The Story Behind the Skincare Brand That Changed What Men Put on Their Face | Mind Pump
Aug 11, 2026
In this episode the guys sit down with Jared Pobre, founder and CEO of Caldera Lab, to tell the full origin story of how he created a new category of skincare for men. Jared shares how moving to Jackson Hole at 40 with a new baby wrecked his skin and led him to use his wife’s products — and why that sparked the idea to build a premium natural skincare line specifically formulated for men’s thicker, oilier, testosterone-managed skin. He breaks down the product development process including wild harvesting survivor plants from the Wyoming wilderness, running clinical trials before launching, why they use exosomes as a delivery system, and why natural actives that work with your skin’s microbiome beat harsh retinol-based products every time. The guys share how they started working with Caldera Lab near the beginning — Adam’s psoriasis, Justin’s dry skin and Sal’s oily skin all responding the same way — and why their audience became some of Caldera’s highest value customers. Jared also reveals that Caldera is now Nordstrom’s number two men’s brand just months after launch, has nearly 70% customer retention, and is growing high double digits this year.
Caldera Lab: https://calderalab.com/mindpump
Code: MINDPUMP20 for 20% off your first order.
GUEST LINKS
Jared Pobre — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredpobre
Caldera Lab: https://calderalab.com
Instagram: @calderalab
LINKS
Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com
Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com
Instagram: @mindpumpmedia
0:00 – Intro
1:03 – Why Jared started a skincare brand for men — Jackson Hole, turning 40 and a new baby
3:05 – How he saw the early signs of men caring about skincare before anyone else did
5:42 – Why men’s skin is fundamentally different — 25% thicker, twice as oily, managed by testosterone
6:42 – Why he refused to copy women’s formulas and started from scratch with actives
8:48 – How the skincare industry works — the dirty secret of white-labeling and brand shortcuts
10:45 – Why going all natural is far more complicated and expensive than chemical formulations
13:06 – Why every men’s skincare brand before Caldera Lab failed — and why that was a green light
15:07 – How Caldera launched in January 2019 with 10,000 units and immediately started selling
17:47 – Customer loyalty nearly at 70% and why men are the most loyal customers once you win them
21:12 – How Adam found Caldera Lab, how he got Justin and Sal to try it and what happened
28:58 – How Mind Pump validated Caldera’s core thesis that the longevity and wellness market was the customer
30:54 – The skin microbiome — why skin health reflects gut health, liver health and hormone health
35:05 – The Good — wild harvested survivor plants from Wyoming, botanists and two years of development
38:40 – Clinical trials: 40+ strangers, third party labs, 60-90 days and holding their breath for the results
40:31 – How exosomes work as a delivery system and why The Great and Hydro Layer were built for normal to oily skin
43:38 – Why Caldera stays away from retinol and why natural actives work better for most men’s skin
44:48 – Adam’s psoriasis, Sal’s microbiome take and why Justin’s wife switched to Caldera permanently
49:05 – What’s next — staying in their lane, deodorant coming, no supplements and the Nordstrom story
