The Story Behind the Skincare Brand That Changed What Men Put on Their Face

Key Takeaway

Treat skincare as part of basic health maintenance, not a cosmetic afterthought. Today, assess how your skin responds to your environment—especially dry climate, sun exposure, or irritation—and simplify your routine around one gentle product you can use consistently. Avoid assuming that a harsher product is better: the episode’s core lesson is to prioritize formulas that support skin comfort and health, then judge them by how your skin responds over days and weeks.

Episode Overview

Mind Pump speaks with Jared, founder and CEO of Caldera Lab, about building a premium skincare company for men from an unmet personal need. They cover the role of climate and aging in skin health, the company’s lengthy product-development and clinical-testing process, the shift toward men’s self-care, and how customer feedback and in-house marketing helped the brand grow.

Full Transcript

Transcript of The Story Behind the Skincare Brand That Changed What Men Put on Their Face from Mind Pump Show. Auto-generated from episode audio; may contain minor errors.

You've just found the most downloaded fitness, health, and entertainment podcast . This is the Mind Pump. In today's episode, we have the CEO of Caldera Lab on the podcast. Caldera Lab is innovating in the skincare market . First, they are one of the leading men's skincare companies . I know that was a place nobody wanted to go. Well, they went and rocked it. Their products are natural and leave the skin healthier . So, we invited them to talk on the show about the history of this company, why they focus on men, the reason for the name, and how the products actually work.

So, we know you're going to love this episode, and of course, it's brought to you by Caldera Lab. And if you access our link, you'll get a 20% discount. Visit calderalab.com/mindpump and use code mindpump20 to get a 20% discount . The program is there. Jared, welcome to the program. Thanks. Thank you for having me. So, founder of Caldera Lab, I wanted to ask you this. So, it seems you've created a new category of skincare. You targeted an audience that no one else wanted to serve in the skincare industry.

Like, where did the idea come from? And by the way, you guys are killing it. You guys are doing a good job. So, obviously, his guess was right. But what led you to seek out skincare products for men? Like, how did all this start? Yes. Yes, that's a great question. So, I've never created a physical product before, as an entrepreneur. I was an entrepreneur, and I have been an entrepreneur for most of my career . I started in the advertising technology industry in Southern California a few years after graduating from college .

And about 15 years later, I had the opportunity to sell part of the business and take a break. That was when my wife and I, with a newborn baby, started living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Living in that alpine climate, if you go to Tahoe and all that, your hands start to get very dry and grayish. Your skin starts to dry out, your lips, things like that. It started happening to me. I was, you know, approaching 40, with a newborn baby, starting to see the signs of aging, and I was getting very cracked, things like that.

The products I used for men, for me, in my 20s and 30s , simply stopped working completely and started making my skin even worse. So, very cliché, I started using some of my wife's products. And one or two of them transformed my skin. And I thought, "Wow, how amazing is that, you know? Why doesn't this exist for men?" And that's how , in a way, everything began from that point onward. onward. onward. So you think, "Okay, guys need this, but guys also don't care, or historically haven't cared, about skincare products .

Do . Do . Do we make them care about it?" about it?" about it?" Yes, have you thought about that? You thought, "Well, the guys don't really like how I'm going to sell this to them?" them?" them?" You know, interestingly, I've started to see a trend, you know, as I mentioned, I just turned 40, of my friends starting to use more skincare products, right? Including me and the people in Jackson Hole, guys who are kind of tough, you know, like mountaineers, extreme skiers and stuff like that, you know?

Surprisingly, you know, they would tell me, "Oh, yes, I was using that product." And I thought, "I'm using the same thing." "You know? So that's interesting. Then it started to make sense. It started to make sense:" Wait a minute, there are men who are using skincare products. Maybe not on a massive scale, but I had a vision of it. At some point, there will be a tipping point when this happens, where men will become more consumers in this category. That was the long- term vision. term vision.

term vision. Yeah, you think, like, how big the move to Jackson Hole had to be. Because, for me personally, that was before I met Kyler. I did n't even realize I had this problem until I experienced going to, like, Reno and Lake Tahoe and living in California near the coast and getting a little older. I did n't realize it when I was a child. For some reason, when I got into my early 30s, I started noticing things like, "Oh my God, when I go here, as much as I love going to Tahoe, my lips start to crack and my skin gets dry, and now I have psoriasis and it's getting worse." So, if you hadn't made that change, do you think you would have done it?

Do you think you see that ? Do you think you notice a difference in your skin? Did you notice this even in California? California? Not so bad, you know, because I lived near the ocean. Yes. And you... Which is cool. There's good humidity in the air. But when I reached that altitude, things intensified exponentially. It's like being in the desert in Palm Springs and all that. It's dry too. You know, you dry out really fast. And this really took my skin health to a different level, one I had never experienced before.

And you know, skin is like that thing that becomes visible when you see someone or they see you; if your skin isn't healthy, that's the first thing you notice... you notice... you notice... That's right. That's right. That's right. You know, you identify as someone who seems a little tired or like something's going on there, you know? And then, for me, you know, when I started feeling these things and was able to resolve them with some of my wife's products, that inspired us. We thought: why do n't these types of products exist for men?

The thing is, some ingredients work better for men's skin because men's skin is 25% thicker. It's twice as oily, and it is, it is, it's controlled by testosterone, isn't it? So, you know, there's the question of: why not just use products for women's skin? Well, they're made for women's skin, right? Our skin is different. And that's what really inspired me to delve deeper and start learning about how to truly create products for men's skin tones. Okay. So, the first one you tried, which was a women's product, and you already noticed that it helped, how different is its formulation from this one?

Because I imagine that was probably the base. You think: "Okay, something here is working." Yes. How can I improve this? How was that process? Great question. So what we did was start analyzing, observing, and researching all the different assets available. Active available. Active available. Active ingredients are what truly make a difference to the skin. Actually, they're like supplements, vitamins for the skin , right? And we have assets that include clinical data and research on male skin, male hair, and male endocrinology. And then we started focusing on them, right?

That have clinical data that actually improve the quality of your skin. And that's when the whole journey began to unlock one door after another, like, "Wow, you can actually create an entire formula tailored for men's skin." And that hadn't been done, based on our previous research. Everything was somewhat unisex, or they are primarily women's brands or women's formulas that we repurposed for men with different scent profiles. That's what was happening in the men's skincare category at the time, you know? You know, in the skincare industry it's interesting because I think it's very similar to the supplement industry.

You can go to these co-manufacturers, show up, and say, "Hey, I'm a new brand. You know, I'm really good at marketing. I want to create a new brand of supplements or skincare, right?" And they'll show you a menu. Here are your cleansing products, your moisturizers, and your other products. And then you can put this perfume here, you like this perfume. Okay, go to a branding agency, come back and select your packaging, we'll put all that in there and you'll be on the market in 6 months.

Wow. Wow. Wow. And that exists. That existed. It's not like like like the game of cologne and perfume, is it? Isn't that a lot? I think so. Supplements are like that. He's right . . . Yes, I mean, perfumes are... I think they're owned by a large conglomerate that owns most of the perfumes. And then all these fancy brands put their logos on that perfume, and it's like there's nothing else like it, and they sell it as if it were some crazy formula they came up with, and it's like: it's like: it's like: that's it.

that's it. that's it. So, I have to give you a quick answer because my wife stopped using your feminine care products and she uses...she steals my Caldera Lab products. Nice. Nice. Nice. She likes it much more than the other products. So, even though it's formulated for men, it's also different because when I look at women's products, when I look at the ingredients, uh, their products are... this is such an absurd term, they're natural. There are many natural ingredients, while the other products are mostly chemical. This is something very important for you guys.

This is very important for you. Right? you. Right? you. Right? That was the case from the beginning. When we started delving into this category, what was happening in the women's category was this clean sweep. People were moving away from toxic skin products, toxic household products, and things like that. We had a baby and my wife dedicated herself completely to it. And it has always been fundamental for us to have a product line made with natural ingredients, but high-quality natural ingredients. They are ingredients of natural origin that are of very high quality, almost medical grade, you know?

And these are the active ingredients. So, we always create our products with science and nature as a combination, right? This is the principle behind how we select our ingredients and create our formulas . So, clean now and free of toxins, that's basically the minimum level expected to enter the game, right? In Europe, there are around 1,200 banned ingredients, right? Here, they are not prohibited. There are about 20, you know? So, historically, there are all these brands and products that had a lot of these things that maybe weren't so good for you, you know, and we're finding that out now, with people getting sick and everything.

Now, how much harder and more expensive is it to follow the natural path than to simply go with the flow and throw in a little... little... little... It's much more complicated, right? Because , you know, things that are made chemically, right? They're made in a laboratory, right? They produce them very easily and they can combine well with other chemicals. When you have products of natural origin or natural ingredients, right ? They need to be tested with other ingredients for stability, irritation, and things of that nature.

Okay. I Okay. I Okay. I mean, all products do that, but only when they're natural-based, right? Hmm, they have a little more potential to, you know, interact with another ingredient, not in the way you intended, you intended, you intended, right? So, to mix them, the smell, the texture, like, I can see how...Ah , these two great natural things should be good for your skin, but man, they just don't work together. work together. work together. So, have you come across this often? Have you ever thought something like, "Oh, I really want this, but it's like, 'Yeah, just like that,' so when we started this, we began reaching out to the best scientists, formulators, and green chemists in the industry, telling them about our vision of creating a high-performance, premium skincare brand for men?" And many of them loved it.

Everyone said we were crazy at the same time. Yes, right. Just because, you know, from their experience, the sector wasn't ready yet, right? And some of the brands before us simply failed, you know. Almost all the celebrity celebrity celebrity men's skincare brands before us didn't work out , you know? And then we said that this is a great place to be. If someone tells you not to go into this field, you'll probably want to delve deeper into it. It's an open sea. It's essentially... Yes. Yes.

They are green pastures. Yes. So, actually, that's one of the questions I...was going to ask you because you're doing this and you're thinking, cool, fewer competitors. However, everyone seems to fail in this area. So, a large part of that, I know for sure, but I'd like to ask you, it would be like, how do we reach that audience? How do we get men to consider skincare products? Historically, this simply hasn't worked. It doesn't matter which soccer player or athlete or whatever presented this. So you must have looked at this and said, okay, how are we going to approach this and connect with men?

And how did that go? Yes. So I built this business largely around my personal journey and the people and friends around me . You know, as I mentioned, as I started to get older, my skin began to suffer. You know, I've started investing more and more in nutrition, fitness, and well-being, right? Longevity, taking care of myself. And self-care is a big part of that, right? As we brought this brand to market, we identified a customer group, and many of them are your customers, right? They all enjoy the same things, same things, same things, right?

We've started exploring a self-optimization movement, self-optimization movement, self-optimization movement, right? This longevity movement, this fitness movement, this type of wellness, you know, category, right? It's a change in consumer behavior, right? Fully. right? Fully. right? Fully. It's a change in consumer behavior. Did you see or feel it while it was happening? It was something like you, a bit of both. I knew, you know, from myself and from the people around me, it's like, you know, I have friends who kind of went the opposite way, you know, they don't exercise, they eat junk food, you know, they do n't care, you know, they don't think twice about their overall well-being , right?

And they are great. They love what they do, right? And then I have other friends like me who are very conscious about how we present ourselves every day and what we put into our bodies and how we train and how we think about all of that—it's all part of our overall our overall our overall well-being optimization, right? So, you see this movement happening and start exploring this advertising, right? On social media, right? And friends, through podcasts and other things, exploring where these customers are consuming their content and then showing up with ads that, you know, explain our brand ethos that skincare is also about skin health and your overall health, and exploring that movement.

That's where I think we hit a sensitive point with our consumers. When you, uh, the market, what do you want? you want? you want? So, we launched in 2019. We started product development in 2017. Then, we worked on the product for almost 2 years and then did a real clinical trial to validate the performance , and then we launched in January 2019. 2019. 2019. Right. We were partners at the beginning. What was the...we'll get to that because I want to ask this, but what percentage of the skincare market was male when you started?

Because how do you envision what it would be like? Like, what's the size of a slice? I think it was very...they were low single digits. This is almost nonexistent. Yes. Yes. Low figures for premium men's skincare. Our first product that we launched, the good one, which is our Hero Skew, costs $ 110. 110. 110. That's the other part that I thought was, I mean, you're basically on a double jump. It's like a double jump right there . It's like I had to convince the guys the guys the guys and I was going to earn $110.

Yeah, and that's why everyone said we were crazy. were crazy. Yes, okay. So, so, and that's how you know you've done a great job, because we work with... I've seen it with a few companies, not many, where they launch a product, everyone says it's crazy, and then it does so well that it creates a new market. I feel like you guys did this. Like, how do we know what the statistics are right now, what percentage of the skincare market? Has this changed since 2019? It has been growing at a double-digit rate.

It's been growing by double digits. I don't know exactly, I haven't looked at the recent data, but, you see, our business is growing exponentially. Okay. Okay. Okay. And, and, and, so, we are, and, and, 98% of our clients, you know, in our research I say that they are male clients. And we look at our client list and they're all men. And they are buying them for themselves. So, the movement is here. Did that happen? Was it immediate or was it slow? No, so when we launched, you know, we didn't know if we'd end up with a warehouse stock of 10,000 of these things, right?

We only ordered 10,000 because that was the minimum order and we didn't want to come across as too aggressive in our approach. We launched and started selling on the first day . We started selling and, you know, we started growing more and more. Each month was bigger than the last, and when we got to January, when summer arrived, we started to see that our stock was really running out and people were buying again. And we thought, "Holy [ __ ], maybe this is a real deal.

We'll have to place another purchase order." Then, place another order. We immediately started receiving feedback, you know, "I love your product." I use a cleaner. I use a moisturizer. Can you launch them on the market as well? And it was when we started receiving this feedback loop, I think that was the moment we said, "Okay, we have the confidence to move forward and really start growing and building this." building this." building this." Their customer retention rate is insane. insane. insane. Yes. Yes. Yes. Right, because, because, okay, so I'd love to, Adam, you have to share how we started working with them because I'll get there too, but I want to ...

So, you had experience in advertising before this. Correct? But that was on the B2B side. Okay. Okay. Okay. So, never in a Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Totally different, but there's still some overlap. some overlap. some overlap. Yes, in fact. Yes. Yes. Yes, so you have a decent foundation. I mean, to the point that, I mean, I'm so curious to know how you created your brand, how beautiful it is . It's obvious. Did you hire someone to do this? Did you figure that out on your own?

How many revisions were there to determine how this should be and everything else? Did you spend a lot of time on this? How much did you have to spend before even seeing if there was a market for it? So, you were having financial problems even before, you know, you went out there? Like, what was that like? Did you enjoy it? Many questions, but all good ones. So, uh, I did a lot of research on the industry right from the start. Like, you know, who are the branding companies for these brands, you know, these creative agencies that you go to with an idea and they create your brand, your packaging, and things of that nature.

Do you know who the PR agencies are? Who are the contracted manufacturers? Who are the formulators? So, I researched all of these things. And then, you know, the competition that exists in the men's category, you know, in the women's category. We did all this research and then decided to develop a plan and a strategy, right? Thinking about the name, you know, the location where the company would be founded, you know, what our first product would be? You know, what would the gears be? All of these things, right?

So , you know, in terms of cost, yes , I had to invest a lot of money in that company initially to get it off the ground, to design the brand, to do the packaging, to place that first MOQ order, you know, 10,000 units, right? And then build the website, you know, assemble a small team of of of product development and e-commerce experts, and then launch it, right? So, it takes a while, you know, and I didn't have any experience, so yeah, I didn't understand the advertising ecosystem and how things are created, yeah.

yeah. yeah. But it was completely new and it was a challenge. It was an exciting challenge because switching from advertising technology to consumer technology is something completely different in many respects. You know, you're dealing with real customers, right? And if those real customers don't buy again, you're lost, you know? And, you know, I think what sets us apart, when I know what sets us apart, is the development of our product. So, you know, going back to that idea of using a contract manufacturer: they have these formulas, you can just buy them, you know, you get exclusivity on them, whatever it is, put a fragrance on them and you're in the market with your new men's skincare business.

This also happened on the women's side. So, the brands we identified in the women's category that were doing really interesting work, we're doing all the customized formulations for them. Right? So, they are starting from scratch. Right? With your own briefings and your selections of ingredients, you iterate and iterate and iterate and test through clinical trials and things of that nature, and then you go to market. That's a very long time. It takes about 2 to 3 years to launch a product on the market. There is a lot of risk.

What if it doesn't work after it's launched? If you have stability issues, all those things, right ? You wasted all this time fighting against the idea of ​​failing fast. So, we adopted the longer, harder path approach in product development, but that's the only way we've identified to create truly compelling formulas . that are truly effective. Yes. Yes. Yes. And they generate repeat purchases. Yes. Yes. Yes. And that has been our differentiating factor, product development. And then we've gone even further with this recently, you know, you have, you know, patented formulas, right?

With existing ingredients that you can buy from the best ingredient suppliers. You know, peptides and exosomes and all that stuff, right? Yes. Yes. Actually, we moved into the biotechnology category, where we started working on creating our own patented ingredients with the best laboratories in Europe, right? So, you know, the category of exosomes is the one we've focused on most recently. So, you know, product development is what really set us apart and allowed us to build a brand, enter the market, grow year after year, quarter after quarter, become profitable, and then start riding the wave we're riding now, right?

Where word of mouth is key, you know, our entire distribution channel is working. We're going now. We just walked into Nordstrom. You know, you know, you know, you know, wow. Incredible. wow. Incredible. wow. Incredible. What happened that led us to launch this in May? May? May? Incredible. Incredible. Incredible. And now we've been, you know, it's been shared that we're the second men's brand, you know? Incredible. I Incredible. I Incredible. I don't know if I can say this, but anyway, okay, so the other thing that, because of all this, is important, for sure, because what I mean is that you focus on the customer, they understand the product, they love the product.

They say this is one of the best ways to build and establish a foundation. But the other thing I think entrepreneurs simply don't realize is that it doesn't matter if you have the best product in the world, that it's in the hands of thousands of people to test it and fall in love with it, to tell thousands of people about it. So, you had, you know, back then , a , a , a social media or podcast strategy? Like, how would you put that in your hands?

I have this amazing product. You know you're going to win there. win there. win there. For people who aren't even interested in interested in interested in Yes, then everyone who is your family , right, your circle. So, maybe 100 people, right, are saying how amazing this is. But 100 people don't build a multi-million dollar business. So, what's the strategy for how I go about spreading this information to everyone? Yes. So, it was a lot of failure and learning. learning. learning. Okay. Okay. Okay. You know, it was like, yeah, we, you know, we have our website, right?

Excellent. You know, social media. That's definitely what you need, right? Go ahead and create a meta account and start advertising , okay? We did this to try it out on our own. So, like, okay, we're not doing so well. So, we're going to hire an agency, you know, for growth marketing, right? Okay, let's hire some hire some hire some consultants to help us figure out how to build a growth funnel, shall we ? How to build ads, how to build landing pages, right? How do you think about this whole growth funnel, you know, the top of the funnel, the middle of the funnel, the bottom, all those things that, you know, exist in D2C marketing.

We didn't have experience in, you know. And very little, right? With the team I put together. And so, each year we improved a little, became a little smarter. And we went from one agency to another, and finally I put together an in-house team. And that was difficult. It was difficult. We, you know, this was almost, you know, 7 years ago, probably. Right? And, you know, 6 years ago. And that's when we really started to see progress happen, when we started building our internal team and learning how to do all these things internally.

Isn't it funny that I'm part of a founders' group with many successful founders? And one of the common themes that we were all discussing recently in Miami, that we all share—all of us who have been doing this for over 10 years— is this turning point. We all hired all of these agencies. We all had stories about this, like this one, this one here, and all the learning experiences, and then eventually, when everything clicked into place, that's when we built it internally because, you know, what do you think this is?

You think that nobody will ever, you know, love your child the way you do, and, like, nobody will know your voice and brand as well as you do, right? Yes , I feel the same way. What it was? So, you built everything in-house? And by the way, I also gave you some flowers. We use the ads you place about us. So, regarding your whitelisting ads from us, we try to teach other partners how you do it so well. We have to train many other partners on how you take the content we create when we talk about our partners and brands that we love and create ads from that, and you, whoever is doing this on your team, are doing a phenomenal job.

They do such a good job that we use them as an example of how you need to figure this out because we don't do it for them. We literally do what we do, which is talk about the brand we love, and they know how to put the pieces together and make a great ad. And what's interesting about this is that the team we assembled didn't come from big brands or established companies, to tell you the truth . The team I assembled consisted of very of very of very talented and intelligent young professionals at the beginning of their careers, who realized they had very high growth potential and developed those skills internally with our brand, becoming a part of it.

They know it inside and out, they are the brand. brand. brand. That makes sense. Yes, that's a very good question, because there's no doubt about how good their products are. Your repurchase or loyalty rate should be extremely high. And I know this because I have a large family. I come from a large Italian family. There are many male cousins. There are nine of us, all the same age. And once a year we throw a Christmas party for Mind Pump. And then we invited them. And for each guest we invite to this Christmas party , we give them a small bag of goodies that includes some gifts and other things.

And we put Caldera Lab products there. And now my cousins don't care about skincare. Zero . And these are guys who wash their faces using, for example, dish soap. They don't care at all . Each of them is a regular customer. regular customer. regular customer. Legal. Legal. Legal. Yes, because they use it once and say, "My God, this is amazing." "So, your loyalty, I mean, can you share what that's like, because it must be very high? Yes, we're at the very highest level, so for a consumer brand, anything above 30-40% is decent.

We're at almost 70%, so we're at 60%. Are men usually this loyal to products, or is that an even harder market to conquer? I mean, I've heard men are loyal. I am loyal. You know, when I buy shoes, clothes, or any brand that I like and that works for me, I stick with them. You know, so I know that, and we always hear that, but yes, our customers are super loyal. That's an interesting question. I wonder if comparing men and women, because women are generally better customers, right?

They 're buyers. They're consumers. They're consumers. But I bet when you win a guy over, we're probably more loyal to his brand. Like, we're like that with everything. I find a diner and I eat the same damn sandwich. You never leave there. My wife hates it. She stays." Type: "Do you want to go back to the same restaurant multiple times?" " Yes, it's annoying." I know. I know. I know. There's one thing that needs to be said when you win over a client, like, they'll probably...

they'll probably... they'll probably... Okay, Adam, I want you to tell them how we started working with them. Well, yes, that's it. We...How long has it been? Yes... So, do you remember what year it was? Because it must have been very close to when you guys were launching. Was this the first podcast you worked on? Yes, I think so. I think we made a few podcasts in a short period of time. In a mix of 30 days, I think you guys were one out of four or five.

Yes. Yes. Yes. And I...I remember when that happened, so, my...myself and my...and I, actually, I don't know if Cat...if Katrina was helping me at that time or if it was from the Taylor era. But I've always led the partnerships side. And normally, the way this happens is that I... I do a good part of the negotiations, talking to the ... partners. If I think it's something worth taking to these guys, I'll take it to them and say, "Hey, here's a company that wants to work with this.

Give it a try. See what you like." And I understood. And I mentioned that, of the four of us, probably...maybe I didn't include Doug either, I'm interested in more of that stuff, right? They tease me for being the most feminine of all of us, right? So, I care about my appearance. I care about these things, right? Yes. Yes, Justin washes his face with gasoline. Justin and Sal don't do anything . And then I started using it... I have psoriasis. And so, and I am very much against all those steroid creams that they try to give you, things like that.

Do you have sensitive skin? Do you have sensitive skin? sensitive skin? sensitive skin? And I have very sensitive skin, and man , it's like I saw a difference instantly, and I loved it, and I thought, man, I really like this. But I remember thinking, damn, these guys aren't...None of these idiots wear anything like that. And then I took it to them. them. them. For sure. For sure. For sure. And I said, hey, I really like this, I like this brand. I liked everything about your brand, your website, I saw it .

Obviously, I loved the product. And I said, let's try this. And I don't even remember what I originally presented to you about advertising because I think I thought, I'll give them a really low price because I don't want to, I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want to, like, because it might be boring. boring. boring. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. And I convinced the guys to at least give it a try. And I'm sure it took off very, very well. Sold. I'll tell you what convinced me .

So, I'm a big science guy. So I looked at some of the ingredients and thought, "Huh, this is interesting." Personally, I found this to be very good for the skin's microbiome. That's where I come from. Because I know that the skin microbiome is very important. Many people don't realize that there is a microbiome on the skin. Hmm. And you know, you said something earlier about how your skin is one of the first things people notice. Well, that's because your skin reveals a lot about your health.

Intestinal health problems will show up on your skin. Liver problems will show up on your skin. Even problems with blood lipids will show up on your skin. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. So, that kind of piqued my interest. But what convinced me was that you couldn't have two guys with more different skin tones than Justin and me. Yes. Yes. Yes. Like, Like, Like, he's really wild. It is dry and grayish. I have oily and dark skin, okay? And how can we achieve similar results? similar results? similar results?

We used what I think was good, right? This is the serum. And we both thought, "Oh, it's oil, it's going to make my face super oily." No, it balances. This guy puts it on, look, and we both agree: I think, I think we're going to use this, okay? And then we were completely convinced. " I think that's part of it too. I believe that also applies to the supplement market. The supplements that work best and give results are the ones that people feel the effects of immediately." immediately." immediately." Right?

So, if it were one of those products that say, "Use this for 30 days and we promise your skin will get better." And it's like: "What guy is going to do this every day?" But it's like you do it once and feel and see the difference right away. And then, something like : "Okay, that's cool." And so, yes, it was a little difficult to get them to try. They were open. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, it was like, I'm going to do this. And so, they were open to it, but then the response we got from our audience was simply incredible.

Were we a big part of that initial effort to reach that audience? Did that make a big difference? You... Yes, that opened our eyes. Very. That's your target audience, you know, people who like self-optimization , well-being, longevity, and fitness, right? That we have a customer base . Right? And we explored that through your podcast. This validated what we assumed would be a really strong customer base. And now it's been, you know, pure chemistry, you know? It's been, you know, an incredible relationship, and your clients are some of our most valuable clients.

I am you. You know, I imagine so too, because it's such a perfect match when you think about the narrative of what you've done and what you're trying to do when creating a new market. What happens when this is similar to what's happening even in the peptide space, and why we perform so well for these companies, is that there's a bit of an educational process that you need. Right? How to try to educate men about why this is good for them, the skin microbiome, by understanding it.

These are some of the things I think Sal does so well on the podcast because he convinces them, and then, once you convince them to try it, you deliver the product. So it's like we're doing a great job of explaining why this is so good, how it helps you, why it will work . And then when you deliver on the back-end, oh, it's an amazing product, it's just a win-win situation, and it's been incredible to watch, and we joke about it all the time, like, who would have imagined that we'd have a skincare product that's probably our number one?

I don't think it would have worked if it were just aesthetic marketing. No. Not at all. all. all. Yes, I think this whole natural and health angle for men, like, it makes sense because it's like, "Okay, this is functionally good for me. It's like my skin benefits from this, instead of being like, 'Oh, I'll look younger.' I don't know many guys who talk like that. But I must say it's the strangest thing . I've done some ads for you guys and they're true. They're honest. honest.

honest. Hmm. Some Hmm. Some Hmm. Some people have come up to me at the gym, guys, and commented on my skin, which is very strange for a grown man. But that happened about four times. times. times. Yes. You have great skin. I immediately thought, "Oh, well, that's the company I work with, Caldera." I've even been stopped in the street to ask if I was a spokesperson for you guys, because of the ads you do. No, I have a podcast that I run. So, talk a little about the science that's applied in the development of our products and also the ingredients.

Yes. The first product you launched , was this one? Was this the first one? Right. So, what was used in it, or what is it about it that makes it work so well? Let's talk about some of the different ones you have now. Yes. Yes. So, what's good. So, being Jackson, that's a cool story, right? So, my wife and I started meeting with a botanist. A botanist is someone who studies plants, right? And I bet you find excellent botanists out there. You probably have some amazing botanists out there.

there. there. Ethnobotanist. Ethnobotanist. Ethnobotanist. Ethnobotanist is someone who studies how humans work with plants for medicinal purposes and things of that nature. That nature. So, we had an idea of ​​how we could find plants in the region that had healing properties for the skin and that we could use in our products. And working with the botanist from Jackson Hole, in Mountain West, we identified several plants, fireweed, elderberry, and several others, which we started testing in the labs we were talking about. So, with the green scientists we worked with and the formulators, who were biologists and all these academics and As skincare experts, we compiled an ingredient list with over 2,000 ingredients.

ingredients. ingredients. Wow! Something Wow! Something Wow! Something to evaluate and think about, right? And with the intention of trying to bring some of these plants from Jackson Hole, in the region. And the reason is that these plants that live there in that region are called survivor plants, right? They are survivor plants because they live in really harsh conditions. They go away and become dormant in the winter and come back very vibrant in the summer and are full of antioxidants, right? antioxidants, right? That's funny because when you grow plants and you want to make them really strong with anything that stresses them.

stresses them. stresses them. That's right. That's right. Interesting. Interesting. Interesting. Yes. And so, instead of getting, you know, cultivated ingredients, even if they are organically grown, right? Wild plants have a lot more antioxidants. And so, we tested that, you know, to verify that. And that kind of thinking and philosophy of science started to go into how we built The Good. And The Good was, you know, very, you know, naturally derived. It was an oil-based serum, which at the time did n't really exist, You know, oil-based serums for men, or in general, you know?

But when using that type of product in that area, it felt so good on my skin and on the people we tested it with, you know? So from there we started looking at really high-level active ingredients, like ananthrozantham, I think that's what it's called. And combining those types of active ingredients with some of these plants, like fireweed, etc., and then testing them to see how they perform in a lab and then doing a real clinical trial. A clinical trial is really one where you, you know, go down to 40, 50, 60 people you have no relationship with.

This is run by a lab; they test in various ways through ways through ways through instrument testing, but also photography and surveys and everything else, to get real, real, real, third-party validated results, right? And that's how we got to a point where we could actually launch a product that we believe in, that we think will have repeat purchases and that will really drive effectiveness. So that's when the brand It started, you know? And then we started working with sophisticated formulators and scientists to bring more plant- based, biotech skincare products .

. . I get it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How the heck do you find guys like that? Is there something like Google or something, or is it like a friend introducing you to another type of person? Yeah, research helps, right? And one. So, you know these contract manufacturers, you know these formulators , you look up scientists in the category on LinkedIn and nature stuff, and you start contacting them saying, "Hey, you know, this is my brand, so I'm developing it." Some will say, " Yeah, we'll work with you." And some will say, "No, we don't think you have a chance and you're not worth my time, you know?" "And as we've grown as a brand, we now have access to the leading industry lines that have built the best brands.

best brands. best brands. Yes. Yes. Yes. You know, in the space. What? How? How many of the active or good plants are from wild-grown plants? Is it a large percentage? There are about four of them that are in what we call things you need to get directly from nature. Every summer, we have botanists who are harvesting in the wild, saying, 'How does this happen?'" "They go to nature, they go to their places. They know where they are and they harvest in nature, and they do it responsibly, so they don't take the whole area, but a part so that it regenerates.

They do this in different areas. My God! And how does that work? Do you have to buy land to do this or can you do it in... So, they have their regions and they have their relationships with whoever they are with, and they harvest in nature. Are there popular or commonly used active ingredients in other skincare products that you don't use? Like retinol. Do you use retinol? We don't use retinol. We use plant-based retinols and things like that , because most of it I end up testing directly on myself .

Whenever I use retinol, my face gets extremely irritated. That's right. That's right. That's right. And it can't, it can't get rid of it, you know, and the problem with retinol is that you have to keep using it because it basically corrodes. Yes, it kills the layers of the skin. It's like when you have a scab and it disappears and you're left with that..." White or pinkish skin, you know? It's the same thing with your face, and you have to go through this process for about three weeks or something.

My face can't handle it, and many men I know can't either because they have sensitive skin, you know, so we stay away. And that's what happened when I was testing, you know, a lot of women's products that had some of these really advanced, you know, high- quality ingredients that did these peels and other things. They're aggressive. They're aggressive, you know, it doesn't work for me, you know, and it didn't work for the people my friends did, so we stayed away from some of them, you know?

But there are active ingredients that are gentler, right? That might work for men's skin types. That's why my wife switched, since she used all the other options. She, you know, is obviously a woman, so she used feminine things. And now she's switched and mainly, if not exclusively, uses Caldera Lab products . She says it doesn't feel like she's forcing her skin to look healthy. It's almost like she's just encouraging the person to have a healthy appearance. Healthy, or just becoming healthier. Considering the other things were harsh, I think that would be the right word.

That's a great point. You know, this whole anti-aging thing, right ? It's kind of nonsense, right? Right? We're all aging, right? Yes. You know, we have anti-aging products , but they're products for healthy aging. You know, that's a great point. You, it's healthy aging, right? And I think the content you produce, right? It's like you 're trying to help people age in a healthy, sensible way, right? And that's what our products do. You know, as your wife points out, you don't have to go through this war of looks and feels with your skin to get it to look the way you want.

You'll use it and your skin will look healthier in a few days, about weeks, for most people. Well, the first time. Yes. Yes. Yes. You mentioned exosomes. I know that 's a big talking point right now. Which of your products is rich in exosomes? Which one is it? So, last year, we launched two products In the market. A new skincare serum called Great and a new moisturizer called Hydra Layer. Layer. Layer. Layer, that's it. Right. And both products have our new patent-pending exosomes. And we developed them specifically for men's skin.

Exosomes are very small and are a delivery system. And what that means is that they can penetrate significantly deeper significantly deeper significantly deeper into the dermis of the skin, to the places that really need the ingredients, right? And that's what the exosomes do . . . They're releasing. They're releasing. They're releasing. It's a delivery mechanism, right? And they can retain a huge amount of fluids or moisture, I think so , right? , right? , right? Right. That's right. Yes. Okay Yes. Okay Yes. Okay . So, you have the base layer, the hydro layer, the good one.

What are they all different or how are they different? What are they all good for? good for? good for? Yes, so when we created the line with the good and the base layer, it was for drier skin, drier climates, right? Hmm, but, you know, we left out a certain type of skin, you know, that's more normal. Oily skin, right? And then, as we started building the business and began to get interest from our customers saying, "Hey, I have oily skin." I live in Miami. I can't use your products because they're made for a drier skin type, a drier climate, right?

So, that was one of the reasons why we started down the path of: "Okay, let's create new products, but let's also add even more intensity of new biotechnological ingredients and continue to promote innovation." So, this was the great Hydralayer that we released last year and it's been killing it. killing it. killing it. Is it going very well? How has the company grown since you started? started? started? It's been exponential, you know, and this year we're having our best year ever. It is growing at a double-digit rate.

Wow. And it 's profitable. Hmm, you know, we've entered this movement of longevity and self-optimization and well-being, you know, guys are more interested in taking care of themselves and self-care, and skincare is that part, you know , to finish, you know, converting men, you know, who have done all these things, now skincare is like that last part. So, the business is getting into that movement and the acceleration is really exciting. exciting. We've left out the one product that I absolutely love and always talk about, and I'm always telling these guys they need to use it more, which is bar soap for the body .

bar. I have never made lather from a bar of natural soap. What irritates me most about natural soap bars is that it feels like I'm not doing anything. And I know that the foam, the toothpaste, and all that stuff is made to make you feel cleaner and purer, but it doesn't matter. There's something about it that I like the feel of, and seeing the thickness. It's like a legitimate product. Yes, I'm fascinated by how you did it and why no one else with natural soaps can get it to lather.

lather. What is that? So, I So, I So, I mean, you don't need to reveal the secret if it's really a super secret. secret. secret. The core of our product development process. We spend a lot of time creating products to ensure they are amazing. Yes. Yes. Yes. And it's like, well, how do you make a bar of soap amazing? Try it and you'll see how, right? And then, you know, it took time. We went to the best soap manufacturer in the industry and said, you know, we want to create the best-performing men's soap on the market.

And here's what we wanted to do. And here are the ingredients we want in it. And here's what we do n't want in it. And here is the experience we want. And it took time to get there, you know, because these things, you know, when you create them, they have a different experience or they don't last very long because you have all these natural ingredients or these active ingredients and things like that, and they change color. And then you have to go through iteration after iteration after iteration to get it right, and it took a very long time for the bar soap to perform the way it did.

He performs the way I feel he should because I feel it's one of my favorite things. He told us to talk about it. Yes. Yes, no, this bar of soap means, look, I have two more behind me that are... There's one right there . Going home with me. I mean, I'll take a look. It's my favorite product . . . Yes. Surprisingly, it's becoming one of our best-selling products . . . Well, for me, I think that's it, I've always liked natural soaps. When we go to different places, I always try new things, and sometimes those places are too expensive for the things I try.

And what I always hate is that it feels like I'm rubbing wax on my body and I can't see anything. I'm not sure if I have any, but any, but any, but I'm telling you off the record, this guy who talks about his soap, we teased him, we teased him about it. Because I've never seen that before. I've never seen a natural soap like this, that lathers so well and lasts so long, but are you growing in the women's market? Is this starting to grow? Because I can think of another brand that went after men in a market that everyone thought was crazy and that they blew up, and now they're reaching the women's market as a result.

Are you guys noticing this? Yes, yes, we're noticing that, you know , whether it's buying for themselves or for their partners, you know, we don't have that visibility. We know that, like, this happens a lot during the holiday season, but it's a growing percentage of our customer base, but the male side is the bread and butter. This is what we're really building products for, what makes us unique, and where we're seeing growth. Now, is there any consideration given to venturing to the other side? No. No, I think we'll stay out of it .

Yes. Yes, you know, when brands start going down different paths and making all sorts of different products and things, I think we'll never make supplements again. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Great. Don't take supplements. You don't need to do that. Yes. You know, we don't really know, but maybe it's trendy now and we're seeing other brands doing it. You know, very smart investors and such have always told us that when we see a brand start doing something that isn't essential to its brand, brand, brand, right? right?

right? What brought them here? Yes. Yes. Yes. That means something is not going well. well. well. Okay. Okay. Okay. They are becoming desperate. They 're just looking for, you know, LTV, right? So, is there anything in the future that you're working on, something you can mention or talk about? Yes. Yes. Hmm, so, body, we'll continue to delve deeper. You'll see more products there. Skin care will always be our focus. This will always be... Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Our brand focus. We will always be innovating, bringing the best ingredients and the best formulas.

We also take care of our hair. Right? hair. Right? hair. Right? Oh, cool. Oh, cool. Oh, cool. But I think what you'll see next from us is a deodorant that will be released later this year, which we've been working on for a long time. We wanted to enhance the experience. You want to put the highest quality ingredients in it, and, you know, without any white residue, you know, with an amazing aroma, but being natural, you know. I can't wait to see it. And that's something that makes us very excited.

But our skincare products are where the real innovation and science are happening. And then it's you, I mean, you said you tested several podcasts. Our experience with partners who tested our podcasts is that we tend to spoil the experience for them because no one is ever like our audience. So, are you still with the same partner? Did you change partners? Is it just us? Who else are you working with in the podcasting space? Are you still testing this? What does that mean? We spend a lot on podcasts.

Yes, this is a legal channel for us. It's an authentic way to reach customers we don't reach through social media and other advertising channels. So, yes, podcasts are a really cool channel, but you guys are number one. You know, your audience is number one. Yes. Trying to renegotiate the contract, right? No, we have a great partner. I mean, you guys are number two. number two. number two. He knows that I know he would be lying. lying. lying. Careful, you're giving him a medal. medal. medal. Competitive.

Competitive. Competitive. What is your best-selling product? The best-selling one is still the best. Okay. Okay. Okay. Our hero skin, our hero skin. It might just be because she's the hero and has been around the longest, or do you think it's just because she's the one everyone... Yes, we've built a very large customer base with her. You know, it's been around since day one. Yeah, you know, we really put all our creativity and all our innovation into what we're putting into it, but you know, the great Hydra layer, you know, those are coming along pretty fast.

The ones we launched last year, but our main skincare products, you know, the top ones, the good ones, the base layer, a cleanser, it's amazing. You know, this is the enormous ice serum. These are the products that generate the most volume for the client, and that's encouraging for us because, you know, as a brand, a brand health score is like, you know, how well your main products are performing? In its main category, things are going well; So you're doing well as a company. Well, I'm going to take this as a personal goal to make bar soap one of the top three because I think that's what people are missing out on.

I think , first of all, I don't know any guy who uses a loofah or any other kind of product, or, like, Doug probably does. Gel products for the body. So, most guys use bar soap, and it's the best bar soap I've ever used in my life. So, I mean, I also have to say this because I know that, like, you know, you have the good one, which is kind of oil-based, and you have the base coat which is a little more matte, and the hydro coat, which is kind of more...

I've used all three. Actually, I use them all, I have all three at home and, depending on which one is closest to me, that's the one I'll probably use. My skin is relatively oily. They all work very well. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. And what that tells me, as someone who likes to research the science behind products and things like that, is that they're all good for my skin. Okay. Okay. Okay. So, like, it doesn't matter if your skin is oily or dry, if you use something that improves your skin's health, Mhm.

Mhm. Mhm. Uh, everything will be alright. It will work. While I think other products are like, "This one is for oily skin. This one is for dry skin." Because it's almost like chemically forcing your skin to look different. Given that I can use any of your products, I can use any of them. And they will all look good on me. They all make my skin look better. My favorite is definitely the good one, but they all work very well, which really shows that you guys understand skin health.

Do you get any feedback from...? So, it's been great for me because of my psoriasis. I stopped using steroid creams, anything like that , and it's been amazing for that. Do you receive feedback from customers who are using it in a similar way? Of course. Okay. Of course. Of course. Of course. Yes, I think it's great for that. I don't know, sometimes with things like this we just ca n't say that. Okay, there are laws and rules. Yes. Yes. Yes. Around those things. Yes, but you know, people write emails and leave reviews , and you know, we feel good about that.

We can't promote it, but we feel good about it as a brand. That's why I, I, that you can't do, because I'm obviously sure you would announce it if you could, but I, I mean, I talk about it, that's what I use it for and it's been amazing to get rid of all those steroid creams and things like that . . . Messages from our listeners who used your products, who have acne, and it really helped treat the acne, which is amazing because you wouldn't expect a moisturizer or a serum, something like that, to do anything to treat acne.

treat acne. treat acne. Yes. Yes. Yes. But again, I think it has to do with the skin's microbiome, because that has a profound effect. Yes. In things like that. Yes. Do you receive messages from people about this sort of thing? thing? thing? Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's amazing. That's amazing. That's amazing. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's very, very crazy. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, So, So, where is the headquarters located? So, what are you basing yourselves on? Are you based in Jackson, or where is your headquarters located? So, we launched the company in Jackson and moved it to Austin, Texas, in 2021.

Understood. Understood. Understood. Yes. So now it's in Austin. Okay. Okay. Okay. Yes. Yes. Yes. And how is the team doing now? Do you have... I mean, complete? I know you've put together your internal team. How many do you have now? We have a little over 20. Okay, cool. Legal. And they are all consultants. Are most of them inside? Everyone is...we don't have an office in Austin. They are all virtual. But our employees are employees and they work, you know, they live all over the country. Hmm, yes, it's a small but powerful team, you know.

They are super talented and everyone, you know, loves the brand. They believe in the brand. They are part of the product development process. They see how long it takes and how complicated, how sophisticated it really is to build these products. How we test them, all these clinical trials that we do for all the best ones, you know. So they know we're not just a marketing company. They know we're a skincare company that creates real products, real innovation. real innovation. real innovation. Yes. Yes. Yes. You know, and then we learned how to market them well, you know, and how to find a customer.

Your typical customer, obviously a man, interested in health, fitness , and well-being? Age range, 35 to 45 years old? Is that what I would say? 35 to 70 is roughly that range, but 40 to 60 is our ideal point, it really suits us. Ah, that's us. Yes. Yes. Yes. Because, you know, when you're in your 30s, you can still use little or no product; You know, maybe just a cleanser or maybe just a bar of soap. You know, and then your skin starts to get a little dry and you can start using your body lotion on your face.

You know, I did that; You know, I know a lot of guys do that. Yeah, and then you start thinking, well, [ __ ], you know, I'm starting to see things happening, maybe I'll try something a little better and you'll go for another product, you know? Yes, talk about the clinical trial because I love it... I've mentioned it several times on the show. It's on their website and it talks about it; it's as if over 90% of participants saw these pretty drastic improvements in things like fine lines, wrinkles, and skin quality.

Is this expensive to implement? Like, how long did the rehearsal last? Was it 30 days, 60 days? Yes, so for our first one, it was something between 60 and 90 days or something like that, right? And we had, I don't know, more than 40 individuals, right? And we, you know, we don't have any relationship with them. The laboratory is the one that gets involved with them. They are very expensive. They 're very risky, you know, because... Yes, because you can get bad results. You may get bad results.

So you know, you... Exactly, you know. We...You know, in the first one we did, none of us on the team had done a clinical trial before, right? So we thought, "Okay, you know, we were sweating and taking risks, but we knew we had a good product." We, you know, based on, you know, giving to friends and family and things like that. And so, yes, we went through this whole process of testing it through clinical outcomes and you know, they do the instrumentation studies, the research, all those things.

And then you get the data back and you know, you 're kind of holding your breath and the result was incredible from that point on. How many tests have you done so far? Did you make two? I think we made three or four. Okay. Yes. Okay. Yes. Okay. Yes. Right. Yes, so anyone listening like you can look up the data that the tests will show you. you. you. That's right. That's right. That's right. That this is legitimate. And although you mentioned the price of the good Mhm.

It Mhm. It Mhm. It lasts forever. You only need one drop of this to cover your entire face. face. face. This is the part that probably misleads people about the price, and I think someone might see this and say, "Wow, that's very expensive." It lasts a long time too. Yes, so you get a lot out of it. At least a month, you know, for many people it feels like two months. Oh yes. If you use it every day and in large quantities, it will still last a month.

If you use it every other day or something like that, it will last much longer than that. Did you do this on your own or something? Did you self-finance or did you borrow money? money? money? So I self-funded it and then made it profitable in 2024, we did a Series A. Series A. Series A. Oh, you did? A small Series A fundraiser that we collected. Do you have any plans to continue making investments, or are you still trying to scale and grow? What is the ...

... ... You know, we are, you know, lucky enough to be, you know, profitable and grow fast and be able to manage everything on our own now. We have a lot of top-tier, high- top-tier, high- top-tier, high- quality investors looking to us, but, you know, I think the strategy right now is to keep our heads down and continue focusing on building the best brand we can. we can. we can. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, at some point, you know, that could happen, you know, where we, you know, are really looking to scale even further than we are now, but you know, we're in a good position where we don't need that.

Yes yes . That's amazing. So, when is Nordstrom? When does this start? start? start? So, we launched in May, and we launched in May. Is it going well? It's going very well. Yes, we are one of the leading men's brands, and they're telling us we're potentially number two. Oh my God. Yes. Good for you. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. That's great, man. That's exciting. Now, was this just a test for a few people, and then it could be done nationwide, or did you go all the way to the top?

the top? the top? We went to 30, like 33 stores in their main markets, you know, and they actually partnered with us to be the main, you know, one of the main men's brand launches for this year. And it has been exciting. We just launched it at their flagship store in New York. And it went incredibly well. You know, we brought in estheticians, and we didn't know if we'd be able to get people off the street to come in and get facials, but they were coming.

It was really, really crazy, you know, and it was an exciting launch. That's amazing. That's amazing. That's amazing. Well, I love hearing success stories like yours. I love hearing success stories from entrepreneurs who have a good purpose and passion behind what they are doing. And we have a special connection because we started with you very early on. And it's been great to see, you know, kind of like the beginning of a small company, we're working with you guys and now I see you everywhere. People talk about you.

So it's really cool to hear about all of this, and I think this is like a beginning. I think you guys are going to keep killing it, which is really cool. And expect more competitors. I think you've created a new market of competitors. of competitors. of competitors. Yes, because you've kind of shown people that there's a market here. That's right. That 's good news. It's all good news. You want competition. competition. competition. For sure. To bring more awareness to you. That's right. Yes yes . That's what's happening .

. . Incredible. Thank you for coming. Thank you for your partnership. Thank you for having me . Okay . Okay . Okay , I know you guys enjoyed this episode. If you liked this, watch this one . 30% body fat for men, that's very high. Actually, that's a bit high for women too. So, in today's episode, we're going to talk about how you can go from 30 to 10. What is 10% body fat? That's when you have a visibly defined abdomen. Can you go from 30% to 10%?

Yes, it's possible, but not if you're just kicking along the way. So, let's talk about how you can do that in today's episode. Now, there's a great variety, right? Of body types. Some people may run a little heavier or have a slightly taller build.