Aedes de Venustas

What Aedes de Venustas does

Aedes de Venustas is a privately held, founder-controlled niche fragrance house headquartered at 16A Orchard Street on New York's Lower East Side. Founded in 2012 by Robert Gerstner and Karl Bradl, the company designs, produces, and sells a curated collection of 13 Eau de Parfum fragrances and two Traditional Royal Incense products under its own label. Each fragrance is created in collaboration with a roster of internationally recognized perfumers — including Bertrand Duchaufour, Alberto Morillas, Ralf Schwieger, Fabrice Pellegrin, Nathalie Feisthauer, Luca Maffei, Frank Voelkl, Ilias Ermenidis, and Gabriela Chelariu — using high-concentration French haute parfumerie techniques such as 20% juice concentrations and month-long maceration. The incense line is produced in collaboration with Kyoto master artisans carrying a 300-year royal legacy, marrying Japanese craft with French-blended perfume oils at 10% concentration.

The business operates a hybrid distribution model: direct-to-consumer sales through the owned flagship store and the aedesdevenustas.com e-commerce site, supplemented by a selective wholesale network of 50+ authorized specialty perfumeries and concept stores across 13+ European countries and the United States. All Eau de Parfum bottles carry a uniform $245 price point and incense boxes are priced at $95, positioning the brand firmly in the luxury niche fragrance tier. Marketing is predominantly organic — Instagram presence, email newsletter, and earned media in fragrance publications — with no evidence of paid acquisition at scale. The company holds no external institutional investment, has no disclosed headcount, and does not publish revenue figures.

Name

Aedes de Venustas

Legal name

Aedes de Venustas

Website

https://aedesdevenustas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Aedes de Venustas is a privately held, founder-controlled niche fragrance house based in New York's Lower East Side that creates and sells 13 Eau de Parfum fragrances at $245 and Traditional Royal Incense products, distributed via its flagship store, e-commerce, and a selective network of European specialty retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Niche Luxury Fragrances

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Fragrance (Women’s/Men’s/Unisex) (CRABADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays) (CRABADAE)

Keywords

• Niche perfumery
• Eau de parfum
• Luxury fragrances
• Artisan incense
• Fine perfumery

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Luxury Fragrance Sales: Direct sales of Eau de Parfum fragrances and Traditional Royal Incense products through owned retail and e-commerce channels. Fragrances are priced at premium tier ($245 for EDPs, $95 for incense boxes) indicating luxury market positioning.
2. Wholesale to Authorized Retailers: Distribution through network of authorized luxury fragrance retailers across Europe (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain) and USA. Retailers include specialty perfumeries and concept stores.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aedes de Venustas creates and sells a collection of 13 niche Eau de Parfum fragrances and a Traditional Royal Incense product line. The Eau de Parfum fragrances are priced at $245 per bottle, each created by renowned perfumers and housed in signature fluted glass bottles with peacock blue accents and matte black insignia-stamped caps. The Traditional Royal Incense collection, crafted in collaboration with Kyoto master artisans, includes Encens Japonais and Sian Ka'an variants priced at $95 per box of 100 sticks with brass holder.

Product overview

Aedes de Venustas is a luxury fragrance house based in New York's Lower East Side offering a collection of high-end Eau de Parfum fragrances and Traditional Royal Incense products. The core product line consists of 13 distinct Eau de Parfum scents, each created by renowned perfumers including Bertrand Duchaufour, Alberto Morillas, Ralf Schwieger, Fabrice Pellegrin, Luca Maffei, and others. The fragrances are housed in signature fluted glass bottles with peacock blue accents and matte black insignia-stamped caps. The brand also offers a Traditional Royal Incense collection from Kyoto featuring Encens Japonais and Sian Ka'an variants, crafted with master artisans. Key fragrances include Signature (inaugural 2012 scent), Iris Nazarena (2013), Copal Azur (2014), Palissandre d'Or (2015), Grenadille d'Afrique and Cierge de Lune (2016), Pelargonium (2017), 16a Orchard, Encens Japonais, Corfu Kumquat, Amnesia Rose, Café Tabac, and the newest Sueño Latino (2025). The perfumes feature diverse scent profiles including incense, woods, florals, citrus, tobacco, and fruity-leather combinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sueño Latino - Eau de Parfum A fruity-leather fragrance combining tropical and Latin American influences with resinous wood notes. Features Brazilian red pepper, Peruvian pink pepper, davana leaves, bergamot, rosa mango, milky fig, suede musk, guaiac wood, Mysore sandalwood, olibanum sap, amber, and patchouli. Created by perfumer Gabriela Chelariu. Priced at $245.
• Signature - Eau de Parfum The brand's inaugural 2012 signature scent, a chypre fragrance with rhubarb accord at its center. Features Madagascar vetiver, red berries, tomato leaf, incense, green apple, hazelnut, and honeysuckle. Created by Bertrand Duchaufour. Priced at $245.
• Iris Nazarena - Eau de Parfum An iris-incense accord fragrance featuring the precious iris root (requires six years from planting to become aromatic), combined with incense, ambrette, juniper berry, star anise, leather, oud, clove, rose de Mai, woods, musk, and vetiver. Named after Iris Bismarckiana found in mountains east of Nazareth. Created by Ralf Schwieger. Priced at $245.
• Copal Azur - Eau de Parfum A Mayan incense-inspired beach fragrance featuring copal, ozone, salt, frankincense, resin, cardamom, patchouli, myrrh, tonka bean, and amber. Inspired by Tulum and the Yucatán Peninsula. Created by Bertrand Duchaufour. Priced at $245.
• Palissandre d'Or - Eau de Parfum A symphony of fine-grained burnished woods fragrance featuring sandalwood, Virginian, Chinese and Alaskan cedar, coriander, copahu, ambrette, pink pepper, patchouli, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Created by Alberto Morillas. Priced at $245.
• Grenadille d'Afrique - Eau de Parfum A tribute to African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) featuring African blackwood accord, vetiver, cistus labdanum, juniper, vanilla, bergamot, lavender, and violet. Inspired by the African landscape. Created by Alberto Morillas. Priced at $245.
• Cierge de Lune - Eau de Parfum Inspired by the night-blooming cereus (Queen of the Night) flowering cactus. Features crystalline accord, Madagascar vanilla absolute, ylang-ylang, pink and black peppers, ambrox, suede, incense, and musk. A dark, vanilla-forward fragrance. Created by Fabrice Pellegrin. Priced at $245.
• Pelargonium - Eau de Parfum A contemporary baroque take on geranium featuring Egyptian geranium, orris, cedar wood, vetiver, guaiac wood, moss, green cardamom, carrot seed, clary sage, elemi resin, and musk. Highlights the raw grace of pelargonium graveolens. Created by Nathalie Feisthauer. Priced at $245.
• 16a Orchard - Eau de Parfum A skin scent commissioned to celebrate AEDES PERFUMERY's move to 16A Orchard Street on New York's Lower East Side. Features ginger, iris, bergamot, lemon, cardamom, quince, jasmine, muguet, musk, suede, ambrox, and tonka bean. A rebirth fragrance created by Frank Voelkl. Priced at $245.
• Encens Japonais - Eau de Parfum An opulent and spicy perfume drawing on the freshness of unburned Japanese incense. Features incense, leather, musk, strawflowers, black and pink pepper, orange, iris, rose, opoponax, benzoin, coffee, patchouli, and wood. Created by Bertrand Duchaufour. Priced at $245.
• Corfu Kumquat - Eau de Parfum A Grecian sun-drenched citrus fragrance named after Corfu island. Features kumquat, Calabrian bergamot, tangerine, mandarin, Alaskan cedar, ginger, ambrox, olibanum resin, lavender, Granny Smith apple, neroli, Haitian vetiver, rhubarb, captive musks, and tonka. Created by Ilias Ermenidis and Frank Voelkl. Priced at $245.
• Amnesia Rose - Eau de Parfum A sparkling and saturated spicy floral featuring Moroccan rose absolute, Bulgarian rose essence, cypriol oil, saffron, bushman's candle, pink pepper, labdanum, patchouli, and oud. Named after a rose varietal grown in France. Created by Luca Maffei. Priced at $245.
• Café Tabac - Eau de Parfum A hedonistic tobacco-centric fragrance inspired by the iconic 90s bar in the East Village. Features tobacco absolute, Peru balm, cardamom, clove, bergamot, tamarind, tar, dried date, dried fig, cacao accord, burnt sugar, mango, beeswax absolute, apple, davana, clary sage, vanilla, oak moss, cistum-labdanum absolute, tonka bean, cedar wood, ambergris, and cade. Blended at 20% concentration in old school haute parfumerie style. Created by Bertrand Duchaufour. Priced at $245.
• Encens Japonais - Traditional Royal Incense Traditional Royal Incense from Kyoto crafted with master artisans with 300-year royal legacy. Contains 10% concentration of Encens Japonais perfume oils blended in France, combined with precious woods from mature trees in Vietnam and Malaysia. Box of 100 sticks with brass holder. Priced at $95.
• Sian Ka'an - Traditional Royal Incense Traditional Royal Incense from Kyoto infused with the Sian Ka'an scent. Evokes the lush, spiritual essence of ancient Mayan temples with notes of copal, sea salt, cardamom, patchouli, myrrh, and amber. Priced at $95.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each fragrance crafted by internationally acclaimed perfumers with unique artistic collaborations
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kyoto Master ArtisanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive collaboration with master artisans in Kyoto, Japan, renowned for their 300-year royal legacy in traditional craftsmanship. The partnership creates the Traditional Royal Incense collection, combining Japanese incense-making techniques with Aedes' refined perfume oils blended in France. Each incense stick is meticulously handcrafted: wood chips prepared, mixed with perfume oils at 10% concentration, pressed, cut, and dried. The collaboration produces Encens Japonais and Sian Ka'an incense products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Serge Lutens: Artist-led niche French perfume house with cult EDP collection, exclusivity in selective retail, and signature fluted-style bottles. Comparable art-direction-driven storytelling and premium positioning in the niche fragrance channel.
• Diptyque: Iconic Paris-founded niche fragrance and home scent house (owned by Manzanita Capital/Hasbro heritage) with broad portfolio of EDPs, candles, and body care. Comparable in storytelling-led fragrance collections, premium pricing, and DTC + selective wholesale model.
• Atelier Cologne: French luxury cologne house (acquired by L'Oréal) specializing in high-concentration pure perfume formulations with own-stores and selective retail. Comparable in haute-parfumerie construction, premium pricing, and DTC-plus-wholesale model.
• Memo Paris: Paris-based niche fragrance house with travel-inspired storytelling, premium EDP portfolio, leather fragrances, and selective global retail. Closely comparable on travel/place-led scent narratives and luxury pricing.
• Byredo: Puig-owned niche fragrance house founded in Stockholm, offering luxury eaux de parfum, body care, and home fragrance with global own-store, e-commerce, and selective retail distribution. Comparable in premium pricing, portfolio breadth, and selective positioning.
• Frédéric Malle: Independent (acquired by PUIG in 2024) Parisian niche perfume house publishing individual perfumers under their own names. Comparable in elite-perfumer collaborations (Duchaufour-style roster), high concentration formulations, and luxury pricing tier.
• Comme des Garçons Parfums: Japanese avant-garde fashion house's fragrance line offering artistic, anti-mainstream scents in selective department stores and concept boutiques globally. Comparable in niche/artistic positioning, international specialty distribution, and incense-adjacent aesthetic.
• Maison Margiela 'Replica': L'Oréal-owned artistic niche fragrance line sold through department stores and specialty retail worldwide. Comparable storytelling-driven positioning (each scent tied to a memory/place), price tier, and global selective distribution.
• Le Labo: Estée Lauder-owned niche fragrance house offering premium hand-blended Eau de Parfums and home fragrance (candles, incense) with selective wholesale and own-store distribution. Closest direct competitor in positioning, pricing tier ($150–$400+ per bottle), and channel strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Tom Ford Private Blend: Estée Lauder-owned luxury fashion house fragrance line offering rare-ingredient premium EDPs (e.g., Tobacco Vanille) at $200–$500 per bottle in department stores and own-stores globally. Comparable premium niche positioning and tobacco/incense-led fragrance profiles to Aedes' Café Tabac and Encens Japonais.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aedesdevenustas
• Facebookfacebook.com/aedesdevenustas
• Pinterestpinterest.com/aedesdevenustas

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aedes de Venustas