Introduced in 1964 and created by Karl Mann, Brut was marketed as a luxury scent. In 1968, a budget range was marketed as Brut 33 because it contained 33% of the fragrance of the original product. Packaged in cheaper plastic bottles, it was described by the company as a "lighter fragrance." It was great for men of all ages and continues to be very popular to this day. It features top notes of lavender, anise, lemon, basil and bergamot; middle notes of geranium, ylang-ylang and jasmine; and base notes of sandalwood, vanilla, oakmoss, vetiver, patchouli and tonka bean.
Fabergé was taken over by Unilever in 1989 and their Brut 33 was renamed just plain Brut. The Fabergé version became "Brut Classic by Fabergé" and kept the same distinctive packaging. In 2003, the rights to the brand were purchased for some regions by Idelle Laboratories, a division of Helen of Troy Limited and except for those regions controlled by Idelle, Unilever sells Brut around the world with big markets in the United Kingdom, France and the Far East.
Called "The Essence of Man" in its current advertising, Brut is marketed in the U.S. as a show of masculine strength of character. Athletes have historically represented the brand, including Joe Namath, Hank Aaron who used the slogan "When I'm off the field, I let my Brut do the talking", Wilt Chamberlain, Muhammad Ali and Vitas Gerulatis. The star of the 1970's U.K. advertising campaign was heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper (the original face of Brut) who used the slogan "splash it all over".
There is a huge trend now for men to wear old school colognes and aftershaves and some of these scents, like Brut, have cult followings.
Interesting to note, is that Brut is part of the Smithsonian's collection of cosmetics and personal care products displayed at the National Museum of American History.
It has gone through many reformulations and this is the current one that is for sale.
