A globally renowned perfume brand with a rabid following among the rich and famous will open a new shop/laboratory in the North Loop’s Colonial Warehouse in mid-November.
Le Labo ("The Laboratory" in French) has shops where customers get a personalized and immersive experience in the art of perfume-making.
After selecting a fragrance, they can watch as the ingredients are individually blended and distilled to create their perfume. The bottle then gets a personalized label with the customer’s name along with the date and place where it all came together.
Le Labo has a collection of classic fragrances, each with a number at the end, such as Santal 33 or The Noir 29. That number indicates how many ingredients go into creating that particular scent.
TikTok has several videos of the perfume-making process at Le Labo shops.
This summer, the online publication PS posted a definitive guide to every Le Labo perfume by personality type, while Cosmopolitan Magazine ranked its favorite Le Labo perfumes of 2024.
The company, which is owned by Estée Lauder, has begun the hiring process, seeking applicants for store manager and lab technician. There is a QR code in the front window.
The space at 212 N. Third Ave. was previously home to an activewear store, Outdoor Voices, until the company closed all its retail locations nationwide in March.
This article was originally published by the North Loop Neighborhood Association.