Caldera + Lab was one of the first (and still one of the only, if we’re being honest) brands that offers natural skincare products for men that combine science and luxury.
They say they primally use botanical ingredients that “target unique-to-men skin concerns.”
I wanted to find out for myself if Caldera + Lab’s products are:
a) actually non-toxic & all-natural
b) as high-quality as they seem from a distance.
I enlisted my husband’s help for this one. Below is our full review, complete with pros, cons, and which products we would (and wouldn’t) re-buy.
What this review includes:
This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!
Pros & Cons in a nutshell:
PROS:
- High-quality products and clinically-proven ingredients
- A focus on aging skin
- One of the few ‘cleaner‘ personal care brands that’s specifically made for men
- No phthalates, parabens, or synthetic fragrances (some products are completely fragrance-free, and others are not)
- Low-plastic (mostly glass jars with plastic tops)
- Everything is vegan & cruelty-free
- You can keep it simple or go for a more comprehensive regimen
- 60-day money-back guarantee
- ‘Normie-approved’—it’s loved by celebs and professional athletes!
- Available in stores like Ulta, Nordstrom, and Amazon
CONS:
- Some products contain undisclosed ‘fragrance’ (although they say it’s all free from synthetics)
- A few other small transparency issues (see below)
- Some products contain probable liquid plastics
- Not all-natural (not necessarily a bad thing; rather a preference thing)
- On the more expensive side
What I like (and don’t like) about the brand as a whole
Science-backed & effective: Caldera + Lab wanted to be more innovative with personal care that’s specifically meant for men’s skin. They say that men’s skin is thicker, produces more oil, has deeper wrinkle formation, and is more prone to inflammation from shaving. So, they use biotech to create ingredients that can really work. Think plant stem cells, biomimetic peptides, biofermentation, and patent-pending exosome technology.
They’ve also done various studies that measure results using both clinical data and user testimonies to show how effective their products can really be.
Clean(ish) formulations: I’ll get more to this in a minute, but Caldera + Lab’s products are free from all of the ‘worst’ ingredients that are often found in conventional skincare, like phthalates and parabens, among others.
Vegan & cruelty-free: They say that everything is Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free and vegan (although I don’t see a third-party certification for the vegan part).
60-day money-back guarantee: I always like when a brand can stand by their products and lower the risk for customers to give them a try (especially when they’re on the more expensive end).
You can tailor the regimen to your preferences: I know that some guys don’t like using a bunch of skincare products. So if you just want to use a facial cleanser and moisturizer, you can do that. Or if you want to get fancy and do the whole works—a cleanser, mask, serum, moisturizer, etc—you can do that too.
Now for the things I don’t like so much…
Greenwashing: On their “About” page, they say: “No petrochemicals, parabens, phthalates, microplastics, colorants or synthetic fragrances.” This is not entirely true. 😬 They definitely use some synthetic (petrochemical-derived) ingredients. And the ‘no microplastics’ claim is a stretch, as they use multiple ingredients that are liquid plastics.
About those liquid plastics: This is honestly a tough issue right now. Heres’ the gist: there’s a category of ingredients that are commonly used in cosmetics and skincare products (even some ‘clean’ brands) that are not ‘microbeads’ as we traditionally understand them, but that might still be considered plastic in the sense that they don’t actually biodegrade all the way when they’re in the environment and therefore contribute to the microplastic pollution problem.
There is a lot of gray area and overall lack of data on this issue right now. At this time, there is no indication that these ingredients are toxic to human health when we have them on our skin; the potential problem comes further down the line when they enter (and build up in) our environment and waterways. My personal approach currently is to be cautious about them: I’m not super strict about eliminating them entirely from my regimen, but I’m careful to reduce them when I can. If you want to learn more, I have a podcast episode about this issue.
So-so transparency. There are a few things I noticed that gave me pause:
- A lot of their product pages say “Third-party tested for purity” but they don’t say what they mean by that. Who tested it? What did they test for? What were the results?
- A lot of the product pages also say “100% fair trade,” but I also couldn’t find anything else about that. Are all of the ingredients fair trade? How do they verify that? Are they certified? When I reached out to them to ask for more info, I had a difficult time getting clarity. Ultimately, they told me that the ingredients are not certified fair trade, and that they will be removing that language from the website to avoid confusion.
- Some products include undisclosed ‘fragrance.’ Although they say it’s free from synthetic fragrance (which is good), there are still ingredients used that are hidden from customers, which is not ideal for a lot of conscious consumers. You can read more about why undisclosed fragrance can be a problem here.
- On their FAQ page they say: “The fragrance in our products is 100% naturally derived. The Clean Slate, The Base Layer, and The Body Bar are our only products that currently contain fragrance. In the spirit of transparency, you can find the full list of ingredients on each product page of our website.”
- This is not entirely true though: A) The shampoo and conditioner also contains undisclosed fragrance. B) The full list of ingredients is not found on each product page—that’s the whole problem with the fragrance issue.
So, as you can see, while Caldera + Lab is doing some things right, there’s still room for improvement on the transparency & clarity front.
Our review of Caldera + Lab’s products
My husband and I tried 4 of Caldera + Lab’s most popular products: The Clean Slate, The Food, The Great, and The Eye Serum. Here’s what we thought:
The Clean Slate Facial Cleanser
I really like the texture of this face wash—it’s soft and just feels like a high-quality facial cleanser. It has a moderate amount of lather to it, which I like as well.
It’s made with amino acids and probiotic ferments, both of which help to support the skin’s natural barrier, a “PhytoRecovery Complex,” which basically consists of a bunch of calming plant ingredients, and sea silt extract, which helps with skin clarity.
But, this face wash has a major yellow flag: it contains undisclosed fragrance. Caldera + Lab states that their fragrance is 100% naturally-derived, so to me, it’s not as bad as brands that use synthetic mystery fragrance. But I still prefer it when brands transparently disclose all of their fragrance ingredients—even if they’re all natural. At the end of the day, you’ll have to decide how important this is for you.
(I will say, though, that the smell is nice. It’s refreshing and not overpowering at all.)
The only other ingredient worth flagging here is benzyl alcohol (a preservative). It can be irritating for some people. (More info here.)
“The Good” Facial Serum
This is an oil-based, waterless serum that’s great for nighttime. It’s an anti-aging serum that they say is especially great for dry to normal skin, colder or harsh climates, and people age 50 and up. It’s meant to help with fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, and sagging skin.
This formulation is completely natural—it’s basically all botanicals. It does have a really nice, light scent to it, but that just comes from the plant ingredients themselves. It does not have any undisclosed “fragrance” in the ingredient list.
Some of the key ingredients include coenzyme Q10 for smoothing & firming, elderflower for brightening, and fireweed for antioxidants.
It’s MADE SAFE certified, which is one of my favorite third-party labels for human-safe products. At the time of publication, it appears that this is the only product that is MADE SAFE Certified, although it appears that a couple of their other products used to be certified as well.
I like this serum. It feels really nice and I think my skin does feel softer after using it. I would re-buy this.
The only thing worth calling out here is that it does contain several of the EU’s allergens like geraniol, citral, and linalool. These are all-natural and very common in clean/natural skincare products. But those who tend to be sensitive to them should be aware.
“The Great” Lightweight Facial Serum
Whereas “The Good” serum is a more oily serum that’s good for nighttime, “The Great” serum is lighter weight. It can be used day or night, by those with oily or combination skin, and by those who live in warmer climates.
It’s also a better option for those with sensitive skin because it doesn’t have all of those plant-based EU allergens like geraniol, citral, etc.
It’s kind of like a smooth milky serum that feels more mid-weight at first, but then as soon as it dries, it’s very lightweight (but still leaves my skin feeling soft).
It uses clinical-grade Vitamin C, which is always good for a daytime moisturizer because it can help protect against UV rays, blue light, and other environmental factors (and my dermatologist loves the ‘clinical-grade’ part!).
It’s also got hyaluronic acid, which is ‘ultra low-weight,’ probiotic ferments, and several other anti-aging ingredients.
It’s fragrance-free.
I think this is my favorite of all the Caldera + Lab products I’ve tried so far. Would re-buy.
The Eye Serum
As you’d probably guess, this Eye Serum is meant to help you deal with the 3 most common eye concerns: lines, dark circles, and puffiness. It uses peptides, plant stem cells, hyaluronic acid, and other anti-aging ingredients to basically make you look more awake.
The texture is nice. It’s smooth, lightweight, and absorbs nicely into my skin.
Formulation-wise, I have mixed feelings. There are some ingredients here that make it potentially very powerful and effective, like plant stem cells and hexapeptide-11.
But then it also includes salicylic acid, which is not supposed to be used around the eyes. The EU has actually banned salicylic acid in eye shadow, mascara, and eyeliner at more than 0.5%. I asked Caldera + Lab for some clarification on this and they told me that it’s less than 0.05% and it’s used as a preservative. So it should be fine but I still don’t love seeing that in a product that is literally meant to be used around the eyes. If you’re going to use this serum, I would be careful to a) not use too much of it at once, and b) really put it around your eyes and not get it in your eyes.
This one also contains benzyl alcohol (same as The Clean Slate), which can be irritating for some people. Caprylhydroxamic acid also can be irritating for some sensitive folks. So basically, if you have eyes that tend to get irritated easily, then this product may not be for you…
It’s fragrance-free.
Even more Caldera + Lab products
I haven’t tried these ones (yet?), but I did take a look at the ingredients to see if there’s anything to be concerned about.
The Base Layer: This is a thicker anti-aging moisturizer that’s especially good for dry skin. It does contain undisclosed ‘fragrance’ though.
The Hydro Layer: This is more of a lightweight moisturizer that’s good for oily/combo skin and warmer climates. No super-concerning ingredients here.
The Shampoo: This formula contains a few ingredients I don’t love—mainly undisclosed ‘fragrance’ and a ‘liquid plastic’ ingredient (acrylates crosspolymer-4).
The Conditioner: This one also contains undisclosed ‘fragrance.’ It also uses behentrimonium chloride, which can be a sensitizer; however, it’s very commonly used and difficult to find even a ‘clean’ conditioner without this ingredient.
The Hair Serum: This serum has ingredients like oligopeptide-2 (a biomimetic peptide) and apple stem cells to help with hair thinning No red flag ingredients here. It’s fragrance-free.
The Deep: This is a detoxifying clay face mask that helps with large pores, breakouts, and excess oil. It’s got hydrating tremella mushroom in it to balance out the drying nature of the volcanic ash. It’s clean and fragrance-free.
The Body Bar: This is a body wash bar soap, but it does contain undisclosed ‘fragrance.’ It also uses hexyl cinnamal, which in addition to being associated with allergic reactions, could potentially be an endocrine disruptor (the verdict is still out on that one).
The Face SPF: They use non-nano zinc oxide as the active sunscreen ingredient, which is good. However, it also contains butyloctyl salicylate, which is controversial in the world of mineral sunscreen. Long story short: it’s similar in chemical structure to octisalate, which is a more conventional UV filter that comes with some evidence of endocrine disruption. This face SPF also contains polyacrylate crosspolymer-6, which is a probable liquid plastic.
The Smooth: This is a fragrance-free, gel-like shaving ‘cream’ that uses aloe vera as the star ingredient. It does contain phenoxyethanol for those who like to try and avoid or minimize that. It also contains acrylates copolymer, a potential liquid plastic.
My overall thoughts
If you didn’t read all of that, here’s the gist: Caldera + Lab is a luxury (read: not cheap) skincare brand that’s specifically formulated for aging mens’s skin. In my opinion, you can tell the difference in terms of the feel & effectiveness of the products as well as the overall packaging and vibe.
When we get into the nitty gritty on ingredient safety, some of their products are totally ‘clean,’ while other products contain a few ‘iffy’ ingredients. If you’re not super strict on ingredients and don’t have sensitive skin, then you’ll probably be fine. But if you’re more uncompromising on your skincare ingredients and/or prefer to use all-natural ingredients, then this brand might not be for you.
If you do decide to try Caldera + Lab for yourself, here’s where you can find it:
