Pomade vs. Brilliantine

Pomade

Pomade (; French pommade) is a greasy, waxy, or a water-based substance that is used to style hair. Pomade generally gives the user’s hair a shiny and slick appearance. It lasts longer than most hair care products, often requiring multiple washes to completely remove. The original pomade of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries consisted mainly of bear fat or lard. Lanolin, beeswax, and petroleum jelly have been used extensively in the manufacture of modern pomades. Stiffening properties of pomades make sculptured hairstyles such as the pompadour possible; while long lasting moisturizing properties make it popular with individuals with Afro-textured hair.

In perfumery, a pommade is a plant extract obtained by enfleurage.

Brilliantine

Brilliantine is a hair-grooming product intended to soften men’s hair, including beards and moustaches, and give it a glossy, well-groomed appearance. It was created at the turn of the 20th century by French perfumer Édouard Pinaud (a.k.a. Ed. Pinaud). In English-speaking markets Pinaud’s name is associated with the Clubman tradename in men’s toiletries. He presented a product he called Brillantine (from the French brillant meaning “brilliant”) at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. It consisted of a perfumed and colored oily liquid.

Brillantine was used as the French title for the film Grease in Quebec, Canada.