Finding the right scent takes a lot of patience along with some professional help. In a very tiny store front in the NoLIta district of NYC, Le Labo offers this service. The store looks like an old apothecary, with bottles and containers everywhere and I think calling it a fragrance lab is fairly accurate.

They sell 10 fragrances and all of them are blended for you on the spot. You first make your selection, the ingredients are mixed together, poured into a bottle, then sealed, labeled and marked with your name with a one year expiration date from the time of purchase.

Founders Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot are not just interested in selling the perfumes, they are passionate believers of fragrance education. They want to make sure you are in love with the scent from the time you purchase it to the time you take it home.

Le Labo is located at 233 Elizabeth Street, between Prince and Houston, open daily 11 am-7 pm.

Sunny Shum, Your Industry Insider