I've been developing Ultra for over eight years now, intent on bringing shaving out of the Dark Ages and into the 21st Century.
The genesis of Ultra is outlined in the 3 Rs of Reason, Research & Results.
The Reason
In September 1995, a company I owned started to export perfumes and cosmetics from Canada to the US. Within a few years it became Canada's largest exporter of CK perfumes.
As an engineer with no previous knowledge of cosmetics, I was curious (at least) as to the formulations used in the cosmetic industry.
I researched the product ingredients to find out why one product might be perceived as better than another. Although curious I also felt an obligation to my customers to have sufficient product knowledge to be able to respond to any questions they may have.
During 1996 the formulas used for Ladies' skincreams became a concern to me. I found it most odd that many "Top of the Line" products were based on Petroleum, as an engineer I had always been taught to avoid contact with petroleum-based products, or risk developing dermatitis, or worse damage to the skin.
During this time I still had the problems with shaving that I'd always had, but by this time I'd tried just about every method of shaving from straight razors, single blade and multi-blade disposable razors to electric shavers. Some methods were slightly better than others but none of them really did the job for me.
The Research
I won't forget the day I had one of the worst shaving experiences ever, it always seems to happen when you have an important meeting where you want to look your best. I had several cuts, and my neck was fire red!
I decided that day that I had to figure out what was wrong with the way we shave. Being an engineer I figured that blade technology had probably gone as far as it could credibly go (and that was when we were at the three blade per razor stage). I thought at the time that four blades would be laughable, and that no one would ever dream of making a razor with five blades!
The thing is, folks who make blades will continue to look at the blades, yet they seem to ignore the rest of the shaving process.
I decided to look critically at "Why we shave the way we shave" particularly at the soap-based foams and lathers that we've been using for hundreds if not thousands of years.
We use soap because we never give it a thought simply following the accepted convention. The reason soap was used in the first place was to wet the beard making it easier to cut and to a minimal extent lubricate the skin.
I decided to find a better lubricant than soap, something that would be safe and comfortable when applied to the skin.
Petroleum based oils perform well as lubricants (in your car, etc) but I would avoid using them on my skin, so they were instantly dismissed.
Other than petroleum by-products, the cosmetic industry use animal fats, Lanolin (sheep grease) being widely used. Yet animal fats aren't 'kosher' in more ways than one, they aren't Halal and would conflict with the lifestyle choices of Vegans, Vegetarians or folks who simply don't feel good about spreading a dead animal on their skin. Add to that, animal fats or by-products aren't (in my opinion) entirely safe (there's the risk of getting infected with a prion disease, BSE and suchlike), so I chose not to use any animal by-products.
My research focused on food grade vegetable oils, if they are safe enough to ingest, then they are safe enough on our skin.
Of these products the first thing off the list were the nut oils, many people have serious allergic reactions to peanut oil, so to be safe and responsible to the end users all oils of this type were excluded from further evaluation.
Vegetable oils and fruit oils have much going for them, they are high on the scale of lubricity.
My first experiments were based on fruit oils, including Almond oil, Palm oil, Olive oil and Grape Seed oil. I looked at the lighter/thinner oils, the ones that would quickly/easily be absorbed into the hair (remember at this point my focus is still on shaving).
All of the natural oils worked quite well as lubricants - although some oils felt greasy on the skin. The problem I found with oil (as such) was, even though the blade cuts well enough, you finish up with little pools of oil with minute bits of hair all over your face, then you wash your face and finish up with the tiny hairs in your eyes, not a particularly pleasant experience.
The next challenge was to turn the chosen oil into a cream. I formulated a cream that is very easy to apply, and because the base oils are so light the cream absorbs quickly into the skin, and even more rapidly into the hair to soften it, making the shaving experience less aggressive and much more comfortable.
Of all the oils I used the ultra fine nature and the high lubricity of Grape Seed oil made it the obvious choice. Grape Seed oil also provides the benefit of its antioxidant qualities. The major component of Grape Seed oil is Linoleic Acid, this has been the subject of research at Ohio State University, and within commercial research laboratories. Grape Seed oil is now widely recognised as very effective antioxidant/anti carcinogen.
Once I got to formulating Ultra as a cream, I was amazed at how well it worked not just as a shaving cream but also as an after shave skin conditioner.
The Result
Although there is a learning curve, the time spent on the curve will serve you well for the rest of your life. I honestly believe this is the best shave that money can buy. You may notice that disposable blades can last much longer, what's easier on your face is also easier on the blade, and therefore easier on the pocket due to the sky-rocketing price of disposable blades. Ultra Shave isn't simply novel or unique, it's a radically different way to get a cool, close, and most importantly, comfortable shave.
Ultra Shave brings shaving out of the Dark Ages and into the 21st Century!
Thanks for your time and consideration
Robert B. Norburn
The pursuit of the perfect shave!
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