Eau d'Orient

Have you ever been to a Rituals store? Pity! Yes, because entering one of their shops is like visiting a Turkish Bath & Hammam Spa in Marrakech or Istanbul. The soft lights, the display shelves, the relaxing colours, and the smells transport you to the ancestral rituals of Morocco. And so I let this temptation attract me, and I walked around the shop, browsing products to care for the body and perfume the home, until I found myself in front of the exhibitor of the perfume collection, the Iconic Collection as they call it. They display each essence with the only large 50ml size flanked by its colourful box and surrounded by 15ml travel-size mini bottles. That’s all? No, there is more. Next to each perfume, there is a plate describing the olfactory family and three keynotes, and a small glass bell housing a disc of porous material, a sort of ceramic coin. The disc is used to spray the tester and savour the essence. I know that the verb to savour means to enjoy a food or drink by holding it in your mouth to taste it for a long time and make the sensation more pleasant, but the art of savouring the world with your nose is a unique and indescribable experience. That said, I went through all the tags one by one, focusing on the ones whose notes sounded good on my strings. Although at least five had caught my attention, only two of these were love at first sight. I’m talking about Eau d’Orient and Roi d’Orient. Are you curious to know what sensations these fragrances give me? Read on and I’ll try to interpret them. But, before I dive into the fragrances, I want you to know that you can buy two travel-size items for just €25, which is perfect for testing before buying. To some extent, the scent is even darker than "Oriental Essence - Roi d'Orient | Rituals" with aromatic, dry, resinous, spicy, and smoky subtleties. Eau d’Orient opens with a cold spicy pepper note, besides woody and damp grass hints. It is quite weird, likeable and unlikeable, polarising, with prominent gummy and waxy facets. I get the smell of a lit candle, or rather that of burnt wax, and the smoke that is created when it goes out. Slowly, a dark floral accord exudes from the heart. It’s not the conventional bouquet, but something floral with dewy and smoky overtones. I imagine I am in a decadent garden. The air smells of damp grass in the early evening, during the autumn sunsets, and just before nightfall; around me is a lot of white-edged Swedish ivy with its incense smell. Wow, what beautiful sensations this perfume gives me! I get a resinous, mushy, and sweet benzoin-like aura when the fragrance dries. The waxiness is still present, even if it takes a back seat. I want to clarify that the smell of wax that I perceive is not that of the wax produced by bees, with its honeyed aroma. Instead, it is more similar to that of vegetable stearin waxes or paraffin minerals, like most of the candles we find on the market today. No matter how hard I try, I cannot match this fragrance with another one more famous or known. This is more suited for an evening scent, so nice and cosy, and perfect in winter. That’s all for now. I liked this gem, and can’t wait to try the latest fragrance added to the collection, "L'Essentiel | Rituals". I base my opinion and review on a travel bottle I have owned since October 2022.

An absolute KO!!! Rituals have made the ultimate meditation on an oriental woody fragrance here. The smell is as complex as it is simple...if that makes any sense at all? The biggest note in here for sure is a sweet creamy bed of sandalwood and resin, accented perfected with incense and pepper in the opening. The picture that denotes 'Oriental notes' on here pretty much sums up Elixir d'Orient in one image. A kind of shimmering pool of golden, warm beauty. It starts to evoke hints of orris and leather such is the powdery smoothness and sweet hint of pencil shavings on a bed of amber and vanilla. I know there's plenty of reference points in feminine perfumery for this stuff and I'm sure I wanted to say Dior hypnotic poison but my knowledge of ladies designer stuff is pretty dire. References I'm more comfortable with are things like Donna Karen Fuel for Men and Atelier Cologne Santal Carmin both of which have this sort of vibe. Elixir d'Orient is very gentle natured in the same way, staying close to skin with occasional wafts reminding you just how nice it is. This is soft, sure, this feminine...absolutely and nothing you haven't smelled elsewhere before, but consider for a moment the price, the quality and the CRAZY longevity (I've showered, washed my hands god knows how many times and can still smell it about 20 hours later, albeit incredibly softly) I got from this scent and it's all shaping to be an absolute winning formula. Bravo to Rituals. Update: The longevity on this perfume is simply the most persistent I've experienced of any perfume I can remember anyway. It was nuts! I sprayed 6 sprays on the back of my hand, now hands are usually not a good place as they get washed and used to do stuff more than other parts of the body so I was amazed that this lasted about 3 showers and multiple hand washes per day. I swear I could still smell the faint, warm vanilla from application Thursday afternoon to Sunday! Completely insane! It's a very subtle and slight fragrance even when first applied but lasted really well.

First off, I'd like to say that I'm quite impressed with all Rituals product I've had the chance to encounter. The candles have such unique scents, the bath products are lovely too and the perfumes are a lot better than I would expect them to be, given that they are not a perfume company. The quality is very good, especially for the price, which is fairly reasonable. And the 10 ml bottles are the best thing in the world, they are not even roller-balls and I don't understand why more brands aren't making those. Now the scent itself. To me, this is an epitome of a westernized oriental. I'd go as far as say this was a gourmand, but in a spice-rack, foodey kind of way. I smell pepper and cardamom and herbs, wild thyme, sage, dried grass, some earthy elements, gentle incense and a whole other bunch of similar spices. In contrast, there's a cool minty vibe to it that makes it gorgeous, even on warmer days. For me, this is an all-year-round fragrance. And the colour of the bottle is spot on. It embodies the scent perfectly. Mysterious but womanly, dark but not heavy, dry and spice and refreshing, all at the same time and what's frustrating is that I can't find the words to describe it exactly, but I am head over heels for it. The sillage and longevity are perfect in my book. I get 6 potent hours easily. Over-all, if you get the chance to try it, don't discard it just because it's not that high-end. It's a real gem. Edit: I see the Tom Ford reference too, now that I think about it

Instant love! I feel like the general scent profile of Eau D’Orient sits somewhere between Babycat and Eau Duelle, but thanks to the sandalwood it has a texture more like Scarlet Poppy or Stash Unspoken. It’s definitely sweet.... I’d say that it has vanilla and tonka in the base, maybe even honey and it balances out the powdery and creamy sandalwood with the spices and hint of incense. It honestly couldn’t be more cosy and yummy! I got the mini but it’s not particularly strong or long lasting so after payday I’ll be buying the 50ml because I already know that in mild or cold weather it will be a super easy reach. I think this one needs more hype tbh! I feel like if you enjoy any of the perfumes mentioned above, or Lalique Le Parfum for example, you’d be very happy with this one!

I have the L'eau D'Orient, and apparently, these might be the same fragrance? Not sure though. I sometimes get uncomfortable when people believe my perfume is the smell of a real desert, but I also love gourmands. This one is the perfect level of "gourmandness" for when I feel like that! I mainly get vanilla with a leather touch. It smells so expensive! Almost like vanilla mixed with fancy body oil. I feel like I'm in a nice spa when I wear this. Longevity and sillage are moderate. I often wear it when I don't want to offend anyone sensitive to fragrances but still want to wear a heavier scent.

(Eau d'Orient version) Strong love at first sniff. Coumarin is just spectacular here. This is quite an addictive vanillary sweet scent with a spicy depth, and gourmand, too. Somehow it reminded me of the impression I had when I first smelled L'interdit Rouge, a very seductive trail that even made me awkward... but this is even more sensual and unique. Given the price point and performance of both, this is the winner for me. My absolute favorite fragrance from this house.

I only just discovered this beauty (I got the 15ml from the shop) and I love it so I went online to buy the 50ml..... it’s no longer online! I contacted customer services and it’s been discontinued! In the UK anyway. Thankfully I was able to get to a rituals store and although no longer on display, they still have Eau D’Orient in stock, so of you want to stock up, you’ll need to go to a Rituals Shop asap! Such a shame, it’s their best scent imho!

This thing is a masterpiece! For the price, MAN. the incense hits you at once then the pepper som sweetness! like POW.. i dont see no vanilla in the notes, but thats what i get. After a while it cools down and it becomes warm and sweet, incense lingers in the Back. time of year: winter to cool fall. 100% Unisex Longevity: a good 7-9 hours. price:10/10

It smells like pencil lead with a hint of dry vanilla, very woody and round. Spicy, yes, I'd say spices like cloves and pepper mixed in a mortar. Overall, it gives off an incense-like, cozy feeling; there's something nocturnal about it, something quiet and profound. A perfume to enjoy with a glass of wine in good company, in a calm environment.

Smells old worldly, luxurious and timeless. To me it's like time travel in a bottle. Reminds me of perfumes they used to make in the olden days, something my great grandma would have had on her night table. A rare find. Smells really different from most perfumes made nowadays. I love it but I use it sparingly because it's really quite strong.

This scent truly reminds me of a turkish bath. I find it very comforting. The oriental notes with the incense and slight woodiness create a beautiful experience. On my skin it turns more ambery and vanillic. I wish they would make a room spray with this scent too. To my nose this is a unisex fragrance.

A warm, oriental opening saturated with aromatic spices, underpinned and softened by a sweet amber note. Over time, this sweetness, somewhat reminiscent of vanilla, becomes the dominant and longest-lasting accord. With just one reapplication, the scent lasts all day, though it stays close to the skin.

Wooow, wonderful perfume!! This perfume is one of the best perfumes I smelled in my life!!! Warm, spicy, I can feel peppers, I just crave this perfume usually, I love it so much! Long lasting and sillage is huge, I have already 2 big bottles in case this perfume would be discontinued

Soft and rich, feels like a well balanced combination of ambre and santal. After this composition I can not use other amber fragrances, they seem to sharp and primitive now. This one has a touch of light mistery. And Rituals, thanks for the miniatures, good for the travellers!

I love this fragrance so much it hurts. What also hurts is the fact that it has little to no longevity on my skin. Also very weak sillage. However I will repurchase just because of the feeling the initial spray gives me. It is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

Reminiscent of cooking some polenta or a burning candle. Kind of leathery, closest I’ll get to enjoying leather. What’s cool about this is that you can layer it to make an autumnal candle of your choice for instance with a spritz of orange blossom etc.

Holy smokes, Rituals, you've outdone yourselves! This perfume starts peppery and leathery, almost unisex, slowly turning into a warm and feminine vanilla-like amber. Very warming and pleasant, could very well be Guerlain Samsara's younger sister.

Starts strong, but on my skin quickly settles down into what I can only compare to the smell of a sauna. Good quality, would buy again but not something I would wear everyday. Not a big fan of the Orientalism...

I love this fragrance, I find it suitable also for the warm summer days as it's not too heavy. I don't know why exactly, but there are some notes that let me hanging there waiting for something more.

I LOVE THIS ONE!! I am so mad they discontinued it. It was my signature fragrance for years! It's dark, spicy, not too overpowering and lingers nicely on my clothes.

Beautiful modern warm oriental I adore the pepper/smoke sweet scent ,I adore all the Rituals made fragrances ,they are natural,earthy like beautiful rituals for me.

Oh my! This is BEAUTIFUL ❤️ Like my dream come true! I finally found something that is totally ME, it suits my personality just perfect ❤️

Not lit Superhits incence. I have always wanted to have a Superhits/Nag Champa perfume. Here it is! Addictive, calming, comforting.

Reviewing eau de orient. This is so nice! Spicy vanilla, just sweet enough. Not smoky at all but so cozy!

Smells more like rose (despite the main accords), warm and mature. I love it a lot for an autumn season.

The smell is very unique and has characteristics. The carpet smell is strong and sensual.

The dry down smells very much like my Far Away Beyond from Avon.

It embodies all the notes I hate. If I haven't tested it in-store without knowing the notes, I would definitely dismiss it. Fortunately, I instantly fell for its fragrance when I sniffed it from the test glass. It was so captivating that when I requested to try it on and the staff inadvertently sprayed the wrong one—due to the misplaced bottle by another customer—I immediately knew it wasn't the scent I was after. It's a peculiar fragrance; familiar yet elusive. It exudes a cozy, aromatic quality—not quite spa-like—mature and sophisticated without feeling dated. On my skin, the peppery notes are almost imperceptible, replaced by a sweet, vanilla-like essence with a hint of smoke. Strangely, it gives me the vibe of a post-intimacy cuddle scent aka after s*x scent. There's a pronounced amberiness to it, reminiscent of early reviews referencing Tom Ford fragrances, particularly White Suede, which I find uncannily similar on my skin. Despite this, it's significantly more affordable than TF! I would certainly buy it again and highly recommend giving it a try. P.S. Living in a warm, humid climate where I sweat a lot, fragrances typically fade within 4-6 hours on my skin, except for Burberry Black. This Rituals perfume lasts about 2-3 hours, but its lingering scent is simply divine. Surprisingly, I can still detect it on my hair even after 10-12 hours. However, the sillage is very bad. It doesn’t project at all and sits closely on my skin. I would say you can wear it anywhere with decency and add a little bit of layer with other perfumes.

If used sparingly, Elixir d'Orient has the potential to become that go-to scent. You know the one. It makes you stop complaining about how bloody cold it is, look up from the ground, and realize that snowflakes are magical. It transports you in front of a fireplace and snuggles you into your favorite blanket with a single sniff of your scarf, even though you're actually freezing your extremities off on your friend's cigarette break. Warm, welcoming, soothing and charmingly exotic (for a European, at least). However, too much of a good thing... It also has the potential to become the most obtrusive, annoyingly everpresent smell that seems as if you'll never be able to get it out of your entire winter wardrobe. Because let me tell you, this scent can stay on clothes for ages. So be smarter than me, and pick one coat and scarf to wear with this spicy beauty, while leaving the rest for days when you feel like going Elixir-free.

I’m a Male around my mid 20’s this fragrance is delicious. I manage to grab a bottle within an outlet store for a good price. This fragrance can almost par with some top tier scents! If this was bottled by Dior expect that £70+ price tag. The setting notes, woody, smokey and ever so slight hint of sweet rose/vanilla. Glad I picked this up, it sways into unisex but marketed under woman’s. I also picked up the ROI version marketed at men’s, it’s not as good at this stuff.

It comes of quote strong and peppery in the begging, but as it settle on my skin its more like a round warm cozy vanilla amber, with a little bit of pepper. I have not really used it since it came of Kinda rough from the start, spraying on myself wearing clothes, just walkin into the cloud for some reason. Lands very different on the skin.

oh wow this is a nice one! Blind bought it with 2 other 10ml Rituals scents and I am very surprised how good it is. With autumn kicking in hard now this is a very nice, warm and even little sensual scent...it is unisex for sure Cant wait to wear this in a scarf :)

This smells amazing! It’s sweet, soft, sensual and really elegant. Smells more expensive than it is. On my skin it’s not really smokey but it’s ok. It’s really well blended and womanly. It’s great for when you want to feel seductive and exotic.

I really want to like this one, everything in this scent should be exactly what I want in a perfume. Rituals is my favourite store and I own a lot of their products. Unfortunately, this one smells like play-doh on my skin.

Strange, but on my skin it smells like Armani Code eau de Parfum, but without the citruses and the jasmine. It's just more oriental, spicy and woody.

I actually really like this one. It's very incense-y, but not too strong. A warm sweet spice. It's giving orientalism

I don’t know why this smells sweet to me.

This used to be my signature scent - however, I believe they reformulated it (or, I had gotten a worse batch). I currently have a 10ml version and the full size. The 10ml (older formula, I believe) has a much sweeter base and dry-down and is a lot more feminine-leaning. It smells less sharp and more like insence and spice, which is overall in my opinion more balanced on my skin. The full size bottle has a lot more wood notes and is more sharp on the nose, which I dislike. The scent has little to sweetness to it, and as a result performs (on me) more like a unisex perfume. I would personally only use this if layered with something sweeter, like a very plain vanilla perfume, mainly because vanilla or sweet notes tend to project less on my skin. The incense and pepper notes are still there, but it is overall less balanced on me. I can imagine that some people who dislike sweeter notes would prefer this version, though. It smells interesting and unique and the dry down lasts very long on my clothing. I have around half of the full-size bottle (25ml) left, it has been lying around for around 3 years. If you're based in Europe and would like to take it off of my hands, then pm me :) I would only ask for shipping/packaging costs to be compensated.

The beginning is a bit sharp for my liking. I could swear there's some intense clove and/or anise hidden in what the notes list as 'oriental notes'. Anyway, within half an hour it settles to a quite nice warm peppery oriental, just like most Rituals fragrances with a strong SPA kind of feel. After about 4 hours it's a very relaxing skin scent on me. This is the phase in which I also think I'm detecting some vanilla. IF there is really no vanilla in this, then it just means that the spicy and incense notes must be insanely well blended to give that impression. I agree, it is definitely unisex and somewhat on the sweeter side. Somehow I don't think I will opt for a full bottle once I am through my miniature. The beginning is just a tad to harsh for me. But for now I do enjoy it after going to the gym/pool for an added feel good factor. If you like spicy fragrances you should definitely give it a try! Edit: Forgot to say, I'm wearing this humid hot weather. It might be amazing for European winters though!

I would not have expected something with so much character from Rituals. Very oriental indeed, spicy with a strong pepper note in the beginning. Yet there is a note which bothers me but I cannot identify what it is. I usually love everything spicy as well as incense, so that cannot be it. Hmm, must be something not listed. Definitely worth trying but no safe blind buy.

It's a shame that it smells like plastic/rubber on me.. was choosing between this one and Oasis del Fleurs, hubby voted for this one but i detest the smell so much that can hardly wear it, such a shame cz pyramid seems promising..

Rather boring vanilla perfume. The smokiness is also present.Not a great sillage. But I bet vanilla lovers will like this one.

Is it the same scent as Eau d' Orient? The notes seems to be the same...I'm a bit confused.

Something my mom would wear. Def feel the amber and this intense, dark and warm smell but definitely not spicy. Smells like that strong perfume scent that stays on your moms clothes, like it literally smells like a peace of clothing to me. I don’t like it.

Encouraged by the great reviews, I got it. And? Sadly, I cannot speak much praise as of now. SMOKY PLASTIC with some spices. It's not very bad, it's tolerable - maybe deserves to be tried again at some different time. No oriental mystery here. A pity.

On my skin it was awful. The smell of freshly made apple sauce, still hot.. but NOT in the good way Hopefully on your skin it scents better than it did on mine! That's why you should always test on your skin before buying any perfume 🙃

I was recently holidaying in Egypt, Hurghada and we walked into the most beautiful Bedouin tent. It was draped with beautiful hand woven curtain thick and multicoloured. Adorned with lamps and Red and amber, golden tones, sparkling gems and sHisha pipes . Beautiful wooden bowls of dried tea like hibiscus, mint and cardamom, a captivating Arabian bohemian style habibi! This scent evokes those memories for me. Smoky, sweet tobacco incense , congealed aand sweetened fruits and chill. Now i’m not sure if you all want to smell like sweet, smoky shisha, but it could work! I had my hair in locs swirling away to soft , sweet Bob Marley whilst looking out at the Red Sea at sunset. D’orient absolutely opens a scent memory.. I can spritz and go to bed and be reminded through my dreams of that experience,every night and again in the morning! The bottle design is really lovely and the edges of the glass have imperfections which suit the brands philosophy and structure. Please try x Mzurilove

i 've got the same purple bottle but label says 'Eau de Orient' (thanks for giving me a chance with this lovely Norgirl!). At this point , guess it is safe to assume that my 'Eau' and Elixir are the same thing and Rituals does not recycle bottles just to pour something entirely different in them? Anyhow, this is indeed oreintaliish. It is a mid-weight one and unlikely to offend anyone. That said, it is safe, unless one does not fancy the initial burst of black pepper. Tends to smell drier and spicier initially but dries down to a sweetish nicer base. The base does not smell unique but brownie points for not smelling synthetic. It's a good one, especially for the price.

Rich, oriental, spicy, deep fragrance. It is absolutely beautiful. It has that "natural perfume" -earthy vibe as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the shelf together with Tom Ford fragrances. Warm, sweet and delicious (I guess combination of amber, vanilla and spices), and the colour red suits it perfectly. Wood and smoke gives it somewhat dry and masculine note (naturally, it is unisex in description), but the spices are so rich and sweet that it is much more a feminine fragrance. Special one, I wouldn't know when to wear it. It is universe for itself.

At first spray, I thought, "Spice Bomb." In the past half hour, though, the scent has changed, and now I'm getting a note I've never experienced before. Hiding behind the distant cloud of cozy is this toothpaste note. Not peppermint or mint, but of old-school toothpaste, mildly medicinal. Or another way to describe it, old school bubble gum used to give you this sting. This note is not barbasol shave cream. I guess it's a menthol note. If anyone knows which note creates the menthol note, please let me know. It also reminds me of Dior Addict.