Ursa Major is luxury clean beauty brand based out of Vermont that transcends age, gender and accessibility. I’ve tried their entire line and these are the four products that stood out to me. Say hello to my Ursa Major must-tries!
By: Lisa Fennessy
Thank you to Ursa Major for sponsoring this post.
Some of you may remember we dabbled in a little 21 day RV trip this summer. Now that all is said and done, I don’t particularly recommend a 21 day RV trip as an inaugural RV trip. Maybe start out with a 3 day-er or a long weekend…or a drive to a friend’s house, lol.
After 5 trips to the hospital, a black snake under the RV, a flat-tire and getting stuck in a severe tropical storm…I wouldn’t say it was the IDEAL vacation.
Also, I wasn’t prepared with ½ of what I really needed. I didn’t bring a broom, a grill, chairs, my bike or enough s’mores—all rookie mistakes to say the least.
But there was one thing I did come prepared with. You guessed it….SKINCARE!
Ursa Major Skincare
Ursa Major sent me their skincare line over the summer and I was excited to put it to the test. I was first attracted to this brand because they transcend age, gender and skin types while maintaining an accessible price point.
I mean who makes a deodorant that I can honestly say is a good match for me, my husband and my son? Ursa Major does!
We see luxury illustrated via formulation, packaging and branding, convenience via go-to’s for the world of adventure and outdoor living and accessibility via size, price and it’s appeal across age and gender.
This was fully proven to me on day four into our RV trip when my husband leaned over while he was driving and goes, “Hey. You got any more of those face wipes?” And I was like, *head spins around six times* “Why, YES! Yes I do!”
But Ursa Major isn’t just another pretty face. They are also B Corp Certified. B Corps are mission-driven companies that go above and beyond profit to use business as a force for good.
It’s the gold standard for corporate and social responsibility and this certification assesses everything from a company’s workers, suppliers, community and environmental impact.
In addition to this, Ursa Major is committed to always taking the high road and never settling when it comes to ingredients, performance and standards.
Ursa Major is based out of Vermont where founders, and partners in life, Oliver Sweatman and Emily Doyle relocated to live a healthier, more balanced lifestyle closer to family and the great outdoors.
This move also inspired the brand name Ursa Major which is the largest visible constellation in the northern sky. Ursa Major encourages everyone to find their true north which “is not a place but a feeling.”
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My Favorite Ursa Major Products
So after trying this line over the summer I am excited to share my faves here. These are the Ursa Major products I liked best.
1. Essential Face Wipes
Let’s cut to the chase..or should I say face—lol. Face wipes in general are CLUTCH. I’m talking gym bags, car consoles, travel, airplanes, camping, purses, kids’ faces…the works. And maybe you are thinking, yeah, like “for the next time I get on a plane” #covidlife but I’d like to argue that face wipes are even more clutch now.
We’ve all skipped our skincare routine over the past few months—DON’T LIE! I mean if I have, I know you have. Ursa Major face wipes to the rescue y’all!
It’s hard to find a face wipe that doesn’t strip your skin or have questionable ingredients in it. Ursa Major hits all those marks and more. Not only do they cleanse, they are also formulated with aloe to soothe and hydrate, antioxidant-rich green tea, willow bark to gently exfoliate and birch sap to reduce the appearance of redness and uneven skin tone.
These wipes are pretty much everything – however one thing they are not are makeup removers. Best to remove makeup with a makeup remover (I recommend double cleansing) and reserve wipes for that quick reboot.
Did I mention these are made from bamboo? Well, they are. I mean the fact that my (non-skincare centered) husband asked for one of these out of the blue on our road trip says it all! A must-have!
Try Ursa Major Face Wipes here!
2. Sublime Sage Deodorant Spray
NBD, just a spray deodorant that actually works. I was really skeptical about trying this formula but then I did and it worked and I was like WAAAAAAA??
This formula uses plants, minerals and enzymes to keep pits funk-free. Like the entire Ursa Major line, it’s also vegan, gluten-free and cruelty-free too.
So many upsides to this spray deodorant. It’s great for kids and pre-teens as a “first deodorant” because it’s easy to apply and it bypasses any risk of baking soda rash. It’s great for people with armpit hair because it bypasses any product clumping. And it’s also fantastic for tank tops, black t-shirts and all of your LBDs because let’s face it, white deodorant lines down your clothing is so OUT.
The scent profile here is sage, geranium, sandalwood and lemon myrtle but mostly it registers as lemongrass to me.
Try Sublime Sage Deodorant Spray here!
RELATED: 3 Organic Deodorants To Try in 2020
3. Brighten Up Vitamin C Serum
This vitamin c treatment stands out from the rest because I would actually classify this as a light cream. It pumps out a very light yellow opaque serum/cream and smells of oranges. Ursa Major even suggests the possibility of using this as a serum-and-moisturizer-in-one as a last layer in your routine.
Brighten Up provides instant hydration, works to brighten overall skin tone and combat free radical damage. Some vitamin c (the cheaper ones) are unstable and start to degrade the moment they are poured. Ursa Major, however, doubles up and uses Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, a stable form of vitamin c, as well as vitamin c-rich Rose Hip to deliver that 1-2 vitamin c punch.
I have normal to dry skin and I personally prefer using Brighten Up as a traditional serum and layering my moisturizer over it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, everyone needs a vitamin c treatment in their skincare routine.
At $54 for 1 fl oz Brighten Up is a great place to start.
4. Golden Hour Recovery Cream
If you’ve been looking for a face cream, look no further than Ursa Major’s Golden Hour Recovery Cream. This is a light yellow cream that is rich, creamy and moisturizing yet it sits light and unassuming on the skin. A classic Goldilocks product if you will; not too light, not too heavy but just right.
Great as a last layer both day and night, year-round and for all skin types. This formula is designed to hydrate without the heaviness with sunflower seed oil, combat signs of aging via sea buckthorn, reduce the appearance of redness with rose, soothe via sandalwood + calendula and replenish with black currant. The scent is a barely-there hint of neroli and sandalwood.
I have normal to dry skin and I personally like it as a last layer over my face oil for that extra boost.
Love that this cream is less than $50 too.
Have you tried Ursa Major? What do you love?
Photos by Monkey + Squirrel
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