Copal de Terre

Let me start this review by stating that Copal De Terre is one of the best incense fragrances in its price range. This is truly one of the rare, although increasingly much more common, fragrances that offer truly niche level quality and profile for a budget price. If you read nothing else you should know this. Copal De Terre is the result of a collaboration between Le Monde Gourmond, perfumer Rodrigo Flores Roux with global fragrance house Givaudan, and multi-disciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, Juan Renteria aka El Creativo. Known for his floral arrangements, pottery and t-shirts which pay homage and draw inspiration from his Mexican-American heritage. Renteria is quoted as stating, “I want them to feel a rush of home like being embraced by Mother Earth herself. More than anything, I want them to experience the essence of México Antiguo, a fragrance steeped in history, warmth and soul". Happily, I can say that I believe Mr. El Creativo & Mr. Rodrigo were successful in creating a fragrance that celebrates Mexican and Mexican-American culture. Copal being the prominent note not only makes sense but works perfectly. Mexican copal is not only recognized internationally but loved domestically by "La Raza" for it's beauty. The other notes in the composition play a background but blend beautifully. This is certainly a church incense fragrance, make no mistake about that, there are similarities to Avignon or Full Incense but the copal adds a smokiness and the vanilla is slightly thicker here. If Avignon smells like a French cathedral, Copal De Terre smells like the famous Mexican-American cathedral "Our Lady Queen of Angels" in Los Angeles. This is the furthest thing from a heavy incense and while I would say this is "thicker" than Avignon I do think Copal De Terre would be a better choice for hot weather. Copal De Terre truly is an all year fragrance. The traditional Western(church) incense composition of frankincense, myyrh, vanilla, and woods here is composed light enough for this to be warm weather and daytime friendly. Where the copal and extra dose of vanilla add a beautiful warmth that make this great for cold weather. I got Copal De Terre last year as a Christmas gift from my parents and it was my daily wear for most of this past winter. So it was a pleasent surprise today when I decided to see how it would fair in much, much warmer weather and it smelled great and performed amazingly. In conclusion, I think you should get your nose on Copal De Terre. You want to smell good for cheap? You're a fragrance nerd who loves incense fragrances? You want to smell like a botanica in Pico Rivera or Boyle Heights? You want something that smells like a Mexican or Mexican-American church? Maybe you want to smell like that incense your abuela burned? Copal De Terre - 9.5/10 - All Year - Location/Situation: somewhere in East Los Angeles, April, 130PM... The sun is shining, your stomach is full and in the distance you hear a corrido you can't understand. There is a culture here. God, Raza, Family. - Song: Suavecito - Malo

Much greener than I was expecting! This reminds me of the time I spent up in the Tetons. By the lake, just off the main road, is the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. A small cabin sat nestled in the pines. While I'm not religious, it was a lovely space and surround by so much natural beauty. The shore was empty in every direction and I sat on a gnarled, pale bough of drift wood with my bare feet against the cold stones of the lake, breathing in as much of the rain wet, piney atmosphere as I could. It was so still. The soft drone of rain dimpling the lake, great branches of sticky pine bobbing against a breeze, my old friend not far off inspecting pine cones and pebbles, smelling faintly of his home, warm quits and incense. It was one of the few times in my life I felt my mind quiet. Felt deeply and solidly apart of the world around me and it wasn't accompanied by fear. Copal de Terre brought me back there. I'm thrilled to have this little bottle of heaven.

I hope they never discontinue this.. I've never smelled anything quite like this. It's sort of like a "clean hippie" perfume. It's not "dirty" or overly earthy smelling, it's smokey, incense-y, resinous and pine-y. The subtle vanilla note in the background ties everything together and elevates it. And yes, it smells a lot like a Mexican Catholic church which makes this even more beautiful and nostalgic to me. I know it has pine notes but this perfume reminds me more of the desert than a forest. Its both but more desert vibes to me. I can see why people think its more masculine but to me its a true unisex perfume. The type of woman I feel is represented by this is a woman with airdried waves and abalone jewelry who spends her weekends doing yoga in a forest and bathing in its creeks, camping in the desert but also going to galleries and museums in the city.

gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! A beautifully masterful take on incense done in such a perfectly simplistic way while still packing some depth. Opens with a prominent elemi resin note paired with some fresh cypress. Very resinous and warmly dusty, as it transitions into a smoky incense body. This does a really good job of highlighting copal as note in all its glory. It has body, warmth, a vintage charm, and ofc smokiness. Nails it pretty close to the real thing. The dry down maintains that dusty vintage charm but takes it into a sweeter direction with a warm vanilla and Peru balsam combo. If you want incense done exceptionally for a low price point this is it.

An incredible incense at an unbeatable price. Very similar to Avignon, however Copal De Terre replaces the aldehydic opening with a fizzy Vanilla Coke feel without ever getting close to gourmand territory. It’s a sunny, effervescent incense fragrance that captures the church feel with an extra blessing by your local curandera. Love it!

This perfume was recommended as a good budget incense scent and I am absolutely obsessed with it. It definitely smells like burning incense and reminds me of church services from when I was a kid. It is warm and smokey and comforting and all around an amazing addition to my collection that I see myself reaching for often in the future.

I like this scent because it is genuinely different. On me, the vanilla does not come through at all. Its VERY resinous. The cedar reflects pretty minty on me which i do like. I tried layering it with a few scents but haven’t quite found the right one, perhaps a musk will fare decently well. Once i find the right way to layer it, it will for sure become a winter . Its comforting, but not in a warm way; more in a stale old books or old church kind of way. i think people who enjoy copal in general will appreciate it.

This nails Chihuahua/Sonoran desert incense. It is an American spiritual incense, not a middle eastern one. That may not seem like a big difference unless you know that there is one. I think it is the cypress note that makes the difference. The pine tar does not come across at all smokey to me. It is a surprisingly clean scent. One thing I especially appreciate is that the dry down has more going on than Iso E Super. Undoubtedly there is some, but to my nose it smells more like actual cedar and vanilla.

I really like this fragrance. I wanted the olibanium to pop a bit more than it does, but it appears very vanilla on me at first. I’m still looking for a *perfect* churchy frankincense scent for myself, which i want to be almost completely devoid of sweetness. I think the vanilla does fade and the frankincense does become more prominent with time though. In general, an amazing bang-for-buck fragrance, it’s soooo good for only 30 or less. I think the perfumer really captured what he was going for as well.

If you grew up Catholic, this smells very familiar and exactly like a dusty church with well-worn wooden pews. Incense, woody, and a little bit of vanilla for sweetness. Personally, I really enjoy this as an end of summer/beginning of fall fragrance. Good for when you're feeling nostalgic, or just want to be a mysterious entity floating around.

Was looking for an affordable incense scent - picked this out during @m@zon prime day for about $25. If you've ever been in a church/chapel in the woods after a good rain, this captures that essence. While it doesn't pull smoky on me like I'd hoped, CDT is going to be my daily fall scent.

Really airy and beautiful cypress and incense. Growing up Latino, this smells like a Dia de Los Muertos ofrenda. Or a Catholic Church. This is a very clean incense fragrance that can be worn in the heat and not heavy at all. $32 for it including shipping. Very cozy. 7.2/10

smells like walking into a catholic church in mexico. comforting and smoky. i can see how this can remind you of gypsy water by byredo because you get a lot of pine and incense. super resiounous. i like it.

This is earthy, aromatic, and woodsy. Its a very refreshing scent. I don't know what blue cypress smells like but I get the pine in the opening, and then the frankincense and copal come through. After 2-3 hours it mellows out and I can smell the vanilla dry down. I feel like this would smell fantastic on a hot day, especially in a dry climate like socal CA.

I just got this the other day and i dont hate it but...i dont love it for me personally. It is very sharp and very resinous. Perhaps i will try again in the fall winter? It doesnt feel like a perfume for a human body to me...it feels like a candle or car. Sometimes i try things, put it away, come back later and i love it, so we will see.

very smoky and incensey. Idk not my cup of tea but it would be hot on some guy I hook up with maybe. Holds up well to the Arizona heat. Actually now that I think about it, this is a great scent for dry, overbearing heat but somehow also smoky and warm for colder months. Damn. This is amazing for such a cheap scent.

This smells like they took 000 and added a heaping dose of resinous, smoky elements—not in a bad way, just in a notable way. I really smell the 000 DNA but this is a much heavier, more masculine, more earthy version. I really like it!

sooo smokey and peppery. i do not love it on me so i think im gonna force my boyfriend to wear it

The fun part about resinuous scents is getting the presentation of incense without nearly as much smokiness. Copal is subtly but beautifully highlighted. Vanilla does not come out so strongly on me, so hopefully it blooms as it ages. I'm 50/50 on the cedar note, it kinda acts like patchouli on me, towing the line between fresh/earthy and sour/dirty, though I admit it gives this fragrance a unique character. I would've loved to see this grounded with sandalwood. The lightness of this fragrance works to its advantage, I don't think it would be nearly as wearable in all seasons otherwise - I've had the best longevity with LMG fragrances when sprayed on clothes!

Very round and oily resin smell. There's something a little too tart (like fir tips and pine needles, high vitamin C) and metallic (like copper) about the opening. But I can tell this will mellow and be great. I can see how people could easily hate this, but as a person who has burned resin incense and loves hippy smells, I'm sold. If you are familiar with copal resin incense, it really does smell exactly like it, well, almost... there's something not quite right about it. :/

Yes to all I expected and hoped it to be. Growing up Mexican catholic this is soo much memory wrapped in a scent. True church incense. With the dry earthy elements, it’s a woody spicy scent destined for heat which is hard to come by! Perfect for grounding and ritual. However, there is some kind of note (maybe a synthetic/iso type) that leans rubbing alcohol territory. I can’t tell if I’ll be able to smell past that in time. Que sad.

This is why I love Le Monde, they genuinely do everything when it comes to fragrance. If you want to smell like a strawberry ice cream Sunday, they have it. If you want to smell like a pine tree, they have it. If you want a dupe for a PDM perfume, they have it.

So Nopalera Dulce de Cuerpo is what everyone is saying this fragrance smells like, smells like... This fragrance, in my opinion, smells like Gossamer Spirit by Universal Flowering.