Entry No. 53 — the New Orleans file — filed under: hands-on
Tijon New Orleans
Tijon is a working fragrance lab tucked on Toulouse Street where you pull on a lab coat and build a perfume from a wall of more than 300 aromatic oils. The popular 90-minute Mix & Match class has you compose three trial scents from premixed blends plus a few accent oils, then bottle, name, and label the one you love best. They keep your exact formula on file so you can reorder it later as a perfume, cologne, lotion, or linen mist. Four house scents are bottled only at this location as the New Orleans Collection.
The story
You don't walk past 631 Toulouse Street expecting to slip into a white lab coat in the middle of the French Quarter, but that's the rig inside Tijon. Instead of pushing pre-packaged designer bottles, this working fragrance lab lines its walls with more than 300 aromatic oils—ranging from dense spices and citrus tops to dark woods and delicate synthetics—and hands you the beaker.
The setup operates as half mixing studio, half archive. Once you assemble a formula that works, Tijon files your exact oil ratios in their master database under your name. That means whatever custom scent you build on Toulouse Street can be reordered online whenever you run low, produced as a spray perfume, cologne, body lotion, or linen mist. If you'd rather leave the chemistry to them, they also sell the New Orleans Collection—four house fragrances bottled exclusively at this location.
What it's like
Stepping into the lab feels like a cross between a chemistry class and a tasting room. During the 90-minute Mix & Match class, you wear a lab coat, build three distinct trial vials using premixed base blends and individual accent oils, then commit to your winner. You bottle it, print a custom name for your label, and celebrate with a champagne toast. Nose fatigue hits fast when sniffing dozens of raw ingredients, so reset your palate between blends. Classes fill up fast on weekends, making advance online booking essential.
The move: The two of you each blend, bottle, and name a custom signature scent from hundreds of oils, then trade and wear each other's creation.
📍 Before you go Mix & Match runs daily at 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm ($99, 90 min); the longer Class 101 is Wednesdays at 10am. Reserve ahead.
- 📍 French Quarter
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 631 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- New Orleans Pharmacy Museum — Trade Tijon's modern fragrance lab on Toulouse Street for 19th-century patent medicines, hand-blown glass retorts, and old potion bottles two short blocks away.
- Pirate's Alley Cafe & Olde Absinthe House — After testing dozens of essential oils, reset your overloaded senses with a glass of anise and wormwood poured in a dark flagstone alley nearby.
- Bayou Rose — Compare Tijon's structured lab-coat blending session with this Dumaine Street apothecary's intimate small-batch perfumery and hand-poured candles.
Good to know
What classes are available and how much do they cost?
The standard 90-minute Mix & Match class runs daily at 10:30am, 1:00pm, and 3:30pm for $99 per person. A longer, more detailed session called Class 101 runs on Wednesdays at 10:00am.
Can I reorder my custom perfume after I leave New Orleans?
Yes. Tijon keeps your exact formula on file, so you can order refills online or by phone later, formatted as a perfume spray, cologne, body lotion, or linen mist.
Do I need to make a reservation in advance?
Yes. Lab space is limited per session and walk-ins are rarely accommodated, so book your slot online ahead of time.
What do I bring home from a session?
You take home a full bottle of your finalized custom fragrance topped with a personalized label bearing whatever name you give it, along with your recipe filed in their system.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Yelp · Instagram
last checked: 2026-06-23