Good health is synonymous with caring about what we put in our bodies, but shouldn’t we also be mindful of what we put on them? Oliver Sweatman and Emily Doyle, creators of natural skin care company Ursa Major, believe the answer to this question is a resounding yes. They’ve developed a line of plant-based products as delightful to the senses as they are nourishing to the skin.
We asked Oliver:
Q. How did Ursa Major begin?
A. We were living and working in NYC and loving it, but started yearning for a simpler, more balanced lifestyle closer to the outdoors. Around this time, we did a 30-day detox and learned about unhealthy chemicals in personal care products. We started to look around for alternatives, but it was difficult to find products that checked all the boxes as truly natural, effective and also a pleasure to use. We moved to Vermont and once we arrived, decided to go for it and start Ursa Major. We figured there must be others like us who were trying to solve healthier personal care as part of a bigger wellness push.
Q. Why should people make the switch to natural skin care?
A. There’s a growing consensus in the scientific medical community that humans are exposed to too many chemicals with serious negative impacts on their health and the environment. Personal care products, especially leave-on products like deodorant, face creams, etc., are a significant source of these chemicals. While only trace amounts penetrate the skin with each application, over time, these toxins accumulate in the organs.
Today, companies like ours make clean, plant-based products delivering the performance consumers expect, so there’s really no reason to still use conventional, toxin-laden products. Switching to natural skin care is just one more step you can take to live as cleanly and healthily as possible, similar to choosing organic over conventional produce.
Q. What does “wellness” mean to you?
A. To us, it’s a state of mind. It’s about making a conscious decision to live a certain way and then committing to that path. It’s when your mind, body and spirit all feel strong, integrated and in balance. It’s easier said than done, but when these things come into alignment, you feel centered and the world just seems to open up. In this way, wellness really becomes the foundation for everything else in life. It’s the big enabler.
Images courtesy of Ursa Major.
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Nine.