Making Your Own Perfume

• Creating your own perfume can take several weeks, so only embark on this project if you have plenty of time before the science fair. Using rose petals can be the simplest way to begin, especially if you have access to a rose bush in your yard as fresh petals are required every few days. This project involves using oil, heat and alcohol to extract the natural oils from the petals.
  
  

Natural vs. Synthetic Scents

• This project involves using a group of friends or family members and having them smell both natural and synthetic perfumes. Record their observations as they try to determine which is synthetic and which is natural. Scents to consider using include rose, banana, orange, lemon, lavender, apple, cinnamon, jasmine, vanilla and strawberry.
  
  

Perfume Toxicity

• The purpose of this project is to highlight the dangers or toxicity of perfumes and colognes. A simple and inexpensive way to expose the potential toxicity is by using perfume on crickets enclosed in a small container and recording your observations. Different scents or types of perfumes may be used, or you may use cologne vs. perfume. Alternatively, you can use a variety of beauty products in your experiment.
  
  

Gender Preference with Perfume

• This project also involves using a group of people, with equal number of boys and girls represented, to determine if gender plays a role in scent preference. You can use two groups of people, each representing a different age (such as boys and girls in third grade and boys and girls in eighth grade) and record your observations.