Caldera + Lab - Premium Clean Skincare for Men

Stories,Style,Beauty

Caldera + Lab – Premium Clean Skincare for Men

USA

Cassidy Green November 5, 2020

Combining the unique processes of wild-harvesting and Green technology, Jared Pobre and Stacy Keibler have created premium, non-toxic, clean skincare for men.

After many years in the entertainment and business industries, Stacy Keibler and Jared Pobre created their men’s skincare company, Caldera + Lab. It was a yearning for experiences, people, and products that improved their health and quality of life that took them to the harsh mountainside climate of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was here that the couple felt the full effect of the harsh environment and decided to create sustainable and clean skincare for men to address the skincare concerns that many felt.

With multiple certifications, including Made Safe, ECOCERT, and Certified B Corp, and with multiple research-backed development processes, Caldera + Lab is one of the most science-based men’s skincare brands in the market.

Q & A WITH Jared Pobre and Stacy Keibler

Mood of Living: Where did you grow up?

Stacy Keibler: Baltimore

Jared Pobre: San Jose, CA

MoL : Where did you go to school and what did you study?

SK: Towson University. Biology

JP: University of Southern California. Business

Mol: What was your occupation prior to creating Caldera + Lab?

SK: Entertainment industry, hosting, acting, modeling and prior to that WWE professional wrestler

JP: Tech entrepreneur in the MarTech category

MoL: Where did you meet? How did you decide to create a company together? What expertise did you both bring to the company?

SK: We met through friends at social events over 10 years ago. We were friends for years before deciding to date. Once we got married and had our first child, we have three now, we decided to move out of LA to raise our family in nature. We fell in love with Jackson, WY and built a home there. Due to the harsh high elevation climate we noticed immediately how dry the conditions were. We were forced to take care of our skin like never before. This inspired us on our journey to create Caldera + Lab. Although we didn’t have prior experience in developing skin care, we were driven by our own needs to create a product with real efficacy.

Mood of Living: What initially inspired you to officially start your business and create clean skincare for men? Did you always want to start your own business?

JP: When we started living full time in the mountains I had really sensitive skin that was constantly chaffed. My face would get hammered from skiing in blizzards or mountain biking in dry hot weather. The only products that helped were Stacy’s women’s products. We asked ourselves why aren’t there any similar quality products for men that cater to thicker, more sensitive skin men have. This is when we got inspired to focus on men.

MoL: What were some of your biggest challenges when first creating Caldera + Lab? What are some of the challenges you face now? What have you learned?

JP: The early challenges were initially around picking the right product development partners. We have such high standards this limited us to working with the most expensive, but also the highest performance partners. Our biggest challenge after launching has been keeping up with demand and managing our production process. Our product The Good takes a few months to manufacture due to the complex processes and quality control. We have a small batch process that ensures product performance. This takes a long time versus using synthetic ingredients. On this journey we’ve learned never to cut corners and when something can go wrong it most likely will.

MoL: You use Green Tech manufacturing. What is this and what is involved in the process? What are the steps?

JP: From cutting edge cryogenics and nutrient-capturing processes to the patented eco-friendly densification we use for our botanicals, to supercritical extractions that leave no solvent waste behind, to our carefully created packaging, Caldera + Lab cares deeply about our footprint!

Not only are precious nutrients and antioxidants carefully preserved and extracted with cryogenic processes to bring you the best in clean skincare technology, the process also allows the botanicals to keep their fragrant aromas. That’s why you might get the faint sensation of hiking through the wilderness each time you open your bottle of The Good.

MoL: Caldera + Lab has many eco-certifications such as Certified B Corp, ECO CERT, and MADESAFE. How challenging was it to manage and get so many certifications?

JP: It was an investment and completely worth it – these certifications are leading the charge in defining, down to the very beginnings of our supply chain to the final circular loop, of what is safe for our children, environment, and planet. And we wanted to push our company to be the best. Not just for consumers, for us.

MoL : Where do you manufacture your products? Do you own your own laboratories? If so, do you research, create, and test your own products or do you outsource?

SK/JP: Our products are 100% Made in the USA. R&D, Manufacturing included. This was really important to us when we were starting the company.

We have a very rigorous R&D process in which we carefully select ingredients based on their nutrient profile, processes of extraction to transfer maximum potency into the product and finally produce the formula with minimal carbon footprint. This entire process is handled carefully by our closely knit founding team, our scientists and cosmetologists. We work closely with some of the leading labs in the world for scientific studies on our formulas and ingredients.

MoL: Why did you create one serum, The Good, rather than a whole line of clean skincare for men? How does it actually work on all different skin types? Do you think you’ll be releasing more products in the future?

JP: Our team of leading scientists, natural formulators and herbalists have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into creating the most rigorously tested and clinically-proven premium facial treatment serum for men. We are very proud of The Good, but it is just the beginning. We are in the works of expanding our product line and will continue to forge a path for luxury, wellness-focused, non-toxic men’s skincare.

MoL: Since creating your facial serum, The Good, how do you think the market of clean skincare for men has changed? Do you think men have become more receptive toward grooming and skincare?

JP: I think men have always been receptive to grooming and skincare but the traditional skincare market neglected them. I was borrowing products from Stacy and my friends were doing the same with their wives. Think about dandies of the 19th century or the James Bond high style of the 1950s. It is a stereotype that men are naturally slackers and do not care about their health, their looks, and their presence in this world. They have always cared. Companies are just now paying attention.

MoL: What SDGs do you implement in your business that are helping in the positive transformation in our world?

JP: First and foremost, we focus on constantly pushing ourselves to optimize our production and supply chain. From Day 1, we never sourced from China, looking to build a more compact supply chain that used less energy consumption. We have several initiatives now – stay tuned – to look at how we can reduce our carbon footprint to 0, and what it would take to become completely circular. We also are working on AI to optimize exact quantities our consumers’ need for proper skincare, personalized individually to them, so there is no waste.

MoL: What does sustainability mean to you? Do you practice a sustainable lifestyle? If so, how?

SK: As parents, sustainability starts with our hopes and desires for our children and their children to be able to enjoy a clean and healthy world for generations to come. This mindset motivated our move to Jackson Hole, in a community and mountain town where our children can learn to respect and embrace the outdoors.

JP: We take small steps to make our daily lives more sustainable: eating local, buying sustainable products, and teaching the kids the importance of recycling and conserving water. We aren’t perfect but believe the small choices can really add up.

MoL: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start a business in the world of sustainable and clean skincare for men?

SK: As a company, define what clean means to you. Is it the lack of certain ingredients? Damage to environment and aquatic systems? Organic = Oregon Tilth or USDA Organic standards? Circular system? The space is advancing and there are many many different – all valuable – approaches to clean. It’s important to define clearly in your positioning what you stand for.

JP: And, going beyond that… know that clean is not enough – results matters. Men are more savvy than ever before, and highly critical with more options available. Formulations have to be highly effective, with frictionless experiences.

MoL: What advice can you give for every individual to help preserve the environment?

SK: Make every choice matter i.e., purchase choice. Support companies who are disrupting industry standards and redefining what it means to leave a light footprint e.g., B-Corp, circular companies.

JP: Continuing what Stacy said…do your research and be an informed consumer. Don’t aim for perfection, but focus on small daily choices as these can add up and make a big difference.

Photography courtesy of Caldera + Lab

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