An interview with creator of CruzHim, the fragrance brand made for men!
CruzHim is the fragrance brand made intentionally for men seeking other men, and we got to interview the mastermind behind it all!
The scent of a potential romantic or sexual partner is driven by several different factors: physical attraction, personality, fetishes, sexual roles in bed, and of course their scent! CruzHim is the fragrance brand that specifically focuses on the latter, with emphasis on how we find attraction through different aromas.
This isn’t your typical fragrance brand, it’s more than that. John Bonawitz, the founder of CruzHim, spent a long time researching what drives us being attracted to others via their smell. That’s how he came up with the perfect formula for his debut product: Leather & Sweat, by CruzHim.
Through enhancement of the natural pheromones we already produce plus one of our favorite smells in the community, leather, this first scent was born! John truly created a fragrance that drives attraction naturally, and the reviews speak for themselves too. Check out some of them below.
“Love the sexy leather smell of this. I got told that I “smell absolutely delicious” by a handsome gentleman at the library.” -Adam S
“I never thought I’d be so attracted and aroused by my own scent, it really gets me going.” -Shirley Z
“I can’t say enough good things about this! It takes your natural scent and amplifies it without being overpowering. The pheromones definitely do something…men will take notice. I love putting it on before I go to the gym because it really heats up during my workout. And it lasts almost all day afterwards. This is a solid 10 and I highly recommend it!” -Anthony D
Those are just a few of the 5 star reviews too! If you don’t believe us here, check out more reviews on the CruzHim website.
Our very own Richard Jones had the chance to chat with John about CruzHim to get some more insight on the brand, its background, and more. Check it out below!
Richard Jones: Can you tell us a little about who you are and what your background is?
John Bonawitz: My name is John Bonawitz and I’m the founder of CruzHim. I’ve spent most of my career as a designer and creative director working in fashion and product development, so building brands and creating products that people connect with has always been part of my life.
Outside of work, I’ve always been fascinated with scent and how powerful it is in attraction. Anyone who’s been out in nightlife, gyms, or leather spaces knows that scent is a huge part of chemistry between men. Over time I became really interested in how natural body scent works and how pheromones influence attraction.
CruzHim is really where those two worlds came together for me — design and the psychology of scent.
Richard: What was the key thought or moment that led you to develop CruzHim?
John: The real moment came from something very simple: I noticed that a lot of the attraction between men isn’t about traditional cologne. It’s about skin scent — things like sweat, leather, musk, and natural pheromones.
Most fragrances try to cover that up.
I started experimenting with the idea of enhancing it instead.
The leather and bear community actually inspired a lot of the original concept behind Leather & Sweat. It’s a culture where masculinity, scent, and physical presence are celebrated, and that energy really shaped the direction of the fragrance.
The concept behind CruzHim became:
What if a fragrance didn’t hide your natural scent — what if it amplified the parts that drive attraction?
That idea became the foundation for the first product, Leather & Sweat.
Richard: What was the journey to having a product like this?
John: The journey was a lot more experimental than people might expect.
I spent a long time researching pheromones, testing scent materials, and learning how different molecules interact with skin chemistry. There were dozens of versions before the final formula came together
What I learned is that the right formula isn’t just about smell — it’s about how people react to it in real social environments. Gyms, nightlife, leather events, bars — those spaces were actually where a lot of the early feedback came from.
Eventually Leather & Sweat became a balance between pheromones, subtle scent materials, and skin chemistry that creates something very natural but very noticeable.
Richard: What is some unexpected feedback on the product?
John: The biggest surprise has honestly been how consistently people report social reactions.
Customers tell me stories about strangers starting conversations, people lingering close to them, or just getting a lot more attention when they wear it.
Another thing I didn’t expect was how many people say it boosts their confidence. It’s not just about scent — it changes how people carry themselves.
And that confidence alone tends to make people more magnetic.
Richard: Do you have any plans to develop more products in the future?
John: Definitely.
Leather & Sweat is the flagship product, but the idea behind CruzHim has always been bigger than one fragrance.
I’m currently working on additional formulas that play with different pheromone profiles and scent directions while still keeping that core idea of enhancing natural male scent.
The goal is to build a line of products that each create a different kind of energy or vibe depending on the situation — nightlife, intimacy, social settings, and beyond.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, John!
Be sure to head to their website www.cruzhim.com to check out their reviews and get yourself a bottle of Leather & Sweat, you won’t regret it! Don’t forget to also give them a follow on Instagram or sign up for their email list to get updates on new fragrances and more.
CruzHim’s Links
CruzHim is also a sponsor of Woof Week 2026 in Key West, Florida this coming April.
From April 21st through April 26th, get ready for a hot and steamy week in Key West for Woof Week 2026! A full week of fun in the sun is what we all could use right now, and what better way to do it than in the pool surrounded by hot bears, cubs, otters, and daddies?
From daytime pool parties to nighttime themed debauchery, it’s definitely a week you don’t want to miss. The sexy event filled week is just around the corner, so get your tickets now for the spring break you need!
Check out the full event schedule, ticket pricing, and housing accommodations on the Woof Week 2026 website by clicking here.
