Scent Samples UK

Scent Samples UK does one thing that matters more than its size: it sells 1ml samples of houses that do not sell samples.

Louis Vuitton is the clearest case. LV fragrance is sold through its own boutiques, there is no sample programme, and the entry price is high enough to make a blind buy an expensive guess. This shop lists Au Hasard, Nouveau Monde, Meteore, California Dream, On The Beach, Symphony, Myriad and Heures d'Absence at £5 for an eau de parfum and £7 for an extrait. That is the difference between guessing and knowing, for the price of a coffee.

The rest of the shelf runs the same way. Clive Christian, Kilian, Le Labo, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Maison Crivelli, Initio, Boadicea, Xerjoff, Penhaligon's, Creed and Byredo. These are counter-only or boutique-only houses in most of the UK, and outside London there is often no way to smell any of them at all.

Prices sit between £3 and £7 depending on the house and concentration, and postage is free over £10, so a spread of three or four costs less than a taxi.

Go here when the thing you want to try is the thing nobody will let you try.