(Updated Nov 2, 2024) I’m sharing my honest Ursa Major review after testing 15 of their skincare, hair and body products! I tried their Fantastic Face Wash, Hour Recovery Cream, Alpine Rich Cream, Luna Bloom Retinal Serum, Going Places Organic Lip Balm, Brighten Up Vitamin C Serum, Mountain Glow Golden Serum, Go Easy Shampoo and Conditioner, Essential Tonic, Shave Cream, Face Wipes, Deodorants and Morning Mojo Bar Soap. Use organicbeautylover15 for 15% off.

I love that they’re a B Corp certified all natural skin care line from Vermont that offers products for both men and women at accessible price points for the quality they offer. 

Ursa Major has been around for a decade so they know how to formulate quality skin care and what their customers want. I’m continuously impressed by their newest product launches, which I find always thoughtfully formulated and high quality. This is a great skincare line for those who want a low maintenance yet effective routine and are looking to try a line that’s easy to understand, already well-loved and time-tested, and costs between $20 and $50.

Over the past several years I’ve been able to try almost every product from the Ursa Major line (multiple times over!).

I Tried Mountain Glow Golden Serum

I have to say this is a pretty legit anti aging serum – it’s heavy on the antioxidants with 44 clean actives that are supposed to help with wrinkles, sagging and boosting glow. If you’re prone to breakouts, be aware that this serum has a coconut oil base. It has Star-Tipped Lichen, Honey Locust Seed, Moss Stem Cells, Fern Phytosterols, Wild Indigo Seed and Wild Pansy, which they claim helps to lift and tighten skin and boost collagen production. This is a thicker serum with a gummy, almost sticky consistency. Dry skin types probably wouldn’t mind this but not sure if oily skin would like this. This has been great to use during the winter – I feel like it takes some time to fully absorb and works longer.

I Tried Brighten Up Vitamin C Serum

This is a 100% naturally-derived and 84.7% organic Vitamin C serum that uses ascorbic acid polypeptide, a relatively stable, water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It has an  incredibly silky texture and weightless sensation when applied and helps to instantly hydrate, brighten and even out skin’s appearance. The nearly opaque yellow-hued, gel-like serum absorbs seamlessly and I’ve never had an issue with pilling. I consider it light enough to be an ideal daytime Vitamin C serum and powerful enough for a nighttime skin care routine. I just need 2-3 pumps to cover my entire face. Just know that if you use it both day and night, the bottle will run out fast!

Onto the other skin beneficial ingredients in this serum! It begins with an organic aloe vera leaf juice base and harnesses the benefits of rose hip seed extract, edelweiss meristem cell culture and aspen bark extract. I even feel a slight tightening effect when I use this serum.

But firmer skin aside, healthy skin is all about continuously getting rid of toxins and nourishing with nutrient-dense and skin-beneficial ingredients. Ursa Major’s Vitamin C Serum works at reversing the daily damage done to our skin matrix from environmental pollution, digital pollution, UV radiation and all other free radical damage.

I Tried Going Places Lip Balm

I’m head over heels for this organic lip balm that’s plastic free and zero waste! It’s not only 94% organic, but it’s also got a bunch of interesting ingredients (not the usual boring butters and oils). It’s impossibly smooth and feels incredibly moisturizing. They got the consistency and texture perfect somehow! It’s also 3 times the size of normal natural lip balms which are usually 0.17 ml! I’m not usually impressed by skincare brands launching lip balms just for the sake of launching a lip balm, but Ursa Major’s stands out in the crowd.

I Tried Fantastic Face Wash

The Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash is a true gel cleanser that’s straightforward, all-natural and effective. It doesn’t strip my skin and has got gentle foaming action – plus I love the refreshing scent of cedar, spearmint, lime, lemon, rosemary, black spruce, vetiver, and lavender oils that lingers!

There is one huge plus and by huge I mean literally, huge. While most clean face cleansers are sold in bottles of 3.4 oz bottles, Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash is an entire 8 oz bottle for a similar price. This is truly a great value-for-money natural face cleanser that’s got no frills or fluff. 

I Tried Essential Face Wipes

While not the most environmentally friendly packaging choice, these individually wrapped cleansing face wipes work so well and are super convenient when I’m traveling. These bamboo face wipes are soaked in their 4-in-1 Essential Tonic and are the juiciest face wipes I’ve ever tried. The bamboo wipe is also really sturdy in construction, isn’t flimsy and doesn’t easily tear like others I’ve tried. The formula is designed to not only cleanse but also exfoliate, hydrate and soothe.

As someone who loves to travel and go on long weekend getaways, I fully appreciate being able to toss a few of these in my toiletry bag instead of having to pack an entire 30 count pack. 

I Tried Essential Tonic

Like the Fantastic Face Wash, the Ursa Major 4-in-1 Essential Tonic is an ENTIRE 8 oz of clean, natural, organic and effective Tonic ingredients. For only $26. Again, very hard to find portions this generous in clean beauty.

This toner removes oil and grime, exfoliates gently and clarifies with a AHA/BHA complex and, of course, hydrates skin. The fresh yet grounding scent from Fir needle oil, frankincense, rosemary and lavender feels like a bath in the forest, even if you haven’t left your house all day.

I Tried Golden Hour Recovery Cream

The Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream is about the same price as the super popular Biossance Omega Repair face cream but SO much more superior in formulation. It’s a shame that majority of people only want what’s popular and accessible at Sephora, when there are much higher quality products that are so much better for your skin. This natural face cream is honestly better than many other MUCH more expensive face creams I’ve tried. Golden Hour Recovery Cream is a golden-hued, silky smooth moisturizer that is deeply hydrating and penetrates well into my skin. The consistency is medium lightweight, as in light but substantial enough in thickness, with a refreshing herbaceous scent. If your skin is parched, the no-frills Golden Hour Recovery Cream is sure to inject a good dose of hydration and antioxidants into your skin to bring it back to life.

The only con I can find with this product, which is forgivable, is that it doesn’t come in pump form. I prefer moisturizers that come with a sanitary pump dispenser so I can be sure I’m not contaminating the precious ingredients with water, bacteria or dirt.

I Tried Sublime Sage Spray Deodorant

I love the Ursa Major hassle-free Sublime Sage Deodorant! There’s something so convenient about spraying on a deodorant rather than rubbing around a solid deo. All Ursa Major deodorants are clean, non-toxic and free of aluminum and synthetic fragrance. The Ursa Major deodorant spray really does work when it comes to eliminating body odor that’s already there. A few spritzes and my b.o. is completely gone. Not a funky mix of b.o. and deo, just the fresh scent of sublime sage.

The scent is actually an Uplifting blend of sage, geranium, sandalwood and lemon myrtle. It’s herbal and forest-like yet not overly earthy or strong. Ursa Major’s spray deodorant is also packed with plants, minerals and enzymes. It feels light and dries quickly with no sticky feeling or residue. I still sweat while wearing Ursa Major deodorants, so while these aren’t anti-perspirants they do keep me smelling decent.

I Tried Forest Fix Deodorant

A fresh spin on the Hoppin Fresh deodorant, the Ursa Major Forest Fix deodorant is a solid deodorant that works to fight odor with hops and baking soda, absorb excess moisture with kaolin, soothe with aloe vera, and further eliminate odor with a probiotic enzyme called saccharonyces ferment.

The scent reminds me of the great outdoors and the scent of pinecones after a rainy day- earthy, woodsy and fresh – thanks to its blend of patchouli, bergamot, lemon peel, sandalwood, ginger and lavender.

The formula goes on silky smooth without feeling drying. I’ve used Ursa Major deodorants while wearing white shirts and have not had an issue with staining.

I Tried Base Layer Deodorant (Baking Soda Free)

Formerly known as their No B.S. Deodorant, the Ursa Major Base Layer deodorant is fragrance free and baking soda free. If you are prone to armpit irritation, rashes or your current deodorant is leaving your pits feeling raw, the Base Layer Deodorant may be your ticket to non-irritated pits.

It has no detectable scent and feels the same going on as their Hoppin Fresh or Forest Fix deodorant. I couldn’t tell any difference. Instead of baking soda, the Base Layer deodorant utilizes tapioca starch, kaolin and Probiotic enzymes to combat odor.

I Tried Stellar Shave Cream

This is one of the best natural shaving creams in clean beauty – and it’s perfect for both men and women! Ursa Major’s shave cream is just that, a cream, and not the foam texture of conventional shave creams. It’s super moisturizing and the concentrated, non-lathering formula minimizes nicks, cushions against razor burn and nourishes skin with aloe, oat protein, willow bark, shea and birch sap.

I’m not big into using shaving creams, but I have loved using this. This really elevates the entire shaving experience, and naturally, you get a good shave out of it. I’ve also had a number of men try it and they also liked it. Okay, just two men.

Ursa Major Shave Cream is not meant to be used with a face brush. Instead, you use just your hands and it will feel like you’ve applied a rich moisturizer rather than a foam. It has a woodsy aroma and leaves skin feeling hydrated and smooth.

I Tried Go Easy Shampoo and Conditioner

I was skeptical of Ursa Major’s ability to create good hair care since I’ve always viewed them as a skincare company, but the Go Easy Shampoo and Conditioner are standouts in the line. The Go Easy shampoo has a smooth gel texture, provides good lather and cleansing action and smells amazing. The formula thoughtfully begins with organic aloe leaf juice and is infused with macadamia, licorice, bergamot, hydrolyzed soy protein and gentle coconut-derived surfectants. It has an incredible woodsy uplifting scent that combined with the conditioner, leaves your hair smelling like a forest nymph.

I thought the Go Easy conditioner would be too lightweight and have no effect on my hair, but I was pleasantly surprised at how noticeably softer my hair was after it dried. I still feel like it isn’t strong enough for regular use on my super dry and damaged hair, but I feel like this would work well with fine to normal hair. Because of the state of my hair I opt for masks in place of conditioner, but seeing as this conditioner wasn’t a total flop on my hair I would love to see what kind of a hair mask Ursa Major could create in the future.