Ursa Major

February 1, 2025
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The Brattleboro Food Co-op is a skincare paradise, a utopia of clean beauty, an Eden of exfoliation, a wonderland of wellness. And in this elevated section, one of the ultimate brands is Ursa Major Skincare. In fact, we are the only retailer in Brattleboro that carries this internationally-recognized, Vermont-made line.

What makes Ursa Major unique? What makes it so valuable? There are many things that set this local-yet-global brand apart; we’ll focus on a few: the knowledge, experience, and expertise of its founders; the highly unusual and effective ingredients; and the commitment to and integration of a love of our Vermont wilderness into every aspect of the business. 

Founding Elements

Ursa Major was founded by Emily Doyle and Oliver Sweatman (pronounced “sweet-man”): two beauty industry veterans from New York City who became disenchanted with the lack of integrity and quality in the business. They took their serious expertise and used it to leverage a Vermont-inspired vision of something better. Together, they have a tremendous amount of knowledge about the effects of different ingredients, as well as access to connections and resources many smaller brands may not have. These advantages, combined with their core principles, led to the creation of a powerful line of products that can truly make our skin more vibrant and radiant with a minimum of effort, and support the health of our bodies and our environment. 

When they met, Emily and Oliver had been living and working in New York for over ten years. They became disenchanted with the city life and with the sweeping marketing claims and high prices they saw being put on products that couldn’t (and didn’t) keep their promises. Eventually, they moved to Vermont. Oliver is a graduate of UVM, and he and Emily both longed to live closer to our green hills and forests.

They found themselves wildly rejuvenated by the fresh air and natural beauty, and were inspired to create a new skincare brand that didn’t exist in the market yet—one that featured truly clean and effective formulas, prioritized environmental sustainability, and that used active ingredients sourced from the forests they found so enriching. 

At the time, the idea of “clean beauty” didn’t exist as strongly as it does today. We at the BFC and food co-ops around the U.S. have understood for decades that wholesome, organic foods and natural, non-toxic products for the body and the home are effective, gentle, powerful, and come without harmful side effects. But, as with the grocery industry, it took awhile for the beauty industry to catch up to us! Now, years later, it’s more marketable and profitable, so these characteristics have been touted by bigger brands and businesses. But Ursa Major was on the vanguard of this change: they’re one of the earliest brands with roots in the conventional skincare industry that prioritized safety, efficacy, gentleness, and respect for nature. And this is not just greenwashing or cleanwashing: they really back it up. They pair with outside entities that provide a solid backbone for their stated values: every ingredient meets The Credo Clean Standard™, which is a collection of restricted/prohibited chemicals, testing requirements, transparency criteria, and sustainable packaging guidelines. They are also a B Corp (with a score of 96.6 out of 100, no less), and part of the The B Corp Beauty Coalition, which includes other trusted Co-op brands like Badger, Weleda, and Dr. Bronners. Most of their products are certified plastic negative. And they give time and money to environmental organizations locally and internationally. 

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Vermont Forests

Ursa Major was also on the vanguard of another current in the skincare waters: gender-neutral products. Ursa’s first product was actually a shave cream; the very earliest iteration of the business was as a men’s skincare company, and it quickly evolved into the unisex brand it is today. The scents in the products lean more towards earthy, woodsy, herbal, and citrus—scents that are often only marketed to men, despite how well-loved they are across the gender spectrum. However these are not just arbitrarily added as a way of signaling a non-gendered brand identity. These aromas are used with great intention. In fact, many of our skincare lines use aromatherapy in their formulations, even if they don’t explicitly state this. From Hauschka to Healy, our olfactory sense has been utilized as a powerful contributor to the overall effectiveness of their products. And, it goes without saying, Ursa Major never uses synthetic fragrances. Everything is directly derived from nature’s perfumery. 

Many of the active ingredients are also gleaned from forest environments, with an emphasis on Vermont and the Northeast, and expanding out into North America. Pink snow algae, wild birch, aspen bark extract, star-tipped lichen, and moss stem cells are just a few of the remarkable materials contained in these special bottles, jars, and tubes. Anne, our Wellness manager, pointed out that it’s these elements of Ursa’s products that really set them apart for her (and she has seen it all when it comes to skincare). 

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Rigor 

In combination with the rigorous product testing Ursa Major engages in, these plant ingredients result in unusually effective formulas that really help our skin to repair, hydrate, soothe, and nurture. Some of Ursa’s products have even been clinically trialed to show that their usage results in decreased fine lines, increased firmness and elasticity, and other attributes. And you can really feel it: there might be a slight sense of tingling on your skin when you first apply something like the Golden Hour Recovery Cream or the Mountain Glow Golden Serum. It’s obvious something is happening to your skin…the “actives” are active! 

The collection of products is also very specific: Ursa Major has sought to create a line that covers the basics in a relatively small number of widely usable and broadly helpful formulas. There’s a strong element of pragmatism here—the idea is that their customers are able to use one or two products, and then be done: less time in front of the mirror, more time outside, living life. But there are still choices to be made! When first investing in more expensive products like these, there’s a learning curve. Some of it will inevitably have to come from personal experience, since everyone’s skin is a bit different, but a lot of information can be gathered beforehand to get the right fit.

For instance, what is a serum, you may wonder? Emily, who has become the main spokesperson on Ursa Major’s social media platforms, explains in one of her Instagram reels that serums are highly concentrated products that come packed with intense amounts of active ingredients and are designed to target a specific concern or need. So, in general, while a moisturizer may be effective for a number of things—a broad brush— a serum is a fine artist’s implement. She compares a serum to a vitamin or supplement: it’s not everything your body needs nutritionally; it’s a targeted boost of nourishment designed to serve a specific need. And in the Ursa Major line, she thinks of the Mountain Glow serum as a multivitamin, whereas the Brighten Up vitamin C or Lunar Bloom retinal serums are more specific, like just taking your daily dose of vitamin D. 

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And does everyone need a serum? In Emily’s opinion, no. From her perspective, there are three essentials: cleanser, sunscreen, and moisturizer. (In that supplement analogy, these could be compared to your three square meals.) Find that trifecta of basics that’s right for you, and then see what else you might feel is lacking. Ursa Major makes high quality, versatile versions in all of these categories, and incredibly powerful niche products as well. Their Forest Alchemy Eye Cream and Alpine Rich Cream, for instance, are incredibly beloved and effective, based on hundreds of reviews on their site, and backed up by clinical studies. It’s just a matter of figuring out what you need to feel good in your skin. And, it really needs to be said that Ursa’s other products—their hand cream, hand wash, and more—they’re all actually special. Sometimes a higher price tag does indeed translate to higher quality. But, happily, buying these items from a brick-and-mortar store means you can try them out! It’s really a privilege to be able to test out the creams and serums and smell the scents of this unique line. 

The beauty industry is a behemoth. It isn’t well-regulated, and it’s easy for claims to be made about products that actually don’t contain an effective amount of the trendy active ingredients touted on their labels. It’s important to understand that our Co-op doesn’t carry brands that aren’t trustworthy—the products that we present to you have been selected carefully by our Wellness buyers, and our priorities are much different than, for instance, a big-box beauty store. We are an unusual place. And amongst all special skincare products on our shelves, all of which are made with care, love, attention, and intention (and a ton of expertise and knowledge as well), Ursa Major occupies a special place. Come try some out, buy it as a gift, treat yourselves or someone you love to some soothing, softening, magnificent potions made by our neighbors in Waterbury, Ursa Major Skincare! 

Written by Ruth Garbus

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