About Jared Pobre
Most luxury skincare brands start with a formulation lab, a contract manufacturer, and a marketing brief. Jared Pobre started with severely chapped skin and profound frustration. When he launched Caldera + Lab in 2019, he did not come from the beauty industry. He was a highly successful ad tech entrepreneur who had built his career entirely outside the personal care category.
What he brought to the table instead was a specific geographical problem and an absolute refusal to use the standard chemical bases that every other brand was already using. The result is a certified B Corp luxury men’s skincare brand built entirely on wild-harvested botanicals from the Teton Mountain Range, clinical-grade science, and a massive operational commitment to sustainability.
The Problem With Standard Bases
Many consumer brand founders try to identify market gaps by analyzing trend reports. Jared found his market gap by living through a brutal Wyoming winter. When he and his wife Stacy moved to the mountains, the extreme environment completely destroyed his skin. The only products that provided any actual relief belonged to his wife.
Jared quickly realized that the men’s skincare market was dominated by synthetic formulations dressed up in masculine packaging. Most brands simply use a manufacturer’s standard chemical base, change the fragrance, and slap a proprietary label on the bottle. Jared refused to take that shortcut. He spent over two years working with top scientists and manufacturers to build a completely original formulation from scratch, focusing exclusively on wild-harvested botanicals that deliver clinically effective doses.
Key Takeaways
- Jared’s founding insight came from the personal necessity of protecting his skin against harsh Wyoming winters rather than reading market research.
- Caldera + Lab spent over two years researching thousands of ingredients before finalizing a completely original formulation instead of using industry standard bases.
- Wild-harvesting high-altitude plants from the Teton Mountain Range gives the brand a distinct competitive advantage over competitors using cultivated agricultural ingredients.
- Sustainability is an operational reality verified by third-party certifications including Certified B Corp, ECO CERT, and MADESAFE.
- The brand recently secured $6 million in Series A funding to expand retail distribution while maintaining their rigorous clinical standards.
The Interview
Q: You spent your entire career as an ad tech entrepreneur. What made you pivot so aggressively into the men’s skincare category?
Jared Pobre: It started out of pure personal necessity. My wife Stacy and I moved to the Wyoming mountains, and the extreme elevation and dry winter winds were rapidly aging and drying out my skin. The only products that actually worked were the organic ones my wife used. The men’s market was completely saturated with cheap synthetics masquerading as premium products. I wanted to deliver elite, clinically proven skincare designed specifically for men that combined scientific efficacy with clean proprietary ingredients.
Q: Most new skincare brands launch incredibly fast by white-labeling existing formulas. Why did you spend over two years developing your product before launching?
Jared: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. We refused to use the standard bases available on the market. We put together a team of top consultants, biologists, and scientists. We researched thousands of native botanicals and evaluated every single active ingredient. We wanted to create a first-of-its-kind men’s serum using ingredients wild-harvested directly from the Teton mountain range. You cannot rush that level of clinical precision if you actually care about performance.
Q: You emphasize wild-harvested ingredients rather than traditional organic farming. Why is that distinction so important for product efficacy?
Jared: Wild-harvesting means our ingredients are harvested exactly as they grow in their natural environment. We avoid the yield optimization compromises that come with modern agriculture. High-altitude plant species like fireweed and yarrow produce compounds at massive potency levels that cultivated equivalents simply cannot match. Those wild ingredients are scientifically proven to nourish the skin while working in tandem with the natural regenerative process.
Q: You have achieved Certified B Corp, ECO CERT, and MADESAFE status. Why prioritize these rigorous third-party certifications when so many brands just self-declare their sustainability?
Jared: The skincare industry has a massive credibility problem regarding greenwashing. Brands use a single organic ingredient and build an entire eco-conscious marketing campaign around it. Third-party certification creates actual accountability. Our manufacturing uses cutting-edge cryogenics and supercritical extractions that leave zero solvent waste. By getting certified, we give our customers verifiable evidence rather than asking them to blindly trust our marketing claims.
Q: Many brands claim to include premium active ingredients but fail to deliver results. How do you ensure your products actually perform?
Jared: It comes down to clinical dosing. There are a lot of brands that brag about having premium ingredients like niacinamide, but they only put in the absolute minimum amount legally required to list it on the label. We put those active ingredients in at the absolute maximum amount for true clinical efficacy. That is exactly why our products cost a little bit more than mass market alternatives. We refuse to compromise on performance.
Q: What is the most important lesson you learned transitioning from tech into consumer packaged goods?
Jared: You must start from a place of genuine personal frustration. I was not guessing at what men’s skin needed in harsh outdoor conditions. I was living the problem every single day. That firsthand knowledge produced a formulation brief with a level of precision that traditional market research simply cannot generate. If you are the underserved customer, you immediately know when a product is actually working.
Lessons for Founders
- Start from personal frustration. Building a product to solve your own direct problem gives you an intuitive understanding of the market that traditional focus groups cannot replicate.
- Build from scratch. Relying on standard manufacturing bases means your only real differentiator is your marketing. Original formulation creates a massive structural moat against competitors.
- Earn your sustainability claims. Self-declared eco-friendly marketing breeds consumer skepticism. Third-party certifications like B Corp and ECO CERT provide verifiable proof of your operational commitments.
- Refuse to compromise on dosing. If you include premium active ingredients, use them at clinically effective levels. Customers will happily pay a premium price for a product that actually delivers the promised results.
If you want to learn more about founders building brands with real substance and clinical precision, explore more interviews at eFounder.club.
