Jared Pobre and the alpine botanicals tested for dry male skin

Caldera + Lab started when altitude dried out one man’s face and a borrowed women’s serum calmed it. Jared Pobre followed that observation toward Teton botanists, plants built for cold, and a three step routine for men with measured inputs and slow oil extraction. This interview looks at sourcing, formulation and daily application through the available support.

Men are often sold routines based on speed, while formulas that hold up usually reflect slower choices in sourcing and dosing. That contrast defines Caldera + Lab. The company addresses men who prefer three steps and a plain explanation, and it bases those steps on alpine species adapted to extended winter, oil steeped for weeks, and ingredient amounts set near researched amounts rather than token amounts.

Pobre entered skincare from outside the field. He had built a self financed company in advertising technology, married in 2015, welcomed a child and relocated from Los Angeles to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has described how thin air at elevation left his skin parched, how longtime residents seemed older through lack of moisture, and how products positioned for men aggravated the problem until he tried his wife’s serum and saw his skin stabilize.

What stood out to us across interviews and product pages was how directly he applied that episode. Work began in 2017 alongside consultants, laboratories, scientists and biologists. Launch arrived in 2019 as a single oil serum containing 27 botanicals, wild collected stock from the Teton range, and no repurposed base. The regimen remained brief. The supply work remained extended.

A winter at altitude teaches you to notice what manages to stay alive. I met with botanists and ethnobotanists to learn how local people had used these plants, and how the plants coped with stress. Fireweed comes back after fire. Yarrow persists in poor thin soil. Nettle pushes through cold springs. To live up there a plant must defend itself with antioxidants and retain water well. That reasoning seemed relevant for skin facing wind, sun and dry air.

I need to correct the order here because the greeting belongs above, so let me place my answer plainly. Residence at altitude builds regard for organisms that persist. I consulted botanists and ethnobotanists about traditional applications by Indigenous groups and about physiological stress tolerance. Fireweed recolonizes after burns. Yarrow persists in poor ground. Nettle emerges in cold spring conditions. Survival there requires antioxidant defense and water retention. That pattern appeared relevant to skin facing wind, ultraviolet exposure and low humidity.

A catalog offers you a powder plus a spec sheet. A place gives you context. We wanted plants wild harvested from the Teton range because we could explain why they fit a formula for dry, older skin. From nature, supported by biotech, with clinical efficacy shown in testing. That phrase guides us. The plant comes first, the lab verifies the work, and the result must appear on skin.

I began using my wife’s products because the men’s products I used were making my skin worse. Inside a week it settled everything down. That was the shock. It began with me borrowing my wife’s serum in Jackson. I had no plan to launch a skincare company. I wanted to repair my face.

Hello, and thanks for reading closely. I turned to my wife’s products after men’s options aggravated my skin. Inside seven days the appearance settled. That result surprised me. The origin was that borrowed serum in Jackson. The goal at the time was repair of my own face, not founding a skincare firm.

Then I wondered why nothing like this existed for men. From 2015 to 2017 a clean prestige shift served women, with independent brands doing careful work, and little of that quality in the men’s aisle. I met other men in Jackson Hole buying 185 dollar serum made for women, as I had done. And these were rugged men, not the kind you would expect to buy costly serums. That showed me it was not only my issue. Men wanted a product that worked, felt good, and did not require a twelve step routine.

In each company I have built, I have learned that shortcuts do not pay. We did not want catalog manufacturing or a reused formula. We partnered with consultants, founding team members, labs, scientists and biologists to create something custom. One serum, aimed mostly at dry skin, with meaningful doses. We used the upper amount for efficacy, at tested levels.

Good morning. Across firms I have built, shortcuts have rarely repaid the saving. We rejected catalog manufacturing and reformulated stock. We retained consultants, early team members, laboratories, scientists and biologists to formulate from zero. One serum, largely intended for dry skin, with substantive amounts. We added each input near the upper amount tied to efficacy, at amounts aligned with research.

The Good is an oil serum with 27 botanicals and four weeks of maceration to extract nutrients. It fits dry to normal skin in cold or harsh climates. It became a national bestseller. Our conviction grew when men began asking for more products. They asked for a cleanser, a moisturizer, SPF. That was when I saw this was larger than my own need. When men in their forties, fifties and sixties study the stats and return for the routine, you place another order. Simplicity holds only if the formula inside is serious.

Start with climate and skin. The Good is our first oil serum. If your skin trends dry to normal, if your air is cold or indoor heat runs all winter, if you are often past fifty and feel tightness by afternoon, begin there. Apply it as the serum step after Clean Slate, then add moisturizer. A little warmth from the palms helps press it in.

Consider environment and skin type before format. The Good remains the first oil serum. For dry to normal skin, for cold settings or continuous indoor heating, for users often above fifty who feel afternoon tightness, that is the entry point. Place it after Clean Slate in the serum position, then add moisturizer. Brief warming between palms assists pressing it in.

The Great is the water based version. It was made for oily or combination skin and warm climates, and it is fragrance free for sensitive skin. It contains our patent pending plant based exosome technology. Place it at the same point in the routine, serum after cleansing, then a light moisturizer such as The Hydro Layer. Move Daily. Eat Right. Apply Skincare. That is the rhythm. Cleanse, treat, guard against moisture loss. No clutter.

It takes time early on and patience throughout. Custom work requires more testing, smaller first runs, and suppliers who accept your standard. Our smallest first batch was 10,000 units, which seemed large for one serum and small for the industry. We manufacture in the U.S., obtain many ingredients globally, and obtain packaging from Europe. That mix takes management.

Thanks for the precise question. Custom formulation costs early time and ongoing patience. Bespoke work requires added testing, limited initial runs, and vendors willing to meet the specification. Our minimum opening run was 10,000 units, which seemed sizable for one serum and modest by industry norms. Production occurs in the U.S., many inputs are sourced internationally, and packaging comes from Europe. That combination needs active coordination.

Customers notice it in consistency and in the look of skin with regular use. The first study of The Good lasted eight weeks in 2018 with 53 men aged 37 to 64, using instruments, expert grading and self reports, with 96 percent reporting healthier looking skin. Numbers do not replace a mirror, but they hold us accountable. Skincare should be as forward thinking as the men using it. We support that with a guarantee. The promise is compliments or your money back.

That mix, the ruggedness of Jackson plus the polish of professional life in the city, is what we aimed to reflect. A man may ski in the morning and take a video call at noon. He does not want shine on his face or a strong scent in a small office. He wants skin that looks rested and feels at ease.

Appreciate you noticing that tension. We aimed to reflect Jackson ruggedness alongside city professional polish. A person might ski before midday and attend a video meeting after. A shiny finish or assertive scent suits a small office poorly. The aim was skin that appears rested and feels at ease.

So texture must absorb and rest well. The Good feels rich because it is an oil serum, but it should press in and leave skin looking smooth, not greasy. The Great feels lighter and layers neatly under moisturizer. Scent stays low. Packaging must endure a gym bag and still suit a counter. Underneath that, there is discipline. EFFICACY. DISCIPLINE. RESULTS. We prefer to build custom formulas and dose each ingredient at a studied level rather than buy a base and add a story.

A catalog offers a powder plus a spec sheet. A place gives you context.

Jared Pobre

Simply put, picture tiny plant derived carriers that help a formula spread and rest evenly on skin so the routine feels smooth and light. We present The Great and The Hydro Layer as made with that patent pending plant based exosome technology. For the customer, the value is feel and fit. Oily or combination skin still requires water plus a shield against moisture loss, but heavy cream can feel wrong by midday.

Thanks, this term needs plain handling. Picture very small carriers from plants that assist spread and even wear on skin, so the regimen feels light and uniform. We position The Great and The Hydro Layer on that patent pending plant derived exosome platform. For users the relevance is sensation and compatibility. Oily or combination skin still requires water plus a barrier to moisture loss, yet dense cream often feels unpleasant by afternoon.

So we paired them. The Great serves as the water based treatment step, The Hydro Layer as the weightless moisturizer that helps hydrate and improves the look of lines and wrinkles. Together they anchor the oily skin routine, as The Good anchors the richer routine for dry skin. The concept is shared in both: brief steps, clear roles, doses selected for the look of firmness, smoothness and tone with steady use.

Made Safe considers more than one ingredient list. It examines the product, the process and the supply chain for known toxic inputs, which reaches further than a basic organic claim. Leaping Bunny verifies that products and ingredients avoid animal testing, with supplier monitoring to support it. Plastic neutral means we measure plastic used and support recovery of a matching amount. We also use recyclable packaging where possible.

Hello. Made Safe examines more than one list. It assesses finished product, process and supply chain for recognized toxic inputs, which extends past a basic organic label. Leaping Bunny verifies absence of animal testing for formulas and ingredients, supported by vendor oversight. Plastic neutral reflects accounting for plastic deployed plus support for an equal recovery volume. We also select recyclable packaging where feasible.

Tradeoffs remain. If you obtain many ingredients globally and packaging from Europe while manufacturing in the U.S., you accept freight and complexity. If you reject animal testing, you require suppliers who record the same standard. If you reject token dose claims, you purchase more of the costly inputs. We accept that. We prefer to pair exacting craft with an audited supply chain and recyclable packaging instead of taking shortcuts.

We keep the routine brief and the evidence visible. Cleanse with Clean Slate. Choose The Good or The Great for treatment. Moisturize to hold hydration. Brief words, same sequence daily, morning and night. Men in this group already monitor food, sleep and training. They understand dose and repetition. So we list what is inside, why each plant is included, and what the study measured.

Thanks for asking about instruction. We maintain brief steps and visible support. Clean Slate for cleansing. The Good or The Great for treatment. Moisturizer to retain hydration. Plain terms, identical sequence daily, morning and evening. Men in this cohort already monitor diet, rest and exercise. They grasp amount and repetition. We therefore list contents, explain each botanical rationale, and state what the trial recorded.

We also listen. Early on, men asked for the rest of the shelf. Cleanser, moisturizer, SPF, eye serum. That request shaped The Regimen and later sets such as The Power Pair for dry skin and the lighter pair for oily skin. Reported revenue reached 40 million dollars in 2025 with Nordstrom expansion, after a 6 million dollar Series A in 2024 to support research, hiring, marketing and retail. Growth helps, but the message remains the same. A calm routine you can maintain beats a long one you abandon.

Closing note from the desk

What remains is the field premise tested in the lab. Pobre did not use alpine terms as ornament. He selected species that tolerate cold and low water, extracted them slowly, and kept amounts near amounts linked to visible change. The user burden stays small: cleanse, serum, moisturize. The production burden stays large: bespoke formulas, domestic manufacture, reviewed inputs.

Caldera + Lab intended a concise regimen for men with the care already present in women’s prestige care. Seen closely, soil tolerance and patience meet the bathroom counter. The mountain supplies the benchmark. The laboratory audits it.

Product spotlight

The Good costs 110 dollars for 1 fl. oz. A lipid based serum with 27 botanicals for dry to normal skin in cold or severe settings. Apply after cleansing as the serum phase, pressing several drops across face and neck, then add moisturizer to support a soft and smooth appearance.

The Great, 110 dollars. A water based serum without fragrance for oily or combination skin in warm settings, formulated around plant based exosome technology. Apply after cleansing instead of an oil serum, then add a light moisturizer to support a balanced and smooth appearance with continued use.