The simple basics your family can trust.
It started the way so much of parenthood does — with a baby on the way, and a sudden urge to turn over every bottle in the house. We found ourselves questioning everything: every product we put on our skin, every ingredient we put on our plates, asking the same quiet question over and over — do we really know what's in this?
More often than not, the answer was no. So we set out to make the basics we wished we'd had for our own kids: simple, food-grade, and easy to trust on everybody in the family.
Made by parents, for families like yours.
We're parents first — not chemists, not a big factory. So when the answer kept coming back no, we did the obvious thing and started making the basics ourselves.
By hand, a few small batches at a time. What your family puts on every day should be exactly that simple.
“If we wouldn't put it on our own kids, it doesn't go in the batch.”
For the ones who started it all.
Our kids are the reason Bear Basics exists. One of our daughters is autistic, and walking alongside her through speech and developmental differences made us even more careful about what we bring into our home — reading every label, and trusting the ingredients we choose for all of our children.
We can't promise the world. But we can promise this: the basics your family reaches for every day will be simple, gentle, and made by people who treat your kids like their own.
Every ingredient earns its place.
Our whole list is short, food-grade, and easy to read — simple enough that you won't panic when a little ends up on little hands and lips. Here's what's in it, and exactly why we chose each one.
Organic Coconut Oil
The base of most of our balms. It's light, absorbs quickly, and brings everyday moisture without a heavy, greasy feel. We chose organic so the very first ingredient is as clean as the rest of the list.
Grass-Fed Beef Tallow
An old-fashioned ingredient that's remarkably close to the natural oils already in your skin, so it sinks in and feels deeply conditioning. We use grass-fed because what the animal eats shapes what ends up in the jar.
Beeswax
Gives our balms their structure and a soft, protective finish that helps hold moisture in. It's also why our products aren't vegan — and we'd rather be honest about that than swap in a synthetic substitute.
Castor Oil
A small amount helps everything glide on smoothly and leaves a naturally balanced finish — a little shine, a little matte, never too much of either. Clean and comfortable for everyone in the family, not a glossy lip gloss.
Vitamin E
A naturally derived antioxidant that helps our oils stay fresh longer. It's how we keep the formula simple and skip the synthetic preservatives most shelf-stable products rely on.
Food-Grade Magnesium Hydroxide
The simple mineral behind our deodorant. It quietly neutralizes everyday odor without aluminum or baking soda — gentle, food-grade, and about as no-drama as an ingredient gets. It's the same mineral you'll find in milk of magnesia, so it's plenty familiar — though eat a whole jar and, well, you'll be planning your day around the nearest bathroom.
What's not in it matters just as much.
A short ingredient list means skipping a lot of the extras you'll find on other labels. Here's what we leave out on purpose — and why.
The short list vs. the usual list
Most balms, sticks, and lotions quietly pad their formulas with synthetics and fillers. Here's what turns up in a lot of conventional products — and what you'll never find anywhere in our line.
Just a short list of real, food-grade ingredients — nothing to look up, nothing to worry about.
A few simple basics, a hundred little uses.
The best part of keeping ingredients simple is that the same few products end up doing a lot. Here's how the basics show up in our day — and probably will in yours, too.
Slick-back & flyaways
A little balm tames flyaways, smooths cowlicks, and slicks hair back — no crunch, no grease.
Everyday odor control
Aluminum-free freshness that keeps the whole den confident from morning to lights-out.
Dry, rough spots
Knees, elbows, heels, knuckles — wherever skin gets thirsty, a little goes a long way.
Soft, conditioned lips
Everyday moisture for lips that feel dry, tight, or weather-worn.
After-bath for little ones
Seal in moisture after bath time with something simple enough for the littlest cubs.
Hard-working hands
Work into cuticles and dry hands after a day of washing, building, and playing.
Beards & scruff
Softens beards and tames stray scruff for the papa bears.
Gentle, no-strip clean
One simple bar for face and body that won't leave skin tight or squeaky.
Winter-dry skin
Everyday moisture for when cold, dry air leaves skin parched.
Made by hand, in small batches, in Colorado.
No faceless factory. Every batch is mixed, poured + packed by hand — small enough that we know exactly what goes in, and who it's for.
The basics,
done right.
Food-Grade Ingredients
Recognizable, food-grade ingredients — nothing you can't pronounce.
Family-Founded
Started by parents, made for families like yours.
Made in Colorado
Mixed, poured + packed by hand in small batches.
Simple by Design
Short ingredient lists. No fillers, no mystery extras.
Find your family's basics.
Simple, food-grade care for every body in your den.
Shop all products