Rituals — No. 19 Sandal Wood & Patchouli
Essence
No. 19 Sandal Wood & Patchouli is a 2010 woody-spicy masculine-leaning EDP from Rituals, the Dutch home-and-body-care brand, created by perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin. It was part of Rituals’ first foray into fine fragrance - a numbered collection of eight perfumes (five feminine, three masculine) launched to mark the brand’s tenth anniversary. As the name promises, it is a straightforward, well-made patchouli-and-sandalwood woody scent with a spice accent, pitched at a notably low price for the quality. It is now discontinued under the “No. 19” name and was carried forward/renumbered as “No. 21 Sandalwood & Patchouli,” which causes persistent identity confusion in the wearers.
Scent Profile
The composition has no listed top notes; it opens essentially into its heart of warm baking spices - cardamom, nutmeg, and an unusual oregano note that gives a dry, herbal-green lift. The core and base are the main event: a generous, balsamic patchouli married to sandalwood, with cedar, guaiac wood, and vetiver rounding out a dry, woody structure. Pellegrin framed the idea as a hot-cold contrast between spicy and woody facets. In practice the patchouli dominates for most wearers - described as both “gorgeous” and, by some, “dirty,” with one vivid account likening the opening to wet autumn soil and dug potatoes (“a sundried herbal forest with a hint of murky creek water” was another). Sandalwood is more of a smoothing background than a loud creamy note; several wearers say they can barely detect it under the patchouli. Perceptible: patchouli (dominant), dry woods, warm spice, herbal oregano. Submerged/variable: sandalwood, guaiac, vetiver. It is markedly linear - a “does what it says on the label” woody-patchouli that holds its character throughout.
Performance
wearers reports converge on average performance: moderate projection and moderate longevity, described as “average” by reviewers and notably not a beast. Several wearers wished it were stronger - one specifically wanted more sillage to match its character, calling it perhaps the only weakness. It is rich and high-quality smelling for the price but stays relatively civilized in its reach. Weather behavior: a cool-weather, autumn/winter woody by temperament, though its dryness keeps it wearable in transitional seasons. Application strategy: wearer note it layers exceptionally well - it is recommended as a base/booster underneath other woody or darker fragrances that “need that extra oomph,” which is arguably its most distinctive practical use.
Wearing Context
A masculine-leaning but genuinely unisex woody scent - multiple women wearer note it suits them well, and it is described as the most masculine offering in the Rituals men’s line. Best for fall and winter, daytime or evening, in casual-to-smart-casual settings. Social-perception skew: reads as earthy, natural, “bohemian,” and grounded; Pellegrin himself described the result as a “sophisticated bohemian fragrance composed of natural woody essences.” One amusing recurring data point: the earthy patchouli can read as “cleaning products” to some noses (a colleague’s comment in one account), which captures the divide between those who read the patchouli as luxurious and those who read it as soil/funk.
Comparisons & DNA
wearers comparisons are striking given the low price: one wearer likened the juice to a discontinued Gucci pour Homme (the original “wood” Gucci, a benchmark dry-woody) and argued that in a Tom Ford bottle it “could have cost 250.” That places its DNA in the dry, natural, woody-patchouli lineage rather than the sweet/ambered modern woody camp. wearers “similar to” clustering points to incense-and-woods territory and to Rituals’ own Oriental Essence line (e.g., Sultan de Muscat) plus Comme des Garcons Series 3 Incense: Kyoto - i.e., dry, meditative woods. Within the brand, its successor No. 21 Sandalwood & Patchouli is effectively the same fragrance renumbered (wearers-confirmed as identical or near-identical), and is the practical “where do I buy it now” answer.
Reception
For a cheap brand-extension fragrance, reception among those who found it is warm: it is repeatedly called a hidden gem, the best in the Rituals men’s range, and high-quality/unique for the money, with strong value praise. Criticisms are mostly about modest sillage and the polarizing patchouli (some find it “dirty,” soil-like, or even “cleaning-product”-adjacent). Coverage is genuinely thin - wearers and wearers listings describe it with few or no full reviews, and the conversation is fragmented across the No. 19 / No. 21 naming. Polarization axis: clean-luxurious patchouli vs. dirty-earthy patchouli, plus performance expectations. Blind-buy verdict: low-risk given the price and small bottle options, and a confident recommendation for fans of dry, natural woody-patchouli scents - just temper expectations on projection.
Versions & Reformulation
Sold as EDP, notably in both 50 ml and small 10 ml bottles (an unusually consumer-friendly small format that wearers praised). The central versioning fact is the renumbering: “No. 19 Sandal Wood & Patchouli” (2010) was effectively continued as “No. 21 Sandalwood & Patchouli,” and the two are widely treated as the same scent under different numbers; databases list both, with No. 19 marked discontinued. No substantive reformulation beyond the renumber/repackage is documented in documented sources, though as with any decade-plus woody, minor batch variation is plausible. Treat No. 19 and No. 21 as the same composition for practical purposes.
Acquisition Notes
Pricing range: budget/value - historically around 40 for 50 ml, with 10 ml minis available, which is low for the perceived quality. Now discontinued under the No. 19 name; the No. 21 version circulated through Rituals’ own stores and Amazon and is the easier modern find, with secondary-market bottles of both appearing online. Sizes: 50 ml and 10 ml EDP. Decant availability: limited and informal. 19/No. 21 naming confusion. Authentic channels: Rituals’ own retail/website (for No. 21 while stocked) and reputable resellers. A made-to-order “type” recreation exists from at least one fragrance-revival service, which is not the original.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The launch story is the most concrete piece of lore: after years of body and home fragrance, Rituals.
- founded in 2000 by Raymond Cloosterman, who wanted to transform daily routines into meaningful moments “by paying just a little bit more attention to the details”
- entered fine perfumery to mark its tenth anniversary, commissioning a set of eight numbered scents from established perfumers (the feminine No. 01, 04, 07, 09 and 18; the masculine No. 06, 14 and 19). Fabrice Pellegrin (of Mane) is documented speaking specifically about this fragrance: “I blended the rich balsamic notes of patchouli with the noble dark tones of sandalwood, resulting in a sophisticated bohemian fragrance composed of natural woody essences,” and described his aim as a playful hot-cold contrast between spicy and woody notes. There is no celebrity tie-in or viral moment
- the “controversy,” such as it is, is purely the enduring No. 19-vs-No. 21 identity puzzle that sends new owners to forums asking whether they have the same thing.