The Cruel Secrets Behind “Masculine” Scents

Blood in the forests. Whales hunted. Animals caged and tortured. Ecosystems destroyed.

And all of it… bottled up and sold to you as “masculinity.”

Musk. Oud. Ambergris. Civet. Leather. Tobacco. These so-called “masculine” notes don’t just smell like power — they smell like violence. This is perfume built on patriarchy: domination disguised as desire.

Perfume brands sell these ingredients as symbols of strength, mystery, and command. But peel back the fantasy, and the truth is disturbing. Every so-called “masculine” note comes from domination — of animals, of forests, of the Earth itself.

• Musk: For centuries, perfumers killed musk deer just to cut out a small gland that held the prized scent. Entire populations were nearly wiped out so men could smell “powerful.”

• Ambergris: A waxy substance from sperm whales. Sometimes it washes ashore, but the demand has long fueled trafficking and exploitation of whales already under threat.

• Oud: Formed when Aquilaria trees are infected with a rare mold. Instead of letting nature take its time, illegal logging strips entire forests, destroying biodiversity just to feed the oud craze.

• Civet: The “luxury” note comes from the scent glands of civet cats. They are trapped, caged, and painfully “milked” of secretions for years. A lifetime of suffering sold as elegance.

• Leather & Tobacco: Leather notes echo industries of animal slaughter and toxic tanneries that poison rivers. Tobacco fields are soaked in pesticides, tied to soil destruction and labor exploitation. What’s sold as “sophistication” is built on violence.

This isn’t mystery. This isn’t strength. This is patriarchy in a bottle — cruelty disguised as luxury.

Make no mistake — these scents were never about beauty. They were about control. About bottling dominance. About teaching men that to smell powerful, something else must suffer. And it worked. People still buy it, because patriarchy taught them cruelty smells sexy.

At Antra Botanicals, we unsubscribe from that story.

• No musk.

• No civet.

• No ambergris.

• No oud stripped from dying forests.

• No “luxury” at the cost of life.

Because we know what patriarchy doesn’t want you to remember: no scent is worth an animal’s pain. We stand with Mama Gaia. With the animals. With the forests. With the matriarchy — the power that creates, heals, and protects instead of destroying.

Real strength doesn’t come from conquest. Real beauty isn’t built on blood.The matriarchal way is different. It honours the Earth instead of exploiting it. It nurtures instead of dominates. It creates instead of destroys. That’s the power we bottle. Every Antra Botanicals fragrance is crafted on a 100% organic jojoba oil base, blended with plants and botanicals that live in harmony with nature. No cages. No killing. No hidden cruelty.

“Masculine” perfumes are patriarchy in a bottle — domination, cruelty, extinction. But the matriarchy is rising. And with it, a new scent. One that honors instead of harms. One that connects instead of conquers. We don’t bottle violence. We bottle reverence.