THE perfume business is undergoing a quiet revolution - thanks to the internet.

Not only are there increasing numbers of sites offering discounted fragrances, there's also a growing collection of sites that give buyers the chance to create their own, signature perfumes.

For the price of an average 30ml eau de toilette, punters can put together something unique and fragrant.

I tried my hand at perfume creation through the site www.createyourownfragrance.co.uk, which charges £30 for a 50ml eau de parfum.

After registering I was invited to complete a detailed questionnaire that asked about my character, interests, colouring, current favourite perfume (and most disliked fragrance) and other aspects of my lifestyle.

I then had a two-week wait to see what the company's perfumers would come up with.

When the package arrived - two weeks on the dot - I was pleasantly surprised.

My signature fragrance is fresh, light and not overly floral and yet it has a distinctive kick. The first few days I wore it I asked everyone I met what they thought - explaining that it was a somewhat experimental fragrance. There was not one wrinkled nose or negative comment, which left me feeling pretty pleased with myself.

Eau de Hilarie has become my current favourite perfume.

But one of the problems with creating a fragrance on-line is that you don't get to test it until you've paid up and taken receipt - although good sites offer a money-back guarantee.

Until the Japanese finish developing smellyvision (which I understand they are working on) there's no real alternative to this.

As Create London point out, their site can be used to create an individual perfume for a friend or relative - they do men's fragrances as well. So instead of buying your friend the new J Lo or Britney fragrance you can get them one all of their own.