Old Spice
An American men's grooming brand known for fragrances, deodorants, body washes, antiperspirants, and humorous advertising.
Last updated October 7, 2026
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Overview
Old Spice is an American men's personal-care brand manufactured by Procter & Gamble. It began in 1937 when William Lightfoot Schultz launched the Early American Old Spice line through his Shulton toiletries company. The first product was a women's fragrance inspired by colonial American themes, historical objects, and the scent of Schultz's mother's potpourri. A men's version followed in 1938, establishing the Old Spice name in fragrance and aftershave. The brand's early identity was closely tied to maritime imagery. Its pottery and glass bottles used illustrations of ships and sailing vessels, while the fragrance combined citrus, spice, floral, amber, vanilla, and musk notes. The packaging and scent helped Old Spice occupy a distinctive position in the American men's fragrance market. During the 1970s, the business moved beyond its original shaving orientation and developed signature fragrances such as Old Spice Burley. Shulton became a subsidiary of American Cyanamid in 1970. Procter & Gamble acquired the Old Spice brand from American Cyanamid in June 1990 and subsequently modernized parts of the packaging and broadened the product range. During the 1990s and 2000s, the brand moved progressively into deodorants, antiperspirants, body sprays, soaps, and shower gels. The original fragrance was repackaged as Classic Scent in 2008, and the brand introduced OS Signature fragrance in 2006. In 2014, it entered men's hair care with shampoos, two-in-one products, and styling products. Old Spice's modern reputation was shaped especially by advertising. Earlier campaigns used the slogan “The Mark of a Man” and a recurring whistle melody. In 2010, Wieden+Kennedy created “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” featuring Isaiah Mustafa. Its fast-paced humor, direct address, surreal visuals, and digital follow-up videos made Old Spice a prominent example of viral advertising. The subsequent Response Campaign produced 186 short videos over two and a half days, with Mustafa responding to fans and public figures. Later campaigns introduced additional characters and product platforms, including Fabio Lanzoni, Terry Crews, the Legendary Man, Deon Cole, and the “Smellcome to Manhood” campaign. Today, Old Spice spans deodorants and antiperspirants, body washes, body sprays, fragrances, aftershaves, soaps, shaving products, shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. It is generally positioned as an accessible mass-market men's grooming brand, combining recognizable heritage packaging and scents with bold, comedic, youth-oriented marketing. Its products and campaigns have appeared across multiple markets, and the brand remains part of Procter & Gamble's global personal-care portfolio.
History
Old Spice originated in 1937 within Shulton Inc., the soap and toiletries company founded by William Lightfoot Schultz. Schultz became interested in colonial American design after encountering the popularity of Colonial Williamsburg-inspired furnishings. He developed an Early American-themed cosmetics line, drawing packaging inspiration from historical objects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and fragrance inspiration from his mother's potpourri. The first product, Early American Old Spice, was a women's fragrance released in 1937 and received sufficiently well to support a men's counterpart in 1938. The men's fragrance established the brand's long-term identity. Perfumer Bert Hauck of Dodge & Olcott adapted the earlier scent into a spicy amber composition with prominent citrus, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, musk, and related floral and woody notes. Old Spice's bottles and boxes used nautical illustrations, including the Grand Turk and the Recovery Salem. Early bottles were white pottery made with the A.E. Hull Pottery Company and later shifted to glass developed by Wheaton Glass Company. The maritime designs connected the product with American merchant ships, naval vessels, and sailing culture. In the 1970s, Old Spice broadened its identity from shaving products toward a wider fragrance business, including scents such as Old Spice Burley. Shulton became an American Cyanamid subsidiary in 1970. Procter & Gamble acquired the brand in June 1990. Under P&G, the brand increasingly expanded into deodorants, antiperspirants, body washes, body sprays, soaps, and related grooming products. Packaging changed over time: the sailing imagery became more generic, glass bottles were later replaced by plastic, and the original scent was marketed as Classic Scent from 2008. OS Signature was introduced in 2006, and hair-care products arrived in 2014. Advertising has been central to Old Spice's development. A whistle-based sound identity has been used in varying forms since 1953, and British and Irish advertising in the late 1970s and 1980s used a surfer and the line “The Mark of a Man.” The brand's most influential modern campaign began in 2010 with Wieden+Kennedy's “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” starring Isaiah Mustafa. The commercial's surreal humor and direct-to-camera performance generated substantial online attention. The Response Campaign extended the idea through 186 personalized videos made over two and a half days. Subsequent work included a Fabio Lanzoni challenge, the 2013 Scratch 'N Sniff campaign for Wolfthorn, the 2014 “Smellcome to Manhood” work, the 2016 Legendary Man and Hardest Working Collection campaigns, and later campaigns featuring Deon Cole and other brand characters. Old Spice has also used sports marketing, including NFL-related campaigns and NASCAR sponsorships. Terry Crews featured in the interactive 2012 “Muscle Music” campaign. The brand has received extensive advertising-industry recognition, including Cannes Lions awards and a 2010 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for its flagship commercial. It continues to operate as a Procter & Gamble men's grooming brand across fragrances, deodorants, bathing, shaving, and hair care.
- 2016
Hardest Working Collection campaign
[1]The brand introduces the Legendary Man character and expands promotional work for the Hardest Working Collection.
- 2014
Expansion into hair care
[1]Old Spice launches shampoos, two-in-one products, and styling products for men.
- 2010
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
[1]The Isaiah Mustafa campaign becomes a major viral advertising success and reshapes the brand's public image.
- 2006
OS Signature launches
[1]Old Spice introduces the OS Signature fragrance.
- 1990
Procter & Gamble acquisition
[1]Procter & Gamble purchases the Old Spice brand from American Cyanamid.
- 1970
Shulton becomes an American Cyanamid subsidiary
[1]Shulton is acquired by American Cyanamid and operates as its subsidiary.
- 1953
Whistle sound identity begins
[1]The brand begins using variations of its recognizable whistle jingle in advertising.
- 1938
Men's Old Spice fragrance follows
[1]A men's variation establishes Old Spice as a men's fragrance and grooming name.
- 1937
Early American Old Spice launches
[1]Shulton Inc. launches the first Early American Old Spice fragrance as a women's product, inspired by colonial American themes.
Products and positioning
Accessible mass-market men's grooming with heritage fragrance cues, recognizable maritime packaging, and humorous, highly theatrical advertising.
Fragrance and aftershave · 1938
Old Spice Original Scent
The heritage men's fragrance descended from the original 1938 men's product. It is commonly characterized as a spicy amber scent with citrus top notes, spice and floral elements in the middle, and vanilla, musk, amber, and woody notes in the base. It has been sold in cologne and aftershave formats and is associated with the brand's traditional maritime packaging.
Fragrance and shower products · 2008
Old Spice Classic Scent
A later presentation of the original Old Spice identity. Beginning in 2008, the original scent was repackaged under the Classic Scent name in aftershave and cologne versions, with related shower products using the same heritage positioning.
Deodorant and antiperspirant
Old Spice deodorants and antiperspirants
A broad range of underarm products that helped move Old Spice beyond its historical fragrance and shaving base. The line includes multiple scents and formats, including stick and spray-style products, and is one of the brand's principal modern categories.
Bath and body care
Old Spice body wash
Men's cleansing products introduced as part of the brand's expansion during the 2000s. Body washes are offered in multiple fragrance families and are marketed alongside deodorants, body sprays, and other daily grooming products.
Hair care · 2014
Old Spice hair care
Products introduced in 2014 that include shampoos, two-in-one shampoo and conditioners, and styling products. This range extended Old Spice's grooming proposition from body and fragrance care into routine men's hair care.
Controversies
2021
P&G recalls aerosol dry shampoo and conditioner products over benzene
The Procter & Gamble Company announced a voluntary consumer-level recall of specified aerosol dry conditioner and dry shampoo products from Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences, Waterless, Old Spice, and Hair Food after benzene was detected in some products. The company said the benzene came from the propellant and offered reimbursement for eligible products.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Smell Like a Man, Man anniversary revival
United States · Digital
Old Spice revisited its 2010 viral campaign concept with Wieden+Kennedy to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the original commercial.
Outcome. The revival connected a newer campaign cycle with the brand's most recognizable modern advertising property.
- 2014Smellcome to Manhood
United States
The campaign used the “Momsong” commercial and comic storytelling to frame men's grooming as a transition into adulthood.
Outcome. The campaign won a Cannes Lions Gold award for Creative Effectiveness in 2016.
- 2013Scratch 'N Sniff
United States · Digital
A Wieden+Kennedy banner campaign promoting Wolfthorn invited users to request a mailed, sniffable version of the advertising experience.
Outcome. The execution translated online advertising into a physical scent sample.
- 2012Muscle Music
United States · Digital
Terry Crews appeared in an interactive video in which viewers could create music through instruments linked to movements of his muscles.
Outcome. The campaign reinforced Old Spice's comic physicality and digital experimentation.
- 2010The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
United States
Wieden+Kennedy created a surreal, fast-moving commercial featuring Isaiah Mustafa speaking directly to viewers. The campaign repositioned Old Spice through humor, theatrical production, and a memorable male character.
Outcome. The commercial became a major viral advertising success and won significant creative-industry recognition.
- 2010The Response Campaign
United States · Digital
Isaiah Mustafa responded to fans, celebrities, and online prompts in a rapid series of personalized videos. The campaign produced 186 videos over approximately two and a half days.
Outcome. It extended the original commercial's online momentum and became a prominent example of interactive social-media advertising.
Brand decisions
2016
Change Original After Shave scentOtherBackground
A customer questioned a perceived change to the fragrance formula.
Action taken
Old Spice stated that the Original After Shave scent had been changed to comply with new regulations.
Aftermath
The regulatory explanation was provided in a brand response; no further financial impact is documented in the supplied material.
2014
Enter men's hair careProduct launchBackground
Old Spice had expanded from fragrance and shaving into deodorant, body wash, and body spray categories.
Action taken
The brand introduced shampoos, two-in-one shampoo and conditioners, and styling products.
Aftermath
The move broadened Old Spice's role as a full men's grooming brand.
1990
Acquire the Old Spice brandM&ABackground
Old Spice was part of American Cyanamid after Shulton's 1970 transition into that corporate structure.
Action taken
Procter & Gamble purchased the Old Spice brand in June 1990.
Aftermath
The acquisition placed Old Spice within P&G's global personal-care portfolio and was followed by packaging and category changes.
Recent events
Reported
P&G recalls aerosol dry shampoo and conditioner products over benzene[3]
The Procter & Gamble Company announced a voluntary consumer-level recall of specified aerosol dry conditioner and dry shampoo products from Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences, Waterless, Old Spice, and Hair Food after benzene was detected in some products. The company said the benzene came from the propellant and offered reimbursement for eligible products.
Sources5 sources
- 1Old Spiceen.wikipedia.org
- 2Old Spice official websiteoldspice.com
- 3P&G recalls aerosol dry shampoo and conditioner products over benzeneturnto23.com
- 4P&G recalls over 30 aerosol spray products due to benzenefoxbusiness.com
- 5Procter and Gamble hair products recalled due to presence of carcinogenphillyvoice.com
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