# Rituals — 79 Au Gold > 79 Au Gold is the warmer, "evening" half of Rituals' 2024 limited-edition Alchemy Collection - a duo built around a precious-metals conceit in which "79 Au" (gold's atomic number and chemical symbol) ## Essence 79 Au Gold is the warmer, "evening" half of Rituals' 2024 limited-edition Alchemy Collection - a duo built around a precious-metals conceit in which "79 Au" (gold's atomic number and chemical symbol) is paired with "47 Ag" (silver). It is an inexpensive, cozy, spicy-sweet oriental from the Dutch wellness-and-bath giant, designed to be worn alone or layered over its Silver sibling. Critic coverage is essentially nonexistent; the fragrance lives entirely in wearer reports, where its defining talking point is an uncanny resemblance to a more expensive niche reference. It is pleasant, gift-set pretty, and modest in performance - a "gem hidden in plain sight" to its fans, "more appearance than substance" to its skeptics. ## Scent Profile The structure is straightforward: a spicy cardamom-and-bergamot opening (sometimes read as briefly sour or fruity), an orange-blossom heart, and a base that slides into gourmand vanilla over soft sandalwood, patchouli, and an enveloping musk. The most evocative wearer reports description calls it "a wonderful cardamom and orange blossom opening with some rich sandalwood and patchouli all set against this rolling, warm, all-enveloping musk draped across the middle of this like a fur coat." The arc is cozy and a little mystical, with the cardamom/orange-blossom spice giving way to a sweet, vanilla-forward drydown. It is not complex or challenging - essentially linear once it settles - and its signature is warm, musky, lightly gourmand comfort. Dissenters perceive the sweetness as cloying and artificial, with one detractor smelling "a sharp synthetic note" and another likening the drydown to tanning oil rather than fine perfume. ## Performance Performance is modest by design and the most consistent criticism. The most thorough reviewer reports "a solid 5 - 6 hours" with projection that is "modest" but gentle enough that you can overspray confidently to "turbocharge" it. Less favorable accounts describe poor longevity, "barely noticeable after 2 - 3 hours." wearer reports's aggregate (from a small sample of ratings) lands around a qualitative score for longevity and a qualitative score for sillage - i.e., a close-range, intimate scent. Practical reading: treat it as a comforting personal fragrance and spray liberally; the atomizer reportedly releases a generous amount, which helps. ## Wearing Context This is a cool-weather, evening-leaning comfort scent - multiple wearers single it out as "perfect for fall weather," cozy and a "bit mystical." Its gourmand-musk warmth and quiet projection make it well suited to casual and intimate settings rather than formal or hot-weather wear. It is marketed unisex and reads that way: a soft, spicy-sweet skin scent with broad appeal and low risk of offending. Rituals explicitly positions it as the night-time/intensifying counterpart to be layered over the lighter daytime 47 Ag Silver. Practical reading (sentiment is sparse): a comforting, low-stakes everyday or bedtime fragrance. ## Comparisons & DNA The single most repeated wearer reports comparison is to Blanche Bete - the milky, musky-incense cult fragrance by Les Liquides Imaginaires (perfumer Louise Turner, 2021; the fourth entry in the "Les Eaux de Peau" collection, with notes of milk, ambrette, tuberose, jasmine, incense, vanilla, musk, tonka bean and cacao). Wearers describe Au Gold as "a travel size/budget Blanche Bete," though they caution that the resemblance is strongest in the opening and that Blanche Bete "is more sophisticated for sure"; layering Au Gold with 47 Ag Silver reportedly gets you closer to Blanche Bete's creaminess. (Note: the often-circulated "Nicolai Blanche Bete" attribution is incorrect - there is no such Nicolai fragrance; the reference is the Les Liquides Imaginaires release, which the Lattafa dupe "Her Confession" also chases, explaining the triangulated comparisons.) Other wearers liken it to a combination of "L'Eau Papier + Blanche Bete + BDK St. Honore." Within Rituals, it is the warm/gourmand pole opposite the spicier, rum-and-myrrh 47 Ag Silver. ## Reception wearer reception is small but genuinely split. wearer reports's overall sits around a qualitative score. The pro-camp frames the Gold/Silver pair as underrated "gems hidden in plain sight" and "good stuff" with "no Rituals snobbery" warranted; the con-camp finds it sweet, cloying, synthetic, and weak ("Au Gold: more appearance than substance," with the "bergamot and cardamom opening... much too quickly" dissipating). Packaging is widely praised as beautiful and "authentic" even by those who dislike the juice. Blind-buy verdict: low financial risk and a strong recommendation for fans of cozy spicy-sweet musks and budget-minded Blanche Bete seekers - but temper expectations on longevity, and sample if you can, since several wearers find it too sweet or too synthetic. ## Versions & Reformulation Single limited-edition composition; no reformulations. It was sold primarily as part of the Alchemy Collection gift set rather than as a standalone, which accounts for inconsistent size reporting across sources (an official 5 ml EDP set configuration, with 15 ml mini bottles the most-cited wearer reports size and at least one mention of a 35 ml format). Rituals has since discontinued it. ## Acquisition Notes Budget tier. The official Alchemy EDP set retailed around AED 210 (~US$57) for the duo; on clearance some buyers reported the pair for the equivalent of roughly €20, and discontinued sets now circulate on the secondary market (eBay) at varying prices. Because it shipped as a paired set and is discontinued, availability is now hit-or-miss through Rituals stock clearances and resale. There is no documented counterfeit issue. Authentic channels are Rituals' own stores/site (while stock lasts) and reputable resellers. ## Notable Facts & Lore - The collection's hook is alchemy and precious metals: the names are the literal chemical symbols and atomic numbers of gold (79 Au) and silver (47 Ag), with Gold cast as the richer, nighttime, layerable scent and Silver as the lighter daytime one. - Rituals' copy invites you to "unlock the magic of fragrance transformation" by wearing them individually or layered "to create an enchanting olfactory journey." Rituals is a Dutch bath, body, and home brand present in dozens of countries, and the Alchemy line extended a broader myrrh-and-amber theme across the range. The perfumer is not officially credited. - a single wearer reports user comment attributes Au Gold to Firmenich perfumer Ilias Ermenidis (known for Gucci by Gucci and Vera Wang Princess), but this attribution is unverified by any official or editorial source and should be treated as wearer reports speculation.