Brut AS

[mcee_sharp]

@Jopo Thank you! Will definitely be keeping my eyes wide open in any/all shaving aisles!

Found a pharmacy chain in Chile that carries both Williams, and that Skin Bracer set.

 

[Lil Cooties]

I have an interesting developement, today my brother was at an op shop (thrift store), and he found and purchased me this, a tiny full bottle of original Faberge Brut!

I haven't opened the bottle yet, but now I can compare it to the European aftershave, the Australian splash on and the Australian aftershave lotion. I will do this later as I have other scents in my nose at the moment, and I want a blank slate.

From left to right:
-European Brut Aftershave
-Faberge Brut For Men
-Australian Brut Splash On
-Australian Brut Aftershave Lotion
Unfortunatly I don't have any American Brut to compare it to. My bottle of European Brut was made 2015-09-30 (according to CheckFresh using the batch code), and the ingredients show treemoss, while the current ingredient listing on Unilever UK doesn't have treemoss, so they've reformulated. From what I can tell from either of the Australian versions, there isn't any treemoss either, my aftershave lotion is a few years old but smelling a newer bottle I bought a few months ago smells the same so I don't think they've changed it recently.
Will update once I compare.

 

[Lil Cooties]

Update: I did some scent comparisons ("sensory analysis" as I like to call it) with my brother and took some notes.

Faberge Brut:
-Smells like Brut
-Amber juice
-Pear/nail polish remover (goes away quickly)
-Apple
-Fennel/aniseed
-Powdery/musk notes
-Faint vanilla
-Leather notes
-Hay/grass/straw notes
-Dustier?
-Banyard funk??
-Linseed oil notes?
-A bit dirty?
-Woodier
-Chemically/synthetic
-Little to no lemon/citrus notes
-Honestly, some overlap to Pinaud Clubman

Australian Brut Aftershave Lotion:
-Clear juice
-Most similar to Faberge
-Strongest modern formulation
-Fresher/cleaner notes than Faberge
-More/stronger fennel/aniseed
-Similar or slightly more sweet
-Prominent tonka notes
-Some apple/pear notes
-Less powdery

Australian Brut Splash On:
-Clear juice
-(Similar to Australian Aftershave Lotion but)
-Even more fennel/aniseed
-More one note/less complex
-Less sweet
-Fresher
-Less oily

European Brut Aftershave:
-Green juice
-Least similar
-Very light scent
-Prominent powdery notes
-Lemon/citrus
-Light mint?
-Little to no fennel/aniseed
-No tonka

A very interesting comparison, I wasn't expecting the Australian Aftershave Lotion to be so similar. The European Brut kinda takes the vibe of Brut and runs in the opposite direction, and is the least similar (although still enjoyable). From a little research, there is a European Brut EDT, maybe that is more similar. (Edit: none of these have menthol listed, and I didn't pick up any mint from the Faberge). According to a comment on fragrantica from 23/10/2023, North American Brut is being made by a new company (High Ridge Brands, not Helen of Troy anymore) and has returned to an older formulation, I'm curious which version OP tried. I also do not know how old or which specific formulation the vintage Faberge bottle I have is.

 

[mcee_sharp]

@Lil Cooties great comparison!

I have the Helen of Troy manufactured version. I'm glad your nose is up to the task of identifying elements of the scent, my nose needs someone to tell it what it's supposed to be smelling with complex scents so I'm only good for deciding if I like it, or I don't most of the time.

I'll test my NA aftershave again and see which of those camps it potentially falls into.

 

[mcee_sharp]

Oddest thing, hadn't tested it again in a couple of months. Used it today, and surprise, I really like it now.

The only obvious things I've done are testing (and liking) both CB Musk and Skin Bracer since then. Maybe they conditioned me to a common scent element(s) in the Brut?

 

[Kristho]

I have never tried the original or the US version - but I really enjoy the european version
It's so good - and very cheap! Got it for less than 4 euro at a local store.

 

[mcee_sharp]

I have never tried the original or the US version - but I really enjoy the european version
It's so good - and very cheap! Got it for less than 4 euro at a local store.

The equivalent bargain in North America would be Skin Bracer - ~2.5 euro in Canada, likely closer to 2 in the US.

I'll have to try the different regional versions of Brut when I have more room in my shave den.

 

[JohnG]

Here's a variety of different versions (aftershave, pre-shave, lotion, etc.) for sale on the FleaBay.

Vtg Estate BRUT FABERGE 4 Full Bottles & 1 Partial Eau de Cologne / Lotion ++ | eBay

1 Full Bottle, Eau de Cologne, 3 Fl. Oz., 4 1/4" Tall, No Box. 1 Partial bottle, Deluxe Spray deodorant, 3.5 FL. almost 6 1/2" tall, it is a silver bottle, you cannot see whats left, but I would say it is about 1/4 full, no box.

www.ebay.com