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News March 26, 2018

Bacon-Scented Conditioner, Cheesy Shampoo, Promote Breakfast Sandwich

By  Christopher Ruvo

Everything might not be better with bacon after all.

Case-in-point: We suspect bacon-scented conditioner is probably not the next hottest trend in the haircare market.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a clever promotional product – which, kind of incredibly, it is.

Einstein Bros. Bagels, a bagel chain with more than 700 locations, recently released a limited edition run of “Wakin’ Bacon Conditioner” and “Cheesy Shampoo.” As the names imply, the conditioner is supposed to smell like bacon and the shampoo is intended to exude the aroma of egg-and-cheese. Einstein Bros. launched the line, which has already sold out, to promote a breakfast sandwich.

Source: Einstein Noah Restaurant Group

“What better way to start the day than with the delicious aroma of the new Cheesy Wakin' Bacon sandwich from Einstein Bros. Bagels?" Kerry Coyne, Einstein Bros. Bagels SVP of marketing, product, and innovation, asked rhetorically in a press release. "This is the ultimate breakfast apéritif – now our fans can shower themselves with mouth-watering scents, leaving them looking as incredible as they smell edible, all day long."

Haha, okay Kerry.

We weren’t able to get our hands on the shampoo and conditioner, but the rascals over at Mashable did. They didn’t seem too impressed. Wrote Mashable’s Ryan Thaxton: “After a smell test, we decided Cheesy Shampoo smells like the salt movie theaters use on their popcorn and Wakin' Bacon Conditioner smells like a generic candle covered in a half-inch layer of dust.”

Ouch.

Regardless, the novelty shampoo and conditioner worked as promotional items. The line sold out. Mashable wrote about it. And, there was some social media love. We say well done Einstein Bros., well done.