Perfumes are basically very complex mixtures of chemicals, designed to have pleasing scents, as well as to be stable over time and relatively nontoxic. Depending on the scent you want, you'll need to put different mixtures of chemicals into the pot.
Perfume design is traditionally not a very scientific process. Basically, people come up with an idea for a smell, and then they mix chemicals together which, from their own experience, might produce that smell. When they come up with a winning mixture that doesn't produce brain damage in rats (or other negative side effects in lab animals), they market it and sell for eighty bucks an ounce.Perfumes basically are three-part mixtures of chemicals. The first part, the fragrance, is the one that we usually think about. These are generally esters, aldehydes, or aromatic organic compounds that occur naturally in flowers, fruits, or other things that smell nice. The second part, the solvent, is used to dissolve all the fragrance, and evaporate slowly so that the perfume's scent is given off over a period of time, and not all at once. These are usually common solvents such as acetone or ethanol.
The third part consists of stabilizers and fillers, which are used to bulk up the fragrance and make sure that it doesn't degrade over time. Depending on the compounds being used, these will vary, although in some cases the solvent also acts as a reservative and filler. So, how can you make your own perfume? Well, I'm not going to tell you how to make fragrant chemicals. Doing organic chemistry is dange
rous stuff, especially to try at home or if you're not all that experienced with it. There are, however, some ways that you can make perfumes without venturing into the lab.Aromatherapists believe that "essential oils" can restore good health - I don't believe this, but I do know that the oils often smell pretty good. Find a mix of these you like. Also, you might want to try using nearly pure ethanol (available at the drug store) to extract flower scents: Soak mashed flower petals in ethanol and see if you can't make your own essential oils. Will it work? I'm not sure - however, flower petals are cheap, as is ethanol. (A word of warning - although the ethanol you buy at the chemist's is very nearly pure, don't drink it! It contains stuff that will kill you!)
rous stuff, especially to try at home or if you're not all that experienced with it. There are, however, some ways that you can make perfumes without venturing into the lab.Aromatherapists believe that "essential oils" can restore good health - I don't believe this, but I do know that the oils often smell pretty good. Find a mix of these you like. Also, you might want to try using nearly pure ethanol (available at the drug store) to extract flower scents: Soak mashed flower petals in ethanol and see if you can't make your own essential oils. Will it work? I'm not sure - however, flower petals are cheap, as is ethanol. (A word of warning - although the ethanol you buy at the chemist's is very nearly pure, don't drink it! It contains stuff that will kill you!) 
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