Hai Karate Cologne: When Did Its Production End?

Hai Karate was a men's cologne and aftershave sold in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1960s to the 1980s. It was originally developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer and launched in 1967. The fragrance was marketed with humorous television and magazine ads, which included self-defence instructions to help wearers fend off women. Although it was discontinued, it was reintroduced in the UK in 2014 and again in 2021.

Hai Karate was sold from the 1960s to the 1980s

The scent was a citrus aromatic fragrance for men, with top notes of lavender, bergamot, lemon, rosemary, and anise; middle notes of geranium, fern, carnation, cinnamon, cedar, and heliotrope; and base notes of oakmoss, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, and musk. It was priced higher than similar products such as Old Spice and Aqua Velva, but lower than English Leather and Jade East.

Hai Karate was known for its humorous advertising campaigns, which included self-defence instructions to help wearers "fend off women". The marketing plan was developed by George Newall at the advertising firm McCaffrey & McCall, and played on the male fantasy of a world where women find them irresistible. The advertisements featured a stereotypical nerd who, after applying Hai Karate, is seduced by a female passer-by. This concept was used in both television and magazine advertisements, and the tagline "Be careful how you use it" became synonymous with the brand.

At the height of its popularity, Hai Karate was selling over $200 million in product per year. The fragrance has since attained cult status, largely due to its memorable advertising campaigns. Although it was discontinued after the 1980s, it was reintroduced in the UK in 2014 and again in 2021, this time by Beauty Clear.

It was a budget aftershave and cologne

Hai Karate was a budget aftershave and cologne for men. It was originally developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer and launched in 1967. It was sold in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1960s to the 1980s.

The fragrance was priced higher than Old Spice, Aqua Velva, and Mennen Skin Bracer, but lower than Jade East and English Leather. It was marketed with the catchphrase "Be careful how you use it", and was known for its humorous television and magazine ads, which included self-defence instructions to help wearers "fend off women".

In addition to the original fragrance, there were also Oriental Lime and Oriental Spice versions, and possibly Musk and Iced Hai. It was relaunched in the UK in 2014, following the brand's original formulation but with different packaging. It was relaunched again in 2021.

Hai Karate was a successful competitor to other brands such as Aqua Velva, Old Spice, Jaguar, English Leather, British Sterling, Dante, and Brut, largely due to its advertising and marketing. At the height of its popularity, Hai Karate was selling over $200 million in product a year.

It was originally developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer

Hai Karate was originally developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer and launched in 1967. It was a budget aftershave and cologne for men that was sold in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1960s to the 1980s. It was priced higher than Old Spice, Aqua Velva, and Mennen Skin Bracer, but lower than Jade East and English Leather.

The fragrance was developed by Pfizer's Leeming division and released with the tagline "Be careful how you use it." The cologne was marketed with humorous television and magazine advertisements that played on the idea of a “male fantasy of a world where women find them irresistible.” The advertisements featured self-defence instructions to help wearers "fend off women." Each bottle came with a self-defence instruction booklet, and the commercials and print ads included the catchphrase "Be careful how you use it."

In the UK, the commercials featured a stereotypical nerd who, after applying Hai Karate, is seduced by a female passer-by played by Valerie Leon. Similar ads ran in the US as well. Leon parodied her Hai Karate ad campaign role in The Goodies episode "It Might as Well Be String" by attacking Tim Brooke-Taylor.

In addition to the original fragrance, other scents were introduced, including Oriental Lime and Oriental Spice, and possibly Musk and Iced Hai. Hai Karate competed successfully with other brands such as Aqua Velva, Old Spice, Jaguar, English Leather, British Sterling, Dante, and Brut, largely due to its innovative advertising and marketing campaigns. At the height of its popularity, Hai Karate was selling over $200 million worth of products per year.

It was relaunched in the UK in 2014 and 2021

Hai Karate was a men's cologne and aftershave range sold in the United Kingdom and the United States from the 1960s to the 1980s. The fragrance was originally developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer and launched in 1967. It was priced competitively with other fragrances on the market at the time, such as Old Spice and Aqua Velva.

The product was known for its humorous advertising, which included self-defence instructions to help wearers "fend off women". The marketing plan was developed at the advertising firm of McCaffrey & McCall by George Newall, who later gained fame as a co-producer and songwriter for Schoolhouse Rock! The advertisements were considered humorous as they played to a “male fantasy of a world where women find them irresistible”.

In 2014, Healthpoint Ltd. relaunched Hai Karate in the UK, following the brand's original formulation but using different packaging. The cologne was relaunched again in 2021 in the UK and the EU by Beauty Clear.

It is a citrus aromatic fragrance

Hai Karate is a citrus aromatic fragrance for men. It was launched in 1967 by the Leeming division of Pfizer with the catchphrase "Be careful how you use it". The fragrance was sold in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1960s to the 1980s and was priced higher than Old Spice, Aqua Velva, and Mennen Skin Bracer.

The top notes of Hai Karate include lavender, bergamot, lemon, rosemary, and anise. These initial scents give way to middle notes of geranium, fern, carnation, cinnamon, cedar, and heliotrope. The base notes of oakmoss, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, and musk round out the fragrance, creating a lasting impression.

Hai Karate was known for its humorous television and magazine advertisements, which included self-defense instructions to help wearers "fend off women". The marketing campaign played to the "male fantasy of a world where women find them irresistible". From 1969 to 1976, Bond girl Valerie Leon starred in a highly successful series of British commercials for the product, playing a woman driven wild by a man wearing Hai Karate aftershave.

The fragrance has since been discontinued, but it has achieved cult status due to its memorable advertising campaign.

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