Bio Glide — Pre-Shave Glide Concentrate | PrimalBasics

EVERY INGREDIENT, EXPLAINED

What's in the bottle

• MCT Oil (C8/C10)Base carrier oil

  INCI: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

  Fractionated medium-chain triglyceride — fast-absorbing, odourless, and exceptionally stable. Pulled from coconut, refined to isolate the C8 (caprylic) and C10 (capric) chains. Base oil of the formulation — its tactile smoothness and rapid absorption are why Bio Gold feels like a serum rather than an oil despite being entirely lipid-based.

  Sourcing: Coconut-derived, fractionated.

• Golden Jojoba Oil (unrefined)Sebum-mimetic carrier

  INCI: Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

  First-press, unrefined, retains phytosterols and tocopherols that refinement removes. Wax-ester structure is a close match to human sebum — the skin recognises this as 'skin lipid' rather than occluding against it. Jojoba is technically a liquid wax, not an oil, and its ~98% long-chain wax ester structure gives it a stability and skin-recognition profile nothing else in the kingdom matches.

  Sourcing: First-press, unrefined. Not cosmetic-grade refined.

• Meadowfoam Seed Oil (unrefined)Stability anchor

  INCI: Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

  The most oxidatively stable botanical oil routinely available. Approximately 95% of its fatty-acid profile is long-chain (C20 and above), with unsaturations at the ∆5 position rather than the more common ∆9 or ∆12. That geometric detail is why meadowfoam resists oxidation not only by its own chemistry but extends the stability of other oils it is blended with. The reason Bio Gold is preservative-free.

  Sourcing: Unrefined, cold-pressed.

• Castor Oil (unrefined)Deep-pull cleansing and film-forming backbone

  INCI: Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

  The chemical reason castor oil is irreplaceable is ricinoleic acid — an unusual hydroxy fatty acid that comprises around 90% of castor triglycerides. Ricinoleic acid's hydroxyl group gives the oil a hydrophilic character unusual among vegetable oils, which is what lets it lift oxidised sebum and heavy debris from the pore without the stripping sensation of a surfactant. In Bio Clean it provides the 'pull' of the second massage phase. In Bio Glide it plays a different role — its high viscosity and mechanical film-forming ability create what we call the Castor-Grip: a thin, cohesive layer that the blade skates across rather than cuts through. This is the same mechanical principle at work in old-world barber preparations. We use unrefined, cold-pressed castor — the refined cosmetic grade is more consistent in colour but loses the minor constituents that give the unrefined oil its tackier, more adhesive behaviour.

  Sourcing: Cold-pressed and unrefined; organic where available. Avoids the bleached/deodorised grade used in most commercial skincare.

• Argan Oil — Virgin (unrefined)Skin-conditioning emollient

  INCI: Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

  Argan oil comes from the kernel of the argan tree, endemic to southwestern Morocco, where it has been used for centuries for exactly the purpose we use it: as a conditioning grooming oil. The fatty acid profile is approximately 43% oleic acid, 36% linoleic acid, and 12% palmitic acid — a balanced monounsaturated/polyunsaturated blend that absorbs readily and leaves a soft rather than greasy finish. It carries meaningful amounts of tocopherols, phytosterols, and squalene as minor constituents. We use the virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined grade — the same material produced by the traditional Moroccan women's cooperatives. Deodorised argan has been on the market for two decades and is more uniform, but it loses the minor-constituent fraction that does most of the skin-conditioning work. In both Bio Glide and Bio Recovery, argan is the emollient that softens the blade's passage and smooths the finish.

  Sourcing: Virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined. Sourced from southwestern Morocco (Souss Valley region) via cooperatives.

• Natural Bisabolol (Type 1)Anti-inflammatory — the calming molecule

  INCI: Bisabolol

  Bisabolol is the terpene alcohol that does the calming work in chamomile. When an inflammation study says 'chamomile extract reduced erythema,' what it actually means is that the bisabolol in the extract reduced erythema. The rest of the chamomile matrix is inert to that endpoint. We use the natural (not synthetic) alpha-bisabolol — what is labelled Type 1 in the industry. Alpha-bisabolol is the more bioactive stereoisomer, and the (−)-alpha-(−) form (the natural one) is better-tolerated by sensitive skin than the synthetic racemic grade. It is used at low concentration but is not a trace ingredient — at roughly 0.5–1% it carries real skin-calming effect, documented in trials on post-procedure skin and reactive complexions. In Bio Glide it calms the skin before the blade touches it; in Bio Recovery it calms what the blade just disturbed.

  Sourcing: Natural (not synthetic), Type 1 (−)-alpha-bisabolol. Typically distilled from Candeia tree (Vanillosmopsis erythropappa) in Brazil.

• Sea Buckthorn CO₂ ExtractOmega-7 source

  INCI: Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract

  Our source of omega-7 palmitoleic acid — a documented driver of re-epithelialisation, the process by which keratinocytes migrate across compromised skin to rebuild barrier function. The CO₂ extraction method preserves the carotenoids and phytosterols that degrade under solvent or hot-press extraction. Human studies have documented improvements in skin moisture and elasticity with consistent omega-7 application.

  Sourcing: CO₂-extracted, not solvent or hot-press.

• d-alpha TocopherolAntioxidant (vitamin E)

  INCI: Tocopherol

  Natural vitamin E (d-alpha is the naturally occurring stereoisomer, as opposed to the synthetic dl-alpha). Protects the formula's oxidative stability in the bottle and contributes its own antioxidant behaviour on the skin. Works in combination with the tocopherol fraction of prickly pear to give Bio Gold a multi-pathway antioxidant profile without synthetic preservatives.

  Sourcing: Natural d-alpha, not synthetic dl-alpha.

• Essential Oil Blend (Bergamot, Geranium, Rosemary)Light natural scent

  INCI: Bergamot Peel Oil, Geranium Flower Oil, Rosemary Leaf Oil

  Measured in drops. A very light scent that fades in 30–45 minutes — Bio Gold is not a fragrance product. The three oils were selected for their low sensitising profile and for the way their molecular weights balance each other: bergamot is the top note, geranium is the heart, rosemary is the base. No synthetic fragrance; each oil is listed on the label.

  Sourcing: Each oil individually listed. No bergaptene (reformulated bergamot).