Brylcreem

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Not to be confused with Brylcream Boulevard.

Brylcreem
Inception1928; 96 years ago (1928)
ManufacturerUnilever
AvailableWorldwide
Current supplier
WebsiteOfficial website

Brylcreem (/ˈbrɪlkriːm/) is a British brand of hair styling products for men. The first Brylcreem product was a hair cream created in 1928 by County Chemicals at the Chemico Works in Bradford Street, Birmingham, England,[1] and is the flagship product of the brand. The cream is an emulsion of water and mineral oil stabilised with beeswax.[2] It is notable for the high shine it provides, which spawned the name of the product, stemming from "brilliantine" and "cream".[citation needed]

Ownership[edit]

The British pharmaceutical firm Beecham was the longtime owner of Brylcreem. Sara Lee acquired the personal care unit of SmithKline Beecham in June 1993. In January 2012, the global rights to the Brylcreem brand were sold by Sara Lee Corporation to Unilever.[3]

Brylcreem is marketed in the United States by Combe Incorporated, in Europe by Unilever and in India by Hindustan Unilever Limited. Before Godrej acquired a 51% stake of Sara Lee, in their joint venture Godrej Sara Lee in May 2010, the brand was distributed by Godrej in India.[4][citation needed]

Jingle[edit]

A modern tube of Brylcreem.

It was first advertised on television with the jingle "Brylcreem — A Little Dab'll Do Ya! Brylcreem — You'll look so debonair. Brylcreem — The gals'll all pursue ya; they'll love to run their fingers through your hair!".[5] Another version was "Brylcreem—a little dab will do ya! Use more only if you dare; but watch out! The gals will all pursue ya! They'll love to run their fingers through your hair!"

The jingle was created by Hanley M. Norins of the Young & Rubicam advertising agency.[6] The television advertisement for Brylcreem included a cartoon animation of a man with (initially) shaggy hair, who happily has a little dab applied, and, miraculously, the hair combs and smooths itself.

When the dry look became popular, partly inspired by the unoiled moptops of the Beatles, the last line was changed from "They'll love to run their fingers through your hair", to "They'll love the natural look it gives your hair". Subsequent television advertisements used the mottoes "Grooms without gumming" and later, in the 1970s, in the United Kingdom and Canada, "A little dab of Brylcreem on your hair gives you the Brylcreem bounce".

Notable users and popular culture[edit]

Brylcreem advertisement at a railway station in England in 1944 with the slogan, "Keep your hair shipshape - Brylcreem your hair".
Brylcreem advertised (right) in Shaftesbury Avenue, London c. 1949
  • The Brylcreem Boys is a film from 1998, directed and co-written by Terence Ryan, about the internment of Axis and Allied combatants during World War II.
  • Denis Compton, the Middlesex and England batsman and Arsenal footballer, was one of the earliest British sportsmen to make serious money from product endorsement when he advertised Brylcreem in the 1940s and 1950s.
  • Waylon Jennings during his years in the Nashville sound era of his career always sported Brylcreem over the much more popular Royal Crown brand of pomade sported by friends and other stars of the scene like Johnny Cash. Waylon later ditched the style in 1972, when he began growing out his hair, which would eventually become a part of his signature style.
  • In 1955 Fazal Mahmood was the first Pakistani cricketer to model for Brylcreem. It was the first time a commercial brand had hired a Pakistani cricketer as a model.[7]
  • During the Second World War, members of the RAF became known as "Brylcreem boys". Initially intended as an insult by other branches of the forces due to the RAF's perceived safe and comfortable job back in Britain, one that afforded them the luxury of personal grooming; the term became one of endearment after their success during the Battle of Britain.[8]
  • Jimmy Buffett sang the Brylcreem jingle at the end of Pencil Thin Mustache.[9]
  • In the Seinfeld episode "The Conversion", the balding character George Costanza mentions having Brylcreem in his medicine cabinet when discussing how people tend to hold on to older items that they may no longer need.
  • In the HBO Mafia drama series The Sopranos, mobster Junior Soprano is being investigated for racketeering. He laments, "Federal marshals are so far up my ass I can taste Brylcreem".[10]
  • Actor Sidharth Malhotra is the brand ambassador for Brylcreem in India.
  • In Young Sheldon (Season 1, Episode 20), the main character Sheldon is seen using Brylcreem.[11]
  • Former Conservative cabinet minster, Kenneth Baker was considered to be one of the heaviest users of Brylcreem in the 1980s.

Slogans[edit]

  • Dipakai Pria, Disukai Wanita (Used by Men, Liked by Women)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Charles-Philippe (2 September 2014). "British vs. American Brylcreem: A Comparative Review | Bespoke Unit". bespokeunit.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. ^ Brett & Kate McKay (16 February 2011). "Old-School Men's Hair Products: Pomades, Brylecreem, and Hair Tonic". The Art of Manliness. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Unilever pays 1.3 billion euros for Sara Lee brands". Reuters. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Sara Lee to sell 51% joint venture stake to Godrej for €185m". www.cosmeticsbusiness.com. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  5. ^ Del Ponte, Jimmy, "And now a word from our sponsor", The Somerville Times, Somerville, Massachusetts, 27 August 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  6. ^ Los Angeles Times, 17 July 1992, "Hanley M. Norins; Young & Rubicam Executive, Author" Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Pakistan: A history through posters, papers and assorted paraphernalia". Dawn. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  8. ^ "A brief history of Brylcreem". the Guardian. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  9. ^ [1][dead link]
  10. ^ "The Sopranos: One Quote From Each Character That Perfectly Sums Up Their Personality". ScreenRant. 11 October 2021.
  11. ^ Yong, Charlotte (3 May 2018). "Young Sheldon Review 01x20". The Game of Nerds. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

External links[edit]

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