On a recent trip to Los Angeles, we passed a particularly unadorned, though rather fragrant store front. We recognized the simple bottles and apothecary style of Le Labo, the indie fragrance brand, but having never actually smelled the goods, decided to go inside. Heather, a feisty blonde who knows her way around a top note, explained how the shop works. True to its name (French for the laboratory), customers choose a scent from Le Labo's 12-fragrance arsenal and a fresh mix is concocted on premises. We really dug the crisp, citrusy freshness of the Bergamote 22 formula. A beaker, a scale and few vials of essential oils later, our travel-ready bottle was produced. We're a sucker for anything personalized. And the fact the bottle's stamped with your name, well, brings new meaning to term 'signature scent.' Starting at $52, at Le Labo

• Founders Fabrice Penot and Eddie Roschi cut their teeth in the fragrance studio of Giorgio Armani.