Ursa Major: Product development update

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Product development update

We're working closely right now with our main supplier to develop a simple, natural skin/face care regimen for men, consisting of a face wash, toner, shave cream and balm. So far, we've received prototypes for the wash, toner and ~~balm~~ lotion. We're aiming to go through several more iterations to improve these products and have finals in place by early Jan.

On the fragrance side, we're working with friend-collaborator-perfumer YOSH to refine our fragrance marketing brief and develop 'sketches' of the essential oil blends we'll be using for our products. Then we'll use this enhanced brief and the sketches to kick-start development work with one of a handful of natural fragrance suppliers we're vetting at the moment.

Here's a photo of YOSH taking us through fragrance/essential oil 101 in a little cafe in NYC's West Village last week:

Photo: Oliver

1 comment:

EmilyDecember 10, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Great! Pictures are SO important - this is a good one. I think "BALM" sounds funny - like a baby nappy product - I think maybe hydrating balm or something might be better.... E
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Preamable

Greetings
Thanks for visiting the Ursa Major blog - we appreciate it. Pretty soon we'll have our web site up & running. 'Til then, we'll post updates here...

Our Vision
Ursa Major's mission is to become the favorite personal care brand for men and women who insist on living vitally. We've chosen to do this because we're totally committed to providing a spirited natural alternative to EVIL* personal care. We hold our core values dear and they are Compassion, Responsibility, Excellence, Courage and Awareness.

* EVIL: toxic, deceptive, socially & environmentally irresponsible, bland, sexist even!

Our Products
All of our products are formulated for normal to oily skin. They are highly effective, toxin-free and a pleasure to use - a robust natural alternative to chemical-ridden, impersonal care. We use high doses of nature's most powerful ingredients to get the job done, avoid the use of any suspect chemical ingredients and take care to design products that smell and feel great on application. The end result? Your skin will look and feel great and you'll have a kick in your step! (see bottom for more details on how we define 'natural').

Launch Update
We're launching with a potent face care system this coming Fall '10, including a Face Cleanser, Face Toner, Shave Cream and Face Lotion. You'll be able to buy the products on our web site and at select retailers nationwide. Keep an eye on this blog for additional launch updates.

$10 Off Early Bird Special
Interested in trying our products? Send us an email with "Early Bird Special" in the Subject field to be notified when we launch and to receive $10 off your first order.

Retailer Inquiries
If you're a buyer/retailer of natural skin care products and you're interested in learning more about Ursa Major, please drop us a line.

Contact Us
Send Us An Email

Natural Standard

Clean, Safe Natural Ingredients
We're formulating our products to meet the Natural Product Association's stringent 'Natural Product Standard', as summarized below:

95-100% Natural. "Natural" means ingredients that come or are made from a renewable resource found in nature (Flora, Fauna, Mineral), with absolutely no petroleum compounds. Ursa Major's products will be 100% natural or very close thereto (within 1-2%).

A synthetic non-natural ingredient can be used only when a) there is not a readily available natural alternative ingredient or b) there are no suspected human health risks as indicated by peer-reviewed third-party scientific literature.

Prohibited ingredients include ingredients that have suspected human health risks as indicated by peer-reviewed third-party scientific literature or incorporate synthetic silicone or petroleum compounds.

The following is an illustrative list of suspect/snarly ingredients prohibited by NPA (but prevalent in most personal care items available on the market today):

• Parabens – Synthetic preservatives that are potential endocrine disruptors
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – Harsh cleansing agent that can potentially damage the lipid layer of your skin and cause irritation
• Petrolatum/Mineral Oil/Paraffin – Non-renewable byproducts of crude oil with potentially dangerous impurities
• Chemical Sunscreens (Avobenzone/Oxybenzone) –Synthetic sunscreens that get absorbed and potentially disrupt hormone balance
• Glycols – Petroleum derived synthetic chemicals that can potentially draw other chemicals into the bloodstream
• Phthalates – Synthetic fragrance components that are potential toxins
• Ethoxylated ingredients like Sodium Myreth Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate, PEGs or PPGs –Ingredients that are made in part with the petrochemical ethylene oxide, that results in 1,4 Dioxane as a trace contaminant, classified as a possible carcinogen
• Ethanolamines like MEA/DEA/TEA – Foam and viscosity boosting ingredients that can interact with other ingredients to form nitrosamines, a known carcinogen
• Synthetic polymers (PVP/ Acrylates) - Synthetic stabilizers that may contain residual PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons); most widespread organic pollutant
• Formaldehyde Donors (DMDM Hydantoin/Diazolidinyl Urea/Methylisothiazolinone) – Preservatives that work by releasing formaldehyde

Ursa Major

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Product development update

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