Barbasol
Encyclopedia
Barbasol is an American
brand of shaving cream
, body wash, and aftershave
, founded in 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana
. It is currently owned by Perio, Inc.
Professor Frank Shields set out to create a product that would provide for a less irritating shave. In 1919, he succeeded with the invention of Barbasol – a shaving cream that did not have to be worked into a lather. He named it Barbasol from the combination of two words: the Roman word barba (meaning beard) and “solution.” The original formula was a thick lotion, unlike the aerosol foams common today and is most closely related to the Barbasol Non-Aerosol Therapeutic Shave Cream.
Before long, the Barbasol Company, created in December 1920, was churning out 30-40 dozen tubes of shaving cream per day out of its small Indianapolis headquarters.
cans were introduced, and the Barbasol Company changed the formula from the thick cream in a tube to the soft, fluffy foam familiar in the aerosol cans today. The can design mimicked a barber's pole
, and is still the trademark
design used today.
bought The Barbasol Company and brought Barbasol in the portfolio. During this time, they developed many additional versions of Barbasol to complement the original formulation, including Soothing Aloe
, Skin Conditioner, Sensitive Skin, Extra Protection, Cool Menthol
and Lemon Lime.
As gels became popular, Pfizer created gel versions of Barbasol in the Original, Soothing Aloe, Sensitive Skin, and Extra Protection varieties.
In the 1980s, Pfizer made Barbasol Glide Stick, a deodorant.
By the 1990s, Barbasol brand equity
had diminished. Sales had slowed. Pfizer, primarily a pharmaceutical company
, looked to sell the brand.
Perio consolidated the Barbasol line to Original, Soothing Aloe, and Skin Conditioner, and added Pacific Rush. A sub-brand was then launched, called Barbasol Ultra. The Sensitive Skin and Extra Protection varieties that used to be in the classic line were reborn into this sub-brand and two additional varieties, Extra Moisturizing and Therapeutic, were introduced.
A non-aerosol cream that simulated the original product was created in 2003, but was reformulated to the Barbasol Non-Aerosol Therapeutic Shave Cream in 2006 (Pfizer also had a similar simulation of the original Barbasol cream, but discontinued it in 1999).
Several aftershave
products have also been introduced under the Barbasol brand name.
The company also used several famous spokesmen throughout the years, notably star baseball players Babe Ruth
and Rogers Hornsby
, as well as football legend Knute Rockne
.
In 1938, Barbasol sponsored a car in the Indianapolis 500
, and painted it to look like a tube of the cream. Driven by George Bailey
, the car made it to lap 166 of 200 before suffering clutch problems. The following year, the Barbasol car finished in tenth place. The team got involved as a sponsor the NASCAR
Busch Series
in the late 1990s, sponsoring Akins Motorsports
and drivers Glenn Allen, Jr.
and Elton Sawyer
.
The tagline throughout this time was “No brush, no lather, no rub in.”
figures in Barbasol’s history was Singin’ Sam the Barbasol Man
, whose real name Harry Frankel.
Frankel got his start as a vaudevillian
, and eventually became the spokesperson for a lawnmower company and began broadcasting out of Cincinnati
. The Barbasol Company soon heard him and, in 1931, signed him on as Singin’ Sam the Barbasol Man, where he made famous the old Barbasol jingle
, “Barbasol, Barbasol ... No brush, no lather, no rub-in ... Wet your razor
, then begin."
Recently, the "close shave" double entendre has been replaced with the more patriotic tagline "Close Shave America, Close Shave Barbasol." (This can be heard, for example, on the Fred Thompson Show radio podcast). The related advertising relies less on tongue-in-cheek humor and associates the brand more with a warm, homey feeling.
Barbasol Ultra uses the tagline “Take your face to Ultra.”
", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
", and "Evan Almighty
".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
brand of shaving cream
Shaving cream
Shaving cream is a substance that is applied to the face or wherever else hair grows, to provide lubrication and avoid razor burn during shaving. Shaving cream is often bought in a spray can, but can also be purchased in tubs or tubes. Shaving cream in a can is commonly dispensed as a foam or a gel...
, body wash, and aftershave
Aftershave
Aftershave describes a lotion, gel, balm, powder, or liquid used mainly by men after they have finished shaving. It may contain an antiseptic agent such as denatured alcohol or stearate citrate to prevent infection of cuts...
, founded in 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. It is currently owned by Perio, Inc.
The Invention of Barbasol
Unsatisfied with traditional shaving methods, MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
Professor Frank Shields set out to create a product that would provide for a less irritating shave. In 1919, he succeeded with the invention of Barbasol – a shaving cream that did not have to be worked into a lather. He named it Barbasol from the combination of two words: the Roman word barba (meaning beard) and “solution.” The original formula was a thick lotion, unlike the aerosol foams common today and is most closely related to the Barbasol Non-Aerosol Therapeutic Shave Cream.
Before long, the Barbasol Company, created in December 1920, was churning out 30-40 dozen tubes of shaving cream per day out of its small Indianapolis headquarters.
Napco Corporation
Barbasol was first manufactured under the Napco Corporation name, a company Frank Shields started before inventing Barbasol. After the shaving cream sales increased, they outgrew Napco and The Barbasol Company was created.The Barbasol Company
After it quickly outgrew Napco, Frank Shields established The Barbasol Company in 1920, which owned the brand for 42 years. In the mid-1950s, aerosolAerosol
Technically, an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas. Examples are clouds, and air pollution such as smog and smoke. In general conversation, aerosol usually refers to an aerosol spray can or the output of such a can...
cans were introduced, and the Barbasol Company changed the formula from the thick cream in a tube to the soft, fluffy foam familiar in the aerosol cans today. The can design mimicked a barber's pole
Barber's pole
A barber's pole is a type of sign used by barbers to signify the place or shop where they perform their craft. The trade sign is, by a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, a staff or pole with a helix of colored stripes...
, and is still the trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
design used today.
Pfizer
In 1962, PfizerPfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
bought The Barbasol Company and brought Barbasol in the portfolio. During this time, they developed many additional versions of Barbasol to complement the original formulation, including Soothing Aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
, Skin Conditioner, Sensitive Skin, Extra Protection, Cool Menthol
Menthol
Menthol is an organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils. It is a waxy, crystalline substance, clear or white in color, which is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above. The main form of menthol occurring in nature is -menthol, which is assigned...
and Lemon Lime.
As gels became popular, Pfizer created gel versions of Barbasol in the Original, Soothing Aloe, Sensitive Skin, and Extra Protection varieties.
In the 1980s, Pfizer made Barbasol Glide Stick, a deodorant.
By the 1990s, Barbasol brand equity
Brand equity
Brand equity is the marketing effects and outcomes that accrue to a product with its brand name compared with those that would accrue if the same product did not have the brand name. Fact of the well-known brand name is that, the company can sometimes charge premium prices from the consumer . And,...
had diminished. Sales had slowed. Pfizer, primarily a pharmaceutical company
Pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to deal in generic and/or brand medications and medical devices...
, looked to sell the brand.
Perio, Inc.
Perio bought the Barbasol brand from Pfizer in 2001 and has since been attempting to revitalize it.Perio consolidated the Barbasol line to Original, Soothing Aloe, and Skin Conditioner, and added Pacific Rush. A sub-brand was then launched, called Barbasol Ultra. The Sensitive Skin and Extra Protection varieties that used to be in the classic line were reborn into this sub-brand and two additional varieties, Extra Moisturizing and Therapeutic, were introduced.
A non-aerosol cream that simulated the original product was created in 2003, but was reformulated to the Barbasol Non-Aerosol Therapeutic Shave Cream in 2006 (Pfizer also had a similar simulation of the original Barbasol cream, but discontinued it in 1999).
Several aftershave
Aftershave
Aftershave describes a lotion, gel, balm, powder, or liquid used mainly by men after they have finished shaving. It may contain an antiseptic agent such as denatured alcohol or stearate citrate to prevent infection of cuts...
products have also been introduced under the Barbasol brand name.
Early Advertising
Barbasol became a very popular shaving cream. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, many print advertisements were used to support its growth. Many of the print ads featured men and women in situations that would be considered risqué for their time.The company also used several famous spokesmen throughout the years, notably star baseball players Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
and Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
, as well as football legend Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
.
In 1938, Barbasol sponsored a car in the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, and painted it to look like a tube of the cream. Driven by George Bailey
George Bailey (driver)
George Bailey was an American racecar driver active in the 1930s. He was killed in a crash during practice for the 1940 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:...
, the car made it to lap 166 of 200 before suffering clutch problems. The following year, the Barbasol car finished in tenth place. The team got involved as a sponsor the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
in the late 1990s, sponsoring Akins Motorsports
Akins Motorsports
Akins Motorsports was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team was formed in 1993 by at the time owned by Brad Akins and Bob Sutton. At the time the team was sold to Braun Racing it was owned by Doug Stringer....
and drivers Glenn Allen, Jr.
Glenn Allen, Jr.
Glenn Allen, Jr. is the co-owner of Allen-Hock Motorsports, an American Speed Association team. He is a former auto racer, participating in both the ASA and the NASCAR Busch Series during his career, and earning the 1996 NBS Rookie of the Year award.-Busch Series:Allen participated in two Busch...
and Elton Sawyer
Elton Sawyer
Elton Sawyer , is a long-time NASCAR driver. He is married to former NASCAR driver Patty Moise. Recently, Sawyer has been a driver coach for the Red Bull Racing Team.-Beginnings:...
.
The tagline throughout this time was “No brush, no lather, no rub in.”
Singin’ Sam, the Barbasol Man
One of the most nostalgicNostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
figures in Barbasol’s history was Singin’ Sam the Barbasol Man
Singin' Sam
Singin’ Sam aka Harry Frankel was a minstrel performer, vaudevillian and popular personality during the early days of radio...
, whose real name Harry Frankel.
Frankel got his start as a vaudevillian
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, and eventually became the spokesperson for a lawnmower company and began broadcasting out of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. The Barbasol Company soon heard him and, in 1931, signed him on as Singin’ Sam the Barbasol Man, where he made famous the old Barbasol jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
, “Barbasol, Barbasol ... No brush, no lather, no rub-in ... Wet your razor
Razor
A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of unwanted body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, disposable razors and electric razors....
, then begin."
Recent Advertising
Barbasol’s recent advertising is hardly as suggestive as its 1920s counterparts. Many television ads from 2001 to 2009 have featured a close-call situation, followed by one person saying “Close shave!” and another person responding with “Better buy Barbasol!”Recently, the "close shave" double entendre has been replaced with the more patriotic tagline "Close Shave America, Close Shave Barbasol." (This can be heard, for example, on the Fred Thompson Show radio podcast). The related advertising relies less on tongue-in-cheek humor and associates the brand more with a warm, homey feeling.
Barbasol Ultra uses the tagline “Take your face to Ultra.”
American Icon
Barbasol's longevity in the American marketplace has made it an unmistakable icon for shaving. It is often the representative for a can of shaving cream, simply for its recognizable packaging, and can be seen in such movies as "Jurassic ParkJurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a 1982 comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Rachel Ward. It is both a parody of, and an homage to, film noir and the pulp detective movies of the 1940s....
", and "Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty is a 2007 American religious comedy film and the stand-alone sequel to Bruce Almighty . The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, and starring Steve Carell as the title character. Morgan Freeman also reprised his role as God from the original film. Production of...
".
- In the 1950s1950sThe 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
musicalMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Guys and Dolls, the character Benny Southstreet sings, "When a lazy slob takes a goody steady job, And he smells from VitalisVitalisVitalis may refer to:* Saint Vitalis* Vitalis of Farfa, abbot circa 889...
and Barbasol..." as a metaphor for a man cleaning himself up to retain a woman's affections.
- In the 1998 musical satire, Reefer Madness (musical)Reefer Madness (musical)Reefer Madness is a musical satire of the 1936 cult classic Reefer Madness that opened in Los Angeles in 1998. The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy and the music by Dan Studney. Directed by Andy Fickman, it was initially shown at the Hudson Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los...
, the character Mr. Poppy sings, "Sometimes men would come to call who stank of sin and Barbasol, they'd ask kids if they felt at all like having themselves a few kicks!" in reference to the product's popularity during the 1930's, in which the show is set.
- The 2008 American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
winner David CookDavid Cook (singer)David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...
's second single is titled "Bar-ba-solBar-ba-sol"Bar-ba-sol" was the third official single released from American Idol season 7 winner David Cook's major label debut studio album, David Cook...
"
- The webcomic Homestuck features Barbasol as the hero's father's brand of choice. In the comic it is commonly used unsuccessfully as a weapon and successfully to put out fires. However, it is seen to be explosive in large quantities.
North American Distribution
Barbasol is distributed throughout North America.| Country | Distributor |
|---|---|
| Canada | Today's Concepts |
| Mexico | Global Tradings, S.A. de C.V. |
| USA | Perio, Inc. (owner) |