Cosmopolitan Australia has been axed, with owner Bauer Media announcing on Tuesday that the December edition will be the magazine’s last.

Bauer Media ANZ chief executive Paul Dykzeul said the decision to stop printing the magazine, once considered a pioneering publication for women, had been difficult.

“However, the commercial viability of the magazine in Australia is no longer sustainable,” he said.

“We are incredibly proud of the brand and the people who have been involved and represented over the last 45 years. It has helped to launch the careers of media personalities, supported great brands and causes, and inspired millions of young women across the country.”

Cosmo started in the US in 1886, initially publishing mostly fiction.

In the 1960s, edited by feminist Helen Gurley Brown, it became aimed at modern, single women. Under Brown, the magazine developed a reputation for bravely tackling all kinds of topics, from dating and sex to how to get ahead at work.

In 1972, Brown famously introduced the Cosmo centrefold after convincing the actor Burt Reynolds to pose nude. The idea was copied in Australia, with actor Jack Thompson featuring in his own centre spread – but for rival Cleo, then edited by Ita Buttrose.

Cleo, which also came to be owned by Bauer, was axed in 2016.

Cosmo has lost key staff this year, including the previous editor, Keshni Kemp, who went to competitor Pacific Magazines in March. Bauer’s digital managing editor of features, Lorna Gray, was named as Kemp’s replacement in July.

Mumbrella said it had asked Bauer Media about Cosmo‘s future several times in recent months, but plans to close were always denied.

Earlier this year, Bauer Media restructured its digital team, and centralised other magazine titles, including Woman’s Day, OK Magazine and NW. According to website Mumbrella, 11 jobs were axed as part of the process.

The company has also extended its TV Week brand to include a monthly features edition, and did the same for Take 5.

It launched a new Women’s Weekly food website, and acquired Inside Out, Country Style and HomeLife from News Corp.