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My dad is not a skincare guy. He washes his face every day, but that’s pretty much it. This is a stark contrast from his daughter whose skincare routine is comprised of 10+ products (I know I have a problem… don’t judge). However, it’s actually his lack of routine that made him the perfect test subject to try out this Caldera + Lab face serum for men. Caldera+Lab sent me a sample of this serum, and since he wasn’t using other skincare products, we’d really be able to tell if the formula works without other variables present.
Spoiler alert: it does.
In fact, this may just be the most impressive face serum for men that we’ve ever encountered.
Caldera+Lab Is a New Skincare Brand for Men
The Good serum from Caldera + Lab, a relatively new skincare brand dedicated to putting the most potent and sustainably sourced natural ingredients into grooming products for men, is a winner. It’s a multi-functional, non-toxic serum made up of 27 different active botanicals that are infused for four weeks before being bottled up and shipped to your bathroom counter.
Some of the ingredients are moisturizing like jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil and echinacea, while others are designed to firm up your skin. The face serum is also formulated to lighten dark spots, improve overall skin tone and help ease wrinkles and fine lines.
The product packaging is also 10/10, as the serum comes in a glass dropper bottle with a wood screw-top.
The brand combines pharmaceutical-grade science with 100% non-GMO ingredients to create high-performing skincare for men. Their production facility is ECOCERT COSMOS-certified.
Of course, there are a ton of skincare companies that claim to make “natural” products, so what sets Caldera+Lab’s serum apart in a market full of non-toxic, eco-friendly products?
To create The Good face serum, Caldera+Lab only uses wild-harvested ingredients from the Teton Mountain Range in Wyoming. So when the brand describes its product as sustainable, natural and eco-friendly, they really mean it. It’s one of the most unique skincare products we’ve encountered in a long time, and we receive a ton of samples.
In addition to the oils mentioned above, The Good also includes botanicals such as fireweed, nettle, red raspberry, meadowfoam seed, apricot kernel, frankincense, yarrow and prickly pear extract.
Does It Work? Caldera+Lab The Good Serum, Reviewed
Long story short, my dad loves this stuff. During the first couple days of use, he noted that he really liked the fresh smell. The serum didn’t feel too heavy on his skin and absorbed quickly. After a few weeks, it’s become a refreshing part of his daily skincare routine. His skin feels way more hydrated, and after applying the serum at night, it’s gone by morning rather than leaving a heavy residue. He doesn’t use it with any other moisturizer and it’s been enough to keep his skin moisturized in the dryer climate of Northern California where we live.
Spy’s managing editor Tim Werth has also been testing this face serum, and he reports noticing positive effects after just a few days of use. With nightly application, he reports a more even skin tone and a noticeable reduction in the dark circles under his eyes.
Overall, our testers were deeply impressed with this product. The bottle and packaging are really well-designed, and the bottle measures out a perfectly sized drop automatically, which makes it easy not to use too much or too little.
If there’s one downside, it’s the price tag. The Good Serum is priced at $97 a bottle (the price comes down to $77 if you opt for a 30- or 60-day subscription), which is far more than most men are used to paying on skincare products. It’s not necessarily unreasonable considering the fact that the brand is wild harvesting ingredients from the wilds of Wyoming, but it’s an expensive product. But as women know, you really do get what you pay for in the world of skincare, which is why popular women’s skincare products like Creme De La Mer eye cream are priced at $190 or more.
Still, for guys who are serious about skincare and anti-aging, The Good Serum will be worth the investment.
All-natural skincare can be a mixed bag in terms of effectiveness and brand integrity. Sometimes the formulas aren’t as all-natural as they tout themselves to be, or they are and they don’t work. Caldera+Lab has made something that really works. It’s a unique serum packed full of great ingredients for your skin.