Growing up in India, my first purchase of Brylcreem felt like a graduation.
Until that moment, hair grooming meant one thing: coconut oil. It was effective and omnipresent, but in the eyes of a young professional starting work, it felt old-fashioned. Brylcreem, in its bright red container, was the certificate of modernity. It promised "smartness" without the oil.
I always assumed it was a Reckitt Benckiser product—it had that British, reliable feel of Dettol. In reality, the brand has passed through many hands: from the original Beecham group to Godrej (under a Sara Lee joint venture) and finally to Unilever (HUL) today.
When I moved to the US, the red tub vanished from the shelves. It became an import item I had to hunt for on Amazon, shipped from the UK. But on my recent trips back to India, I noticed something that shouldn't be happening.
The Contradiction
Logically, Brylcreem should be dead.
Walk into a pharmacy in India today, and you see a war zone of specialization.
On one side, you have the Mass-Market Heavyweights like Set Wet (Marico), dominating the "cool" youth market with hard gels.
On the other, you have Modern Disruptors like Beardo and UrbanGabru, selling matte clays and sulfate-free waxes to men who want "barber-shop quality."
Brylcreem isn't "cool" like a gel, and it isn't "premium" like a clay. In the age of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) hyper-targeting, a generic "hair cream" should have been squeezed out of the market entirely.
The Shift: The Power of the Safe Middle
Brylcreem survives not because it competes with these extremes, but because it refuses to.
It has positioned itself as the Safe Middle Ground.
- Oil is too messy for the modern office.
- Gels are too stiff and "crispy" for a mature professional.
- Clays are often too expensive or complex for a simple daily routine.
Brylcreem remains the only viable option for the man who wants to look groomed but not "styled." It is the neutral territory of hair products—safe, reliable, and requiring zero learning curve.
Real-World Application
I recently looked for Parachute Men's Cream—a product I buy easily on Amazon in the US—but couldn't find it in Indian stores. Even the massive "oil giants" struggle to capture this middle ground.
The lesson here isn't just about hair. It's about product strategy. We often chase the extreme ends of innovation—the newest tech, the hardest hold, the matte-est finish. We forget that a massive chunk of the market just wants a slight upgrade from "messy" without the commitment of "perfect."
The boring product that refuses to die because it simply works? I'd love to hear your examples in the comments.
Sources: Market data regarding HUL portfolio and competitor landscape (Set Wet, Beardo) verified via public listings 2024-2025.
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