Hai-Karate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hai-Karate was a budget aftershave on sale in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1960s and the 1970s, and derives its notability from its position as an icon of nostalgia. It was famously used by teenagers as their first scent, competing with other market leaders Brut, Denim and Old Spice. As a unique marketing ploy, in the early days each bottle of Hai-Karate came with a small self-defense instruction booklet, to help wearers defend themselves against women.

Originally, it was from same stable as Burley, another aftershave at the time,and was maunactured by a company called Hulton. However, by the mid 80's, Hulton's demise hadled to the brand name being sold and reduced to nothing more than a cheap bottle of 'Stinky stuff', and other products such as soap were added to the line up. As it's new manufacturers operated at the budget end of the male grooming market, it's quality was just a pale pastiche of the original. Hai-Karate is also fondly remembered for its television adverts, which featured a stereotypical nerd covering himself in the substance and being seduced by a female passer-by played by Valerie Leon of Carry On films fame.

It's now one of those Iconic 70's brands, and featured in the BBC doccumentary 'I love the 70's'