Suave clouds of burning copal whirling over Tulum inspire a beachy scent like no other.

Mayan incense rising from age-old temples. Lashes of sea spray and whiffs of the jungle where the jaguar lurks. AEDES DE VENUSTAS COPAL AZUR exhales the lush, spiritual vibes of sacred Tulum.

The Mayan incense copal is the muse of COPAL AZUR, brought to life by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour in 2014, who also authored AEDES DE VENUSTAS first scent, SIGNATURE. Incense is an olfactory thread that runs through much of the AEDES DE VENUSTAS collection. This millennia-old burnt offering to the gods is at the very origin of perfumery, since the word “perfume" itself springs from the Latin per fumare, which translates to “through smoke.” Who better than Duchaufour to whisk incense from the church into the seaside jungle?

Strikingly similar to frankincense, copal, whose name means “incense” in Nahuatl, can be extracted from a variety of trees native to Central and South America. And much like frankincense in Ancient Egypt or Greece, it was burned by the Mayans and Aztecs to “feed" the gods. Today, it is still used in Mexico for spiritual purposes.  Since copal resin cannot be used as a perfume ingredient, three different extractions of frankincense are used to conjure it from top to base notes, making up an extravagant 30% of the formula.

AEDES DE VENUSTAS co-founder Karl Bradl was drawn to its scent while cycling on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula through copal-laced air towards the natural reserve of Sian Kaâ’an, which translates as “Gate to Heaven." 

Just as the Mayan citadel looms over Tulum’s lush beachside paradise, a steep, mineral cliff of incense dominates the olfactory landscape of COPAL AZUR. Ozonic and salty notes call to mind the Caribbean Sea and the local cenotes, the subterranean fresh-water pools that dot the Yucatan Peninsula. A flash of green references lush Mexican jungles, cardamom peeks through the wet, woody undergrowth of patchouli and myrrh, and a touch of almond-scented tonka bean and amber, for the Jaguar God of Terrestrial Fire, reference the roundness of the copal and the burning of its embers. COPAL AZUR is hypnotic, spiritual and forceful, a wildly transporting perfume with an iconoclastic expression of incense at its core.

AEDES DE VENUSTAS COPAL AZUR has now been carefully transferred to a precious new vessel: A fluted glass bottle marked by peacock blue accents, a matte black insignia-stamped cap, and a sleek yet weighty design that marks the next chapter in the AEDES DE VENUSTAS story.