mexico with you.

Crafted in Small Batches

Small-batch production allows us to remain close to every product we make.

Our incense cones are formed and cured in the New Mexico climate. Our Spirit Sticks are crafted for a long, atmospheric burn. Our candles are hand-poured. Our lotions, sprays, oils and home products are prepared with attention to texture, aroma and the experience they create.

This approach takes more time, but it protects what matters: character, quality and a genuine connection to the ingredients.

We are not interested in making our products feel mass-produced. We want opening a bottle, lighting a candle or burning a piece of incense to feel like a small ritual—one that changes the atmosphere around you.

Made Here. Connected to Here.

Clear Light Cedar is a New Mexico TRUE Certified business based in Placitas, New Mexico, where the Sandia Mountains meet the high desert.

This landscape is not a theme added to our packaging. It shapes what we make, how we make it and why our products exist.

Our collections are handcrafted in small batches using New Mexico cedar essence and thoughtfully selected ingredients. From hand-formed incense and sun-cured cones to candles, room sprays, lotions and aromatic oils, each product is created to bring a little of this place into your everyday life.

Wildcrafted cedar essence. Small-batch production. A story that belongs to New Mexico.

A New Mexico Tradition: From Josh Peine to Keith Allen West

Clear Light began in 1971, when founder Josh Peine started sharing his small-batch, wild-harvested cedar products at the Placitas Farmers’ Market. What began with green cedar needles, simple sachets and a fascination with New Mexico’s aromatic high country grew into a beloved Desert Southwest home and body care company.

After Clear Light had closed, Keith Allen West revived the company in 2010 with a commitment to preserve the products longtime customers remembered while carrying its original spirit into a new generation. Inspired by the plants, trees and wild places he encountered while backpacking throughout the Southwest, Keith expanded Clear Light Cedar’s offerings for the body, home and daily ritual.

More than 50 years after it began, Clear Light Cedar remains devoted to the same essential promise: to capture the unmistakable scent of New Mexico and bring a little of the wild back home.

Why People Return

“Your cedar products are great reminders of New Mexico.”

“The elegant fragrance is as good as mountain air.”

“The Cedar Roll-On makes me think I’ve found heaven on earth.”

Our customers may come to us for incense, lotion or a bottle of Cedar Essence Oil. What they return for is the feeling those products create.

• A calmer room.

• A familiar memory.

• A moment of stillness.

• A connection to somewhere they love.