The Ingredients We Use and Why Every One Earns Its Place
We get asked a lot about what goes into our products. It's one of our favorite questions, because the answer is the whole story of Big Yang.
We're a small-batch studio on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Everything we make is handcrafted, and every ingredient is chosen deliberately - not because it's cheap, trendy, or easy to source, but because it does something real for your skin. Here's a look at the building blocks behind our formulations.
Magnesium: Two Forms, One Mineral, Very Different Jobs
Magnesium shows up in two of our products, but in very different forms because the application determines the chemistry.
In our Magnesium Cream, we use magnesium chloride (listed as magnesium oil: water and magnesium flakes). It absorbs transdermally to help relax muscles, ease tension, and support recovery - alongside arnica-infused sunflower oil, shea butter, kokum butter, and coconut oil.
In our Natural Deodorant, we use magnesium hydroxide powder - a different form that neutralizes odor-causing bacteria without blocking your body's natural processes. No aluminum. Paired with arrowroot powder, jojoba oil, rice bran oil, shea butter, and both beeswax and candelilla wax for a smooth, effective formula.
Same mineral. Completely different roles. That's what intentional formulation looks like.
Plant Butters and Oils: Nourishment That Actually Penetrates
A lot of conventional moisturizers create a temporary feeling of softness by coating the skin with silicones. We use plant-based butters and oils chosen for their fatty acid profiles and genuine skin affinity.
Our Whipped Body Butter is built on shea butter, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil - rich and skin-loving, with a whipped texture that melts on contact.
Our Radiant Body Oil takes a different approach: six organic oils - sunflower, grapeseed, meadowfoam seed, rice bran, rosehip, and jojoba - that absorb quickly and leave skin luminous without greasiness. No fillers, no synthetics.
Botanicals: Infused, Not Just Listed
We don't add botanical extracts at trace levels for label appeal. In several formulas, we infuse botanicals directly into carrier oils - a slower process that results in a richer, more integrated ingredient.
Our Botanical Rescue Balm is the fullest expression of this: arnica-infused sunflower oil, nettle-infused avocado oil, calendula-infused sweet almond oil, and lavender-infused coconut oil form the base. Layered on top: sea buckthorn, helichrysum, frankincense, yarrow, chamomile, and cedarwood - each chosen for specific skin-regenerating or calming properties.
Our Golden Repair Balm is a concentrated formula for extremely dry or cracked skin - built on lanolin, golden jojoba oil, shea butter, vegetable glycerin, and helichrysum and lavender essential oils.
Actives That Are Actually Active
Our serums are where we get precise. The Radiant Lift Serum combines Coffea Arabica seed extract with two bioactive peptides - Tripeptide-10 Citrulline and Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2 - plus sodium hyaluronate for hydration. Every ingredient is there for a specific reason.
The Bright Eyes Serum Rollerball uses Coffea Canephora (Robusta) seed extract alongside Camellia Sinensis (green tea) leaf extract to target puffiness and dark circles, with honey derivative and water soluable shea butter to hydrate the delicate under-eye area without heaviness.
What We Leave Out
No synthetic fragrances. No parabens. No artificial dyes. No ingredients we can't explain or wouldn't use on sensitive skin ourselves. A lot of our customers come to us because conventional products have let them down. We formulate for that person, because in many ways, we are that person.
Small Batch, by Design
Everything we make is produced in small batches, by hand, in our Olympic Peninsula studio. Small batches mean fresher products, tighter quality control, and the ability to adjust formulations thoughtfully. It also means that when you use a Big Yang product, someone actually made it. That still matters to us.
Have questions about a specific ingredient or want to know what might work best for your skin? We'd love to hear from you.