MycoWorks Reaches New Milestone with the Next Iteration of Fine Mycelium™

Patented technology allows flagship material, Reishi™ to be grown as pure mycelium at high-strength

UNION, S.C., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MycoWorks, the pioneering biomaterials company, announced today an advancement of its proprietary Fine Mycelium™ process, enabling the creation of their signature high-performing material Reishi™ grown and composed entirely of pure mycelium. This recent milestone demonstrates the impact that patient and deliberate R&D can bring to biomaterials companies, and marks an important step in MycoWorks' ability to bring luxury materials with strong sustainability profiles to market. 

The company's premium flagship material, Reishi™, will now be grown and made with one hundred percent mycelium. Prior to this achievement, each sheet of Reishi™ also included a cotton insert. Enabled by a breakthrough in the company's proprietary Rei-Tanning™ technology for tanning mycelium, Reishi's tensile strength has improved from less than 10 MPa to over 16 MPa without a fabric insert. The shift demonstrates the viability and trajectory of mycelium-made materials, while further reducing the environmental impact by lowering emissions from 5.8 kg of CO₂ to 2.76 kg of CO₂ per square meter.

MycoWorks has evolved its Rei-Tanning™ tanning and finishing technology to deliver new performance capabilities for pure mycelium materials, improving mechanical performance (e.g., tensile strength of 14 - 18 MPa vs. 7.2 - 9 MPa historically, measured with ISO 3376), while eliminating delamination defects. First introduced earlier this year, Rei-Tanning™ reimagines a traditional process for mycelium-only materials, expanding new applications in the luxury sector.

"Reishi™ has entered a new era with its latest mycelium-only breakthrough, now paving the way for material properties that support elevated design and upgraded craftsmanship," said MycoWorks CEO, Matthew Scullin. "After seven years of progress working directly with leading European tanneries, we continue to push this technology forward. We consistently demonstrate how biomaterials like Reishi can, time and again, match or exceed various physical properties of leather, and overall show that as a tunable, engineerable platform, Fine Mycelium is so much more than leather."

Available now through tannery partners

MycoWorks will now supply its next-generation Reishi™ directly to tanneries, empowering the tanning industry to bring their heritage signatures to the Reishi™ products and the biomaterials market. Through this partnership model, tanneries will be able to develop a wide range of Reishi™ references — each with distinct characteristics, finishes, colors, and aesthetics — tailored to the needs and creativity of their clients. This approach ensures that Reishi™ enters the market not as a single product, but as a versatile material platform enriched by the expertise of leading tanneries such as Curtidos Badia.

"Reishi™ has delivered consistent advances that make it an exciting material to work with," said Diego Navarro from Curtidos Badia. " We continue to develop different tanning and finishing techniques to achieve the features and durability our clients expect. Just as importantly, this allows designers to think creatively, without the limitations of a platform like leather, and as opposed to a fixed material like some plastic alternatives."

Reishi™ incorporating the latest Rei-Tanning™ technology surpasses standards of legacy materials, delivering preferable workability and feel, softness, and fullness. It is durable and resistant to stress and elements, further escalating biomaterial performance and usability in design.

A new standard for "mycelium-only" materials 

MycoWorks is at the forefront of transforming mycelium materials into industrial reality. The company's Fine Mycelium™ biotechnology has rapidly scaled into a platform for fast-paced innovation, building on years of pioneering achievements in mycology, manufacturing and tanning & finishing. Collaborations with visionary brands such as Cadillac and Ligne Roset have showcased the creative potential of Fine Mycelium™ to develop materials tailor-made to specific industries. Further Reishi™ collaborations with an international roster of designers showcased at Design Miami.Paris, ICFF, Salone Del Mobile, and 3daysofdesign have allowed MycoWorks to continuously refine and elevate their flagship material for diverse applications. By working closely with these partners, the company has continuously been able to respond to–and surpass–the expectations their luxury clients have of biomaterials at-large, demonstrating that mycelium can set new standards for both design and sustainability. With Fine Mycelium™, and now with the breakthrough Rei-Tanning™ technology for strengthening mycelium, MycoWorks is not only redefining material innovation but laying the foundation for biomaterials to become a cornerstone of the luxury supply chain.

About MycoWorks 
In 2013, artists Philip Ross and Sophia Wang formed MycoWorks, a biotechnology company dedicated to growing the future of materials. MycoWorks' patented Fine Mycelium™ platform engineers mycelium as it grows, crafting biomaterials of unparalleled beauty, strength, durability, and hand-feel. Thirty years of savoir-faire have led to Reishi™ – a new category that offers designers an unprecedented level of control over a natural material. Reishi™ is ushering in a new era of sustainable design for next-generation artists. MycoWorks is transforming the way we conceive design—cultivating materials that are both revolutionary and responsible.

MycoWorks will be present at Premiere Vision 2025 (Paris, September 15-18), and Material Matters (London, September 17-20).

For more information, please visit mycoworks.com and follow @madewithreishi on Instagram.

Contact : [email protected] 

SOURCE MycoWorks