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Introduction. The aim of research -- to determine the effect of clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) essential oil on paper packaging materials. Materials and methods. Three packaging materials have been studied based on paper coated with clary sage essential oil. The chemical composition of the clary sage essential oil is determined chromatographically. Antimicrobial effect of essential oil was determined against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, and fungi using the agar diffusion method. Results and discussion. The chemical composition of the clary sage essential oil showed a predominant amount of oxygenated monoterpenes (83.43%), followed by monoterpene hydrocarbons (7.86%), and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (5.16%). The major components of the clary sage essential oil were linalyl acetate, β-linalool, α- terpineol, limonene, and geranyl acetate that determined the antimicrobial action of the oil. The essential oil exhibited a fungicidal action against the tested molds and yeasts. Its high antimicrobial properties could be probably due to the high content of linalyl acetate (40.31%) and β-linalool (22.72%). Our results showed high fungicidal efficacy for the three types of packaging materials. The suppressive action against C. albicans during the investigated shelf life period was about 100%. It was found a high efficiency of the recycled paper against A. brasiliensis (99.2% - 81.9%). It was determined that the bactericidal effect of the tested packaging materials was lower than the Gram-negative bacterium S. abony. Conclusions. Clary sage essential oil could be used as an antimicrobial agent in the food industry due to its antimicrobial properties, in order to improve the quality of the products and extend their shelf life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]