George “Beau” Brummell was a major influence on men’s fashion in the early 1800’s and beyond. According to Wikipedia, Brummell “established the mode of dress for men that rejected overly ornate fashions for one of understated, but perfectly fitted and tailored bespoke garments.” Now that attitude is being applied to men’s grooming with Beau Brummell For Men, the brand.
Beau Brummell The Man
Beau Brummell had an understated yet elegant manner of dress and is credited with introducing the modern men’s suit. His principles of harmony of shape and color contrast were so well respected that men of higher social status sought his opinion on their dress. His personal habits–such as his attention to cleanliness, including shaving–influenced the upper strata of British and European society, who started to emulate him.
Because Brummell became associated with style and good looks his name (though shortened by an “L”) was borrowed for a variety of products such as the “Beau Brummel Brown” paint color used for a 1931 Oldsmobile and a “Beau Brummel” watch by LeCoultre (with a minimalist design and no numbers on the watch face).
Beau Brummell The Brand
Beau Brummell for Men (the brand) is applying Beau Brummell’s (the man) concepts of rejecting the overly ornate in favor of understated-but-tailored into grooming. From their website:
In the spirit of Beau, Beau Brummell for Men is committed to improving the lives of men everywhere. It is our belief that with enough care and attention to detail, every man can look like a gentleman. All it takes is a simple skin care routine with quality products, to look better and, yes – feel better, too. Let Beau Brummell enhance your appearance now, as he did for men centuries ago.
I got a full set of products to try out.
Many of the Beau Brummell for Men products use activated charcoal. I knew of activated charcoal and its uses for treating toxic reactions but I didn’t know that much about its use in topical products until I did some research for this article. Now I’m surprised it hasn’t been used more widely. It does give some of the products kind of a funky color tint though. 🙂
Here is what they offer and my experiences with them:
Facial Scrub
This scrub uses crushed walnut shells and bamboo fibers instead of the typical “microbeads” which have caused concern because they can enter and pollute the water system. The texture is more coarse than other scrubs I have used–the size of the crushed walnut shells are comparatively large. I use this exfoliant once a week (at the most) to help turn over the top layer of skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles (yeah, I have to worry about that these days…). It also has caffeine and a little menthol to help my skin feel a little more refreshed though, frankly, I can barely detect the menthol–“menthol heads” will be disappointed. I follow their suggestion and put on a little of their moisturizer (see below) afterward to replace the moisture lost by scrubbing.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin. Juglans Mandshurica (Walnut) Shell Powder, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Chamomila Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Triethanolamine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Caffeine, Menthol, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Charcoal Powder (Activated Charcoal), Fragrance (Parfum), Tetrasodium EDTA, Limonene, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene, Carboxaldehyde, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
Facial Mask
Sharpologist recently had an article about facial masks and this product would fit right in. This particular mask’s texture is a little firmer than other masks I have used and goes on in a thinner layer. The instructions say to wait 7 to 10 minutes before rinsing but I found it took about 15 minutes to fully dry in my humid Texas weather. Still, not a bad drying time. But more importantly, the post-application improvement to my complexion is quite noticeable. This is another product you would use once a week at the most.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Koalin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Potato Starch Modified, Charcoal Powder (Activated Charcoal), Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Panthenol, Lavadula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Triethenolamine, Fragrance (Parfum), DMDM Hydantoin.
Face Wash
I’m a big believer in shave prep, eschewing pre-shave oils in favor of a good wash. A have a very few “favorite” shave prep washes (most notably MR GLO and Lucky Tiger) but this one will join that group–it works exceptionally well for me. I think it works really well at both cleaning and hydrating my face, without stripping off too much of the skin oil that’s needed for a good shave.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Ammonium Xylenesulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Diolate, Fragrance (Parfum), Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caffeine, Disodium EDTA, Charcoal Powder, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Citral, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone.
Shaving Brush
Easily the best value of the line. Although it is not the largest brush out there (3.75 inches total height; 1.75 inch handle but a 24mm knot) and uses a fairly average grade of badger hair it is well-built and has very little of the typical animal hair “funk” when it gets wet (and the “funk” disappeared completely for me after just a couple uses). This brush is easily competitive with brushes costing more than they’re asking for here.
Shave Cream
Mildly-scented with a Sandalwood-and-something-else note the Beau Brummell for Men shave cream is an excellent performer, right up there with the top-shelf British creams in my opinion. It lathers easily and luxuriously, as you might expect. The “cushion” aspect is exceptional. The post-shave feel is good.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Citral, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone , Hydroxyisohexyl 3 Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal
Facial Moisturizer
My first time using this balm had a couple of surprises for me. First, there’s a bit of a grey tinge to it instead of the typical pure white color of most products of this type. I imagine it’s due to the activated charcoal ingredient. Second, it had an exceptionally nice post-application “feel.” It’s kind of hard to describe–it made my skin feel smooth to the touch without the heavy texture of some other products that have the same feel to me. The over-all performance is very good.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, SD Alcohol 40B, Glycerine Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Urea, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, dimethicone, Silica, Panthenol, Allantoin, Dimenthiconol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Activated Charcoal, Caffeine, Benzophenone-4, Propylene Glycol, Chamomillia Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Trigonella Foenum-Graecum Fruit Extract, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Propolis Extract, Salvia Officinallis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Quercus Alba Bark Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Fragrance (Parfum), Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone.
The Bottom Line
Beau Brummell–the man–was all about rejecting the overly-ornate look and instead concentrating on a look that was both understated and tailored. He is often associated with the concept of dandyism–but most people don’t understand what dandyism really is. It’s not the foppish, overly-dressed look many people think, but rather it’s (quoting Wikipedia) “a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. A dandy was self-made and often strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle despite coming from a middle-class background….”
Beau Brummell for Men–the brand–is taking a similar approach with their men’s grooming products. Understated, with a limited (but acceptable) scent profile, while providing excellent performance for a competitive price. Try and use Beau Brummell for Men with confidence.
This post was sponsored by Beau Brummell for Men but my opinions are my own.
