News — Ursa Major

What ingredients are definitely not added to any of your products?

We always try to formulate as close to 100% natural as possible while avoiding synthetic chemicals that have a proven health risk - e.g. artificial fragrances and colors, ethanolamines, parabens, phthalates, PEG compounds, sulfates, silicones, and any other petrochemicals. 

What ingredients do you believe consumers should avoid and why?

Ingredients that have known or suspected human health risks (ingredients implicated in causing cancer, developmental issues, infertility, neurological complications, etc.), and ingredients that are considered to be environmental toxins (non-biodegradable substances like silicones, chemical sunscreens).

We have tried to outline a solid list of ingredient and ingredient types in our “Never List” above that we feel should be avoided, and may continue to expand or modify this list as more research is done on the health effects of cosmetic ingredients.

What has been the most exciting part of your journey creating this brand?

Seeing how consumers respond to our products and building our team here in Burlington, VT. How people feel in their skin every day really impacts their quality of life and that’s something we can help with. Some of the testimonials we get blow us away! It’s very rewarding.

If you could go back to the beginning of the creation of your brand what would you do differently?

After creating our initial batch of products, we shifted our attention to marketing, sales and operations by necessity. As a result we took our eye off the product development ball for a while, creating a lag in new product launches. Looking back, we should have kept the development effort active to keep the new products coming on strong.

What can we expect from your brand in the near future?

We have some fantastic new face care products launching in 2016 that we’re very excited about. Specifically we’re hoping to launch three new products by mid-year: lightweight daily lotion with sunblock, a super-hydrating face lotion or ‘recovery cream’ and a flash enzyme mask to brighten your complexion.

What sets you apart from your competitors?

We make beautiful, clean formulations that really work well while also delivering a delightful experience. That’s really hard to do without resorting to toxic synthetic chemicals, but it’s possible (and usually costs a bit more!). From a brand standpoint, we encourage folks to live an authentic, courageous life, what we call ‘living major’.