A shiny hair product made from oil and wax, used to make hair look glossy and well-groomed.
From 'brilliant' plus the diminutive suffix '-ine.' It was invented in the 19th century as a product name playing on the idea of creating brilliant (shiny) hair.
Brilliantine was absolutely essential for the slicked-back hairstyles of the early 1900s—barber shops smelled like the stuff, and men judged each other's grooming by how perfectly shiny their hair was.
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