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Paper Mulberry

Q: Is Paper Mulberry natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Not extracted from nature. Paper mulberry is a fantasy accord in perfumery, reconstructed from dry woody synthetics, clean musks, and cellulosic-ozonic elements..

WOODS AND MOSSES / woody · fruity · earthy

Paper Mulberry

Category	WOODS AND MOSSES
Subcategory	woody · fruity · earthy
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	Broussonetia papyrifera
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	China, Japan, Southeast Asia
Pyramid	Base

Green-woody dryness with a papery, fibrous quality. Like tearing a sheet of handmade washi -- dry cellulose, faint sap, a ghost of green bark.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Dry, fibrous, and faintly green. Imagine a stack of handmade paper in a quiet workshop -- the smell of dried bark fiber, a trace of vegetable starch, cool cellulose. No sweetness, no resin. Pure texture translated into scent.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Faint green-woody freshness, like tearing fresh bark. Dry and transparent.

After a few hours

The green fades to pure dry wood and clean cellulose. Papery, quiet.

After a few days

Nearly imperceptible. A clean, matte, woody-musky residue.

The Full Story

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) is a deciduous tree native to East Asia, cultivated for centuries for its bark fiber, which is used to make traditional Japanese washi paper, Korean hanji, and Polynesian tapa cloth. In perfumery, paper mulberry is a fantasy note -- the tree is not commercially extracted for aromatic materials.

The accord aims to capture a specific texture: the dry, cellulosic quality of handmade paper, with a faint vegetal undertone from the living bark. Perfumers achieve this using dry woody materials (Iso E Super, cedryl acetate), transparent musks (Habanolide, ethylene brassylate), and a papery-ozonic element that suggests parchment rather than fresh wood.

In a composition, paper mulberry occupies the base. It provides a quiet, matte backdrop -- the olfactory equivalent of unbleached linen or raw cotton. It grounds heavier notes without competing with them.

The note works in minimalist, transparent-woody, and textile-inspired compositions. It is most effective when paired with other "dry" materials: cedar, iris, vetiver, or clean musks.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Ambramone · Amburana Bark · Antillone · Apple Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Japanese washi paper, made from the inner bark of Broussonetia papyrifera, can last over 1,000 years. UNESCO inscribed the traditional washi-making craft on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Not extracted from nature. Paper mulberry is a fantasy accord in perfumery, reconstructed from dry woody synthetics, clean musks, and cellulosic-ozonic elements.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture (no single formula)
CAS Number	N/A — no standard perfumery CAS for Broussonetia papyrifera
Botanical Name	Broussonetia papyrifera
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	BROUSSONETIA · KOZO · PAPER TREE
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium

In Perfumery

Base note in minimalist and transparent-woody compositions. Functions as a textural backdrop rather than a dominant note, providing a dry, matte quality that grounds heavier materials. Built from woody-transparent molecules (Iso E Super, cedryl acetate), clean musks, and ozonic-papery elements. Useful in textile-inspired and skin-scent formulas.