What happened to Brut Aftershave? (2025)

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Today I have the pleasure of reviewing the Brut Original Aftershave for men. There are many variants of the Brut Original aftershave, but I will review the most up-to-date version you can typically buy in most drugstores.

The Brut Original Aftershave, initially launched in 1964, is an absolute classic and is well known for its fresh and distinctive fragrance. It was produced originally by Faberge Paris; however, the version I have here has been created by Unilever, which now owns the Brut Original Aftershave brand.

It’s still indeed loved by many, particularly those who prefer the nostalgic feel this masculine scent possesses, but does it still live up to the legend? Well, here’s what I have found.

Where to buy and the price

Regarding availability, you can easily purchase the Brut Original Aftershave at your local store or supermarket; it’s everywhere you go, so you should be fine picking this up.

I purchased mine at Boots for around £8.00 (which also came with a handy deodorant spray). You could afford to throw it in your basket for that price if you fancy a punt at a blind buy, but make sure you read this first!

If you’re feeling lazy and prefer it delivered, you can buy it on Amazon. The current price might surprise you!

Appearance

The glass bottle has a plastic screw-on lid showing the traditional Brut crest at the top. The contents have that beautiful masculine emerald green that you would expect. That is alright for a relatively cheap product.

The scent

I am a Brut Original Aftershave enthusiast, and I have always been drawn to the nostalgia that this masculine scent possesses. I have tried many of their products (including vintage bottles) over the years, and they usually fit into either category.

There is the solid, sharp ‘barbershop’ scent and the more subtle baby powder scent. This product fits into the latter category. It’s fresh and does smell like good old Brut to some extent, but yes, it does smell like baby powder.

The Brut Original Aftershave fragrance is typically characterised by prominent citrus top notes, which can easily be detected here, with a blend of lavender and spicy woods in the base. Putting the lavender aside, the blend of the citrus top notes and spicy woods gives it that masculine edge for me.

Brut Aftershave pretty much dominated the 70s and 80s. If you remember this era well, you probably had a bottle of this in your arsenal, along with an amber fragrance like CK Obsession, for when you wanted to show off a little. Brut Aftershave, however, is no amber fragrance. It’s what is classed as a green fragrance, which is far more versatile.

Performance

If you’re expecting that classic powerful (almost offensive) delivery that might be reminiscent of the 70s and 80s, you can forget it; those times are gone. This fragrance is much more subtle, and you would do well to get an hour out of it before you need to re-apply. It will become a skin scent within 20 – 30 minutes, which is almost laughable.

If you don’t mind something that is effectively just a skin scent, you could wear this casually around the house. You could splash on a bit of this after shaving, or as part of your nightly routine before you head to bed, and if you’re lucky, you might even get a cheeky compliment from the Mrs.

Is it manly?

I know I said it smells like baby powder, BUT it is still quite masculine, as absurd as that sounds. It just is, even with a note like baby powder (if you can even call that a note).

It will remind you of your dad, uncle or grandpa, as it is probably something they would splash on before they headed to the Dog and Duck on a Friday night after work. It will be nowhere near as potent but wonderfully nostalgic nonetheless.

To capture the essence, imagine someone like Rocky Balboa splashing on some of this after a workout at the gym (yo, Adrian!). As I said, this is a true masculine scent for the man’s man.

Conclusion

So, would I repurchase the Brut Original Aftershave? In all honesty, probably not. Not because I don’t like the smell but because it needs to be more robust to be taken seriously as an everyday scent.

There are better Brut products out there for the price. You would be better off spending money on the Brut Special Reserve or EDT version, which both have a much stronger delivery, although these are much harder to find. I will review these once I manage to get ahold of them. I have also written an article about the Brut “Soap on a Rope” product that you can read here if interested.

Whilst we are on the subject of Barbershop fougères similar to the Brut Original Aftershave; for much better performance, I would recommend the Clubman Pinaud Aftershave Lotion. I have a page dedicated to that product that you can view here. If you have tried the Brut Aftershave, on the other hand, let me know your thoughts.

On that note, I do hope this review of the Brut Original Aftershave has been helpful to you, and stay tuned for more of my thoughts on the best and worst men’s products of all time.

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