Commodity releases its perfumes in sets of three (don't even ask), placing their "expressive" fragrances between the "personal" on one side and the "bold" on the other. Super-duper trite, if you ask me. I interpret "expressive" as referring to a perfume for those who prefer not to have mathematical signs mingling in their wardrobes. You're not taking sides; you're simply expressing yourself by wearing a regular, not-too-soft, not-too-loud fragrance. Commodity's Paper is intriguing because, well, paper usually smells pretty good, and creating a perfume inspired by it seems like a noble quest. Having spent my college years flipping through reams of inventive paper samples that were made to win the wallets of graphics firms in the bygone era of printing, I am quite familiar with it.
Paper is meant to be one of those spartan minimalist fragrances, boasting a simple woody profile of Iso E Super, cedarwood, and sandalwood. And yes, for the first four hours, it's pretty much Iso E Super all the way, that "buzzy" sheer aromatic effect of some kind of fantasy carpenter's shop, where the sawdust smells as warm and inviting as a fatherly hug. Eventually it gets a touch sweeter, a little foresty, and the cedar picks up a bit, but it only takes you through lunch. By the six hour mark the sweetness has bloomed into a distinctly amaranthine glow, like a halo of sandalwood surrounding your space. This is all very nice, very nice indeed. Even if you know nothing about perfume, Paper will give you the Cliffs Notes and enlighten you on the fly. Hard to argue with something so efficient.
While I appreciate the understated beauty of it, Paper does have one problem. If you know nothing or little about perfume, it might smell like one of the nicest things you've ever encountered. But if you're like me, and you've been around the block a few times, Paper feels academic. This basic woody amber is popular in perfumery because it works so well, but everyone in the industry knows it works well. It is therefore unavoidably banal in such a bare-bones form, an accord imitated the world over. Commodity is offering the same svelte engine that has driven every department store masculine since 1976 (Z-14), and hoping you're new in town. Spend a day at Neiman Marcus and get back to me.