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
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]
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".
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]
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.