My dad was in the Navy for 30 years and typically didn't wear any scent/edt/cologne during the day because invariably he would end up smelling like ship, sweat and cigarettes by the end of the day anyway. One of the things that I remember fondly from my childhood was getting ready for church on Sunday with the family. Specifically, when my brother and I were old enough we got to participate in "Smell good Sunday." Since dad didn't wear any during the week, Sunday was Smell Good Sunday when my brother and I got to wear the same "smell good" as my dad. One of my all time favorites was Brut and somehow I didn't have any in my shave drawer. Well my son is almost 5 now and has shown an interest in my smell goods so I decided to take a trip down nostalgia lane and spent $4 at Walmart on some Brut AS. I put some on this morning and all I could say was, "What in the ever loving smell bad is that?" All I could smell for the 1st hour was a very strong and unpleasant chemical smell. As the dry down continued it started getting closer to what I remember from childhood but there still lingers a really unpleasant chemical aroma. Do I need to decant into a glass bottle? Do I need to dump it and try finding some vintage? Please help me understand what happened to Brut?
What happened to Brut?
- Thread starter BSawhill
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The Brut of your childhood isn't the Brut of today. I think it's changed hands to many times. And when a product changes ownership, it usually suffers. But it shouldn't smell dramatically different than what it did years ago. It hasn't gone from great to stinky. Perhaps your memory of the smell differs from the reality.
But more importantly, does your son enjoy it? For it is his memories you are forging.
But more importantly, does your son enjoy it? For it is his memories you are forging.
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- #3
After my experience with the Brut I didn't offer that one to him. He ended up choosing Black Ship Grooming Sacred Heart Splash. It's a shared experience that he and I have now each morning. He comes in and we do our hair together and pick out a smell good together. We both enjoy it.
As for the smell of the Brut I suspect you are correct on both counts that it changed hands too many times to be the same and that my memory of it wasn't 100% correct. Thankfully the Aqua Velva I also snagged smells exactly like I remember it.
As for the smell of the Brut I suspect you are correct on both counts that it changed hands too many times to be the same and that my memory of it wasn't 100% correct. Thankfully the Aqua Velva I also snagged smells exactly like I remember it.
Enjoy it! My almost 5 year old boy is now a head taller than me.
He was about 6 I think when he wanted some of my aftershave to wear to church. I said ok, but why?
He replied, "I want to be attracted to girls."
I about died trying not to laugh, thinking to myself, yeah, you're already attracted to girls! He meant "attractive" I knew.... About 15 years later he was married!
Lol, thanks for the memory my friend!
He was about 6 I think when he wanted some of my aftershave to wear to church. I said ok, but why?
He replied, "I want to be attracted to girls."
I about died trying not to laugh, thinking to myself, yeah, you're already attracted to girls! He meant "attractive" I knew.... About 15 years later he was married!
Lol, thanks for the memory my friend!
That's probably the licorice scent from the heavy anise opening, It's harsh I tried to love Brut but I can't I continue to stop using it and I always go back to Aqua Velva it's much more fresher and less suffocating.
To my nose, Brut, Canoe and Clubman are all in the same fragrance camp.
Not identical, but very similar.
Maybe try one of the others.
Not identical, but very similar.
Maybe try one of the others.
Brut is a classic Fougere scent like many men's fragrances. The original Brut was developed by the perfume house Faberge' of Paris. It was a powerful cologne.... think the Axe cologne of the late 1960s, but developed by a classic perfumer. Thus, it was a classic scent.
Some people found Brut to be too strong and Faberge' came out with a less expensive product named Brut 33 that was only 1/3 the strength of the original.
Unilever now owns the rights to produce Brut along with all the other Faberge' scents. All remnants of the Faberge' name have now been removed from the packaging. I have a bottle purchased a few years ago that still says Brut Classic by Faberge'. I do not know how the most recent stuff compares. I had a bottle of the original when I was in highs school and college, but I no longer have it. The original was definitely a classic. Back in those days, English Leather and British Sterling were also classic fragrances. The current versions are just not the same.
Some people found Brut to be too strong and Faberge' came out with a less expensive product named Brut 33 that was only 1/3 the strength of the original.
Unilever now owns the rights to produce Brut along with all the other Faberge' scents. All remnants of the Faberge' name have now been removed from the packaging. I have a bottle purchased a few years ago that still says Brut Classic by Faberge'. I do not know how the most recent stuff compares. I had a bottle of the original when I was in highs school and college, but I no longer have it. The original was definitely a classic. Back in those days, English Leather and British Sterling were also classic fragrances. The current versions are just not the same.
It might still be worth trying to decant it into a glass bottle. Plastic bottles can definitely affect the scent, though I don’t have Brut.
In Europe it is owned by Unilver, In the US it's owned by Helen Of Troy and it is way, way more potent the opening note is just too much makes me ill.
Brut has a splash cologne which is milder and brighter smelling than the aftershave, and to me smells close to the Brut of many years ago. The Brut aftershave reeks upon application, must be the licorice note from the anise, but settles down after an hour or two. Brut also has a splash-on lotion, and it smells better than the aftershave, but not as good as the cologne. The cologne bottle says "cologne" below the Brut name, where as splash-on version says "splash-on lotion". Most retailers carry the aftershave and the splash-on lotion, the cologne comes in a plastic bottle and is likely available from Amazon and other online vendors. There is also a Brut Special Reserve cologne in a glass spray bottle, and it is troubled by the same yukky scent as the aftershave. Yes, go figure. Why can't classic scents be left alone? Hope you find the Brut scent you are wanting.
Thanks for the clarification. I knew Unilever was still involved, but I was not sure about Helen of Troy.
According to Fragrantica, the top notes are supposed to be: anise, lavender, basil, bergamot and lemon, so it does come across as a highly aromatic scent when first applied.
- Thread starter
- #12
@FarmerTan - glad I could help bring up some good memories. Because my dad was in the Navy for 30 years and did a couple of tours as teams guy he was gone quite a bit. One of the great things though was that he recognized that. He never apologized for it, nor should he have, but he made sure to make memories with my mom, brother and I as often as possible. I don't ever remember the times that he wasn't around because all the memories were made during the times that he was. It's a good lesson that I learned and am putting into practice with my kiddos.
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- #13
Hey all,
Thanks for all of the insights into the scent, it's ownership and it's iterations. I have decanted it into and empty and washed Stirling glass aftershave bottle and will report back if that has a positive effect on it's scent. In the mean time, my wife is lamenting the fact that I now have something else to search for on Ebay.
Thanks for all of the insights into the scent, it's ownership and it's iterations. I have decanted it into and empty and washed Stirling glass aftershave bottle and will report back if that has a positive effect on it's scent. In the mean time, my wife is lamenting the fact that I now have something else to search for on Ebay.
Many people are reporting an unreliable sense of smell as a part of the Covid picture. Be careful of making decisions on scents until you have verified your smell and taste are still up to speed.
- Thread starter
- #15
@RazorDragon - good callout. Fortunately I get tested often as a result of my daughter having a genetic heart condition. Since most of the reported fatalities in children involve some sort of pre-existing condition, and most of them cardiac related, we don't mess around. My wife and I are both vaxed and as soon as we get sniffles for more than a 1/2 day we get tested. Thank God none of us have had it through this!
I decanted my Brut into a glass bottle. I like it. When the splash runs out I will try the cologne.
No problem.
Good post @RayClem. I am a collector of vintage and modern aftershaves. I have lifetime supplies of vintage classic aftershaves such as Shulton’s Old Spice, English Leather, British Sterling and even Brut by Faberge.
While I agree wholeheartedly with the fact that many modern aftershave formulas have changed from their original versions because of synthetic substitutes and other variables, I have to politely and respectfully, disagree, that their modern versions “don’t smell anything like their past, original versions?”
While scent and individual smell is a ymmv thing, I believe saying, modern versions smell nothing like the older versions is simply inaccurate.
From my personal experience of collecting and using over 200 modern and vintage aftershaves, I can confidently say, vintage Brut is much better than modern Brut.
However, the scent of modern Brut, is the exact same scent as vintage Brut. I can name, list and tell you, a dozen different reasons, why Shulton Old Spice is better then it modern Procter & Gamble formula. But I also, have and need to honestly say, modern Old Spice still smells the same in its familiar scent profile.
Is it as strong? No.
Is it as spicy? No.
Is it as smooth and wonderful a bouquet of aroma’s as vintage Shulton. No, it is not.
But modern Old Spice does indeed smell like…. Old Spice.
And modern Brut smells like Brut.
It may have some synthetic overtones which can give off a very slight chemical note in it’s dry down, but it’s familiar scent profile is very much still the same classic fougere as the original Faberge.
Of all of my collection, I think modern English Leather versus my vintage MEM, probably is the biggest difference of an example of formula change.
Modern EL, just has a harsh scent of dirty leaves that just isn’t there with the vintage MEM. But again, if you miss the smell of English Leather and don’t have any vintage on hand?
The modern’s basic scent profile, even with all of it’s formula changes is still similar and very reminiscent of and still can and will be recognized as “English Leather”.
And so does/will classic modern Brut. If you love the scents of the classic’s of yesteryear, feel free to use the modern versions, because I still do.
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I just use Avon's Leather.Good post @RayClem. I am a collector of vintage and modern aftershaves. I have lifetime supplies of vintage classic aftershaves such as Shulton’s Old Spice, English Leather, British Sterling and even Brut by Faberge.
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While I agree wholeheartedly with the fact that many modern aftershave formulas have changed from their original versions because of synthetic substitutes and other variables, I have to politely and respectfully, disagree, that their modern versions “don’t smell anything like their past, original versions?”
While scent and individual smell is a ymmv thing, I believe saying, modern versions smell nothing like the older versions is simply inaccurate.
From my personal experience of collecting and using over 200 modern and vintage aftershaves, I can confidently say, vintage Brut is much better than modern Brut.
However, the scent of modern Brut, is the exact same scent as vintage Brut. I can name, list and tell you, a dozen different reasons, why Shulton Old Spice is better then it modern Procter & Gamble formula. But I also, have and need to honestly say, modern Old Spice still smells the same in its familiar scent profile.
Is it as strong? No.
Is it as spicy? No.
Is it as smooth and wonderful a bouquet of aroma’s as vintage Shulton. No, it is not.
But modern Old Spice does indeed smell like…. Old Spice.
And modern Brut smells like Brut.
of all of my collection, I think modern English Leather versus my vintage MEM, probably is the biggest difference of an example of formula change.
Modern EL, just has a harsh scent of dirty leaves that just isn’t there with the vintage MEM. But again, if you miss the smell of English Leather and don’t have any vintage on hand?
The modern’s basic scent profile, even with all of it’s formula changes is still similar and very reminiscent of and still can and will be recognized as “English Leather”.
And so does/will classic modern Brut. If you the scents of the classic’s of yesteryear, feel free to use the modern versions, because I still do.
Because, yes, I'm worth it.
- Thread starter
- #20
Alright gents, even though I thought it was a long shot that glass vs plastic would make a difference, it has. It's made a big difference in the initial scent and the dry down is faster and more pleasant. Who knew? Also, does anybody know why it makes a difference?
