Ridge map · 02
The paper
The paper
is the product.
A rolling paper has one function: to combust cleanly and get out of the way. Skins is produced on the same ultra-thin stock as the most respected papers on the market, gummed to our own profile and held to a specification we verify batch by batch.
The science
Three ingredients.
Nothing hidden.
A Skins leaf is fibre, gum and water. Everything the paper does, from the translucency to the burn to the ash, comes from how those three are prepared. Nothing is added to make it whiter, faster or sweeter.
In the paper
- 01
Fibre
Long rice fibres, refined and calendered to 14 gsm until the leaf is ultra-thin and reads near-transparent against the light. Long fibre is what lets a leaf be this thin and still roll without splitting. It is also why the ash is minimal: there is very little to leave behind.
- 02
Gum
Plant-derived natural gum, laid in a single narrow strip at a coat weight we set. Narrow so it seals on minimal moisture and holds first time; controlled so it burns to a fine caramel line rather than a bead. The strip is the only part of the leaf that is not fibre and water.
- 03
Water
The remainder of the recipe. Water carries the fibre onto the machine and leaves as the leaf dries. It contributes nothing to the burn.
Not in the paper
What a paper leaves out matters as much as what it puts in. These are the additives common in the category that are not in a Skins leaf, and why.
Chlorine bleaching
Chlorine whitens pulp and leaves residues we do not want in a leaf that is about to be lit. Skins is chlorine-free.
Optical brighteners
Chemical additives that make paper look whiter under light. They add nothing to the roll and are not in the leaf.
Dyes
A Skins leaf is the colour of its fibre, or as close to no colour as paper can be.
Pulp fillers
Fillers add body and ash. We hold weight through the fibre, not through additives.
Burn accelerants
A leaf that needs help to stay lit is the wrong leaf. The cross-weave watermark regulates the burn instead.
Flavourings
Nothing in the paper should be tasted. Flavour transfer is a fail in our protocol, not a feature.
Translucency check
Ridge map · 02
Translucency
Read it against the light.
Hold a Skins leaf to the light and the fingerprint reads through it. Translucency is the fastest read of a sheet: thin zones read bright, thick zones read dull, and a good leaf reads the same edge to edge.
In the lab, transmitted light is read across every batch to catch uneven formation before it reaches a booklet. The scanning leaf below is the same idea, on screen. Move across the sheet to read it.
- Formation
- Uniform
- Watermark
- Cross-weave
- Read
- Edge to edge
Burn front
Slow, even, and gone.
A slow, even burn front comes from three things: the weight of the leaf, the cross-weave watermark that regulates airflow through it, and the absence of anything that accelerates combustion.
The test is simple. A conditioned leaf is lit in still air and the front is timed edge to edge and watched for runs. What is left is weighed. A Skins leaf leaves a minimal, pale ash and no flavour of its own.
Scroll to advance the burn front
- Burn front
- Slow and even
- Ash residue
- Minimal, pale
- Flavour transfer
- None detected
Specification
The sheet.
Every Skins paper is built to this specification. It is printed on the technical sheet we send to stockists and it is what each batch is verified against.
| Attribute | Skins |
|---|---|
| Basis weights | Lightweight: 14 gsm rice paper. Medium weight: a heavier rice stock for structure and speed. Both held to tight tolerance batch by batch. |
| Sizes | King Size and Super King Size |
| Leaves per booklet | 55, interleaved |
| Gum | Natural, plant-derived, single narrow strip |
| Bleaching | Chlorine-free |
| Watermark | Cross-weave, pressed at the mill |
| Additives | None. No dyes, brighteners, fillers, accelerants or flavourings |
| Origin | Manufactured in Spain |
| Verification | Skins lab, UK. Six-test protocol on every batch |
Protocol
Six tests. Every batch.
Nothing carries the fingerprint until it has passed all six in the Skins lab. The full protocol, the pass marks and the technology behind the leaf are in the Research Centre.
- 01
Burn
Slow, even, no runs
- 02
Ash
Minimal, pale, no clumping
- 03
Gum
Holds first time
- 04
Translucency
Uniform across the sheet
- 05
Flavour
No flavour transfer
- 06
Roll
No splits, no drag
Next step
For rollers
Priority access.
Releases, competitions and stockists near you, before anyone else.
For trade
Put Skins on your counter.
Wholesale terms, the technical sheet and a sample booklet within two business days. Distributors and wholesalers, see Partners.