N/A — synthetic aroma chemical (oakmoss substitute)
Appearance
white to pinkish yellow crystalline powder
Odor Strength
High
Producing Countries
N/A — synthetic (manufactured globally)
Pyramid
Base
The synthetic soul of oakmoss. Evernyl (CAS 4707-47-5) is a crystalline powder that provides the dry, mossy, earthy-phenolic character of chypre and fougere compositions — minus the allergens that forced natural oakmoss into restriction.
Dry, mossy-green, and earthy-phenolic — the unmistakable smell of a damp forest flo or distilled into a powder. Less complex than natural oakmoss absolute, but sharper and more focused on the mossy-earthy quality specifically. A leathery-powdery quality emerges on skin. No green freshness, no sweetness — this is austerity in molecular form. Persistent and diffusive, with excellent fixative properties.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Dry, mossy-green earthiness — phenolic and woody, immediately recognizable as the oakmoss facet
After a few hours
After a few hours
Earthy-phenolic character persists and deepens, a leathery-powdery quality emerges
After a few days
After a few days
Long-lasting dry, mossy-earthy residue — the persistent base note that defines chypre
The Full Story
Evernyl (CAS 4707-47-5) is the molecule that saved the chypre. When IFRA restrictions on natural oakmoss absolute — driven by the sensitizing potential of atranol and chloroatranol — threatened to erase one of perfumery's foundational fragrance families, Evernyl provided the exit. A white crystalline powder with a powerful mossy, earthy-phenolic character, it reproduces the specific quality of oakmoss that defines the chypre accord.
The molecule is methyl 2,4-dihydroxy-3,6-dimethylbenzoate — closely related to atraric acid, which constitutes approximately 16% of natural oakmoss absolute. Evernyl isolates this mossy-earthy character and delivers it in a potent, non-allergenic form. Its potency means it is used at extreme dilution: a fraction of a percent in a formula is sufficient to establish the mossy-green-earthy foundation that chypre and fougere compositions depend on.
The limitati on is real: Evernyl captures the dry, mossy-phenolic quality of oakmoss but not its full complexity. Natural oakmoss absolute also contains leathery, animalic, and green-algae nuances that Evernyl alone cannot provide. Most modern chypre formulations therefore combine Evernyl with tree moss absolute (less restricted than oakmoss), Clearwood (for a patchouli-clean quality), and trace amounts of compliant oakmoss derivatives to rebuild the full effect.
Before IFRA restrictions on oakmoss, the chypre family — defined by bergamot, labdanum, and oakmoss — was one of perfumery's fundamental categories. The restrictions threatened to erase an entire fragrance family from production. Evernyl effectively saved the chypre by providing the mossy-earthy character in a non-allergenic form, though many purists argue the replacement lacks the full animal-leather complexity of unrestricted natural oakmoss absolute.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Entirely synthetic. Evernyl is produced by chemical synthesis (methylation of atraric acid precursors). It was originally developed by Roure Bertrand Dupont. The product is a white crystalline powder, soluble in ethanol. It does not occur as an isolate in nature, though the closely related atraric acid is a natural component of oakmoss (Evernia prunastri) and tree bark lichens.
Molecular Formula
C₁₀H₁₂O₄
CAS Number
4707-47-5
Botanical Name
N/A — synthetic aroma chemical (oakmoss substitute)
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Evernyl, Evernyl acetate
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
High
Appearance
white to pinkish yellow crystalline powder
Boiling Point
~290 °C
Melting Point
142-144 °C
In Perfumery
Evernyl (methyl 2,4-dihydroxy-3,6-dimethylbenzoate, CAS 4707-47-5, also sold as Veramoss or Atralone) is the most important oakmoss replacement in contemporary use. When IFRA restricted natural oakmoss absolute due to its allergenic atranol and chloroatranol content, Evernyl became the molecule that preserved the chypre and fougere families from extincti on. It is a white crystalline powder with a powerful mossy, woody, earthy-phenolic character. Atraric acid (the natural analogue) constitutes approximately 16% of natural oakmoss absolute — Evernyl isolates and amplifies this specific quality. Used at extreme diluti on (it is potent), it provides the dry, mossy-green foundati on of chypre accords (alongside bergamot and labdanum) and the earthy-herbal depth of fougere structures (beneath lavender and coumar in). It also adds dryness and a powdery earthiness to woody-aldehydic and leather compositions.
