# Rituals — No. 01 Ginger Essence & White Tea

> No. 01 Ginger Essence & White Tea is a bright, clean, spa-like fresh fragrance built on a deliberately simple two-ingredient concept: the purity of white tea against the heat of ginger. It was part of

## Essence
No. 01 Ginger Essence & White Tea is a bright, clean, spa-like fresh fragrance built on a deliberately simple two-ingredient concept: the purity of white tea against the heat of ginger. It was part of the Dutch lifestyle brand Rituals' very first foray into fine fragrance - a debut collection of eight numbered perfumes (five feminine, three masculine) launched at the end of 2010 to mark the brand's tenth anniversary. The whole line was pitched on a "two main ingredients, natural materials, organic alcohol" premise, with each scent built around a defining pairing; No. 01 is the ginger-and-white-tea entry, the clean-citrus anchor of the women's range.
## Scent Profile
The standout is a sparkling, potent ginger-tea opening - reviewers single out the "delicious sparkling ginger tea combination" as the highlight. White tea provides transparency and a clean, slightly green freshness; ginger supplies a full-bodied, sweet-spicy heat that keeps it from being merely crisp. The heart adds grapefruit (citrus lift), cardamom (reinforcing the spice) and lily-of-the-valley (a soft floral backdrop), with the candied/sweet ginger thread running throughout. The drydown is a delicate powdery floral over musk, with the sweet ginger undertone persisting. This is a legible, fresh citrus-spice-floral with ginger as the clear protagonist. The Witoxicity review captures the arc well - "fresh (thanks to the delicate white tea) but not to the point of being crisp (thanks to the full-bodied ginger)," drying to "a delicate powdery floral" with "sweet ginger undertones [that] never go away." Catalog facts (white-tea/ginger cardamom/grapefruit/lily-of-the-valley candied-ginger/musk) align with wearers, though wearers listings describe the base simply as musk.
## Performance
The fatal flaw, and the single most consistent complaint across the entire Rituals fragrance line: longevity is poor. One detailed reviewer described the opening as a "delicious sparkling ginger tea" that "fall[s] spectacularly flat in a matter of minutes," leaving "vaguely present musky shadows." Another logged roughly four hours with a soft, close "aura" of sillage. The Witoxicity review more charitably calls it "moderately lasting" but not catchable by day's end. The frustration is so widespread that one long-time Rituals wearer, commenting on the brand generally in 2026, alleged Rituals "actively engineers their fragrances to not last beyond 20-30 minutes just to keep us buying more" and wished the scent existed as a stronger EDP. Net: lovely while it lasts, but plan on frequent reapplication or layering with matching body products.
## Wearing Context
A daytime, warm-or-transitional-weather fresh scent. Marketed feminine but very widely described as fully unisex - multiple male reviewers report wearing it and receiving compliments, and the ginger-tea-citrus framing has no overtly feminine signature. Best for office, casual daytime, and "spa day" comfort wearing; one UK reviewer reaches for it year-round as a "comforting," "cosy" scent and especially in autumn/winter despite its freshness. Not a seductive or evening fragrance - wearers consensus flags it as "green and soapy," better suited to clean daytime contexts than nighttime.
## Comparisons & DNA
The obvious genre antecedent is the bright ginger fresh of Jo Malone-style English colognes and, more specifically, the lineage of tea-and-ginger spa fragrances. Within Rituals' own debut set, No. 01 is the fresh-citrus counterpart to the sweeter, heavier feminine entries - reviewers who considered No. 04 (Violet & White Lily, "heavier, sweeter and very feminine") and No. 09 (Vanilla & Sweet Orange Drops) chose No. 01 specifically for its ginger-forward freshness. Aggregator-suggested neighbors (212 by Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors Sexy Amber) are weak matches and should be treated skeptically given the source. The fragrance's real DNA is the clean white-tea/ginger spa idiom Rituals built its brand identity around.
## Reception
Warmly liked for its scent, consistently criticized for performance - that split defines its reception. The opening draws genuine affection ("seriously kickass," "really refreshing, clean and energizing"), and Rituals' overall material quality earns praise ("you will never find any synthetic notes"). The Witoxicity blog review (a credible enthusiast source) is positive and detailed, choosing No. 01 over the sweeter No. 04 specifically for the ginger. But virtually every positive review carries a longevity caveat. There is no al coverage. The honest verdict: a charming, high-quality fresh scent fatally undercut by staying power, which is precisely why many fans treat it as a body-care layering scent rather than a standalone perfume.
## Versions & Reformulation
Launched late 2010 as a 50 ml Eau de Parfum (originally retailing around 39.90), in the line's signature minimalist bottle with a wooden cap - caps differentiated by color across the numbered range. The product later appeared in refill travel-atomiser format. It has since been discontinued: wearers listings describe production as "apparently discontinued," and a UK reviewer noted the refill sizes were dropped and the packaging changed ("I'm not all that fussed on the new packaging"). Rituals has repeatedly reshuffled and repackaged its fragrance lineup over the years, and several early numbered scents are gone; No. 01 is among the casualties. No documented reformulation of the juice itself, but the original presentation is no longer sold.
## Acquisition Notes
Discontinued; now found via remaining retail stock, resellers, and secondary marketplaces. Because it was an inexpensive lifestyle-brand EDP, secondary prices are generally reasonable rather than collector-inflated. Buyers should set expectations on longevity before paying up. The matching body products (where still findable) help extend wear and were part of the intended experience. Given Rituals' frequent line changes, verify you're getting the original No. 01 EDP rather than a later differently-packaged or reformulated Rituals ginger/tea product.
## Notable Facts & Lore
- The debut collection was timed to Rituals' 10th anniversary. Founder Raymond Cloosterman (b. 1964), a 13-year Unilever veteran, started the brand in 1998 and opened the first Rituals store in 2000 on Amsterdam's Kalverstraat at age 36.
- Eight scents launched together, created by seven perfumers (one made two
- one feminine, one masculine); the women's range was Nos. 01, 04, 07, 09, 18 and the men's Nos. 06, 14, 19.
- Perfumer Jean-Pierre Bethouart is documented speaking specifically about this fragrance, describing it (in brand-provided copy) as: "Imagine the soft shades of light in the morning, the skin is wrapped into a fresh, transparent and slightly aphrodisiac scented mist. A pure delight of white tea combined with the powerful character of ginger."
- The line's "natural ingredients plus 100% organic alcohol" positioning was a core marketing pillar of Rituals' fragrance debut.