When you’re dealing with a really bad breakout before a first date, a new smattering of fine lines on the eve of your 30th birthday or a bad allergic reaction, you’re likely looking for a skincare product that really, really works. It’s not always that easy, though, because it can be hard to break through some of the bluster (there are just so many products out there!). Nicolas Travis built Allies of Skin to address that. "When I was younger, I had really, really severe acne and I found the entire process of shopping for products really daunting and intimidating. And it quickly dawned upon me that there were just a lot of empty promises on the market. There were a lot of products that said they would do something or give you certain results. But they didn't," shares Nicolas, reflecting on his initial inspiration.
His quest for effective skincare solutions didn't stop there. "I've always been fascinated by how the skin works as an organ," he continues. Nicolas's journey took a deeply personal turn when, at the age of nineteen, he faced a traumatic accident that left him in need of reconstructive surgery. "I had an accident where I smashed my face and I needed to have reconstructive surgery. It shattered my self-esteem."
It changed the path of his life. "It was after a failed suicide attempt that I had to see a therapist, and my therapist said, 'OK, let's assume you have to be here. Let's make a list of all the things you want to accomplish by the time you're 30. What does that look like?' And it was then that I came up with the idea of having a skincare line because I figured if I cannot change how I look, then perhaps I could change how my skin looks. It was the one modality that I could control."
Thus, Allies of Skin was born, and its name carries a profound message. "I kind of figured if I was crawling out of my skin every day and hating how I look, then maybe other people would as well have the same pain or experience. And I figure if I could help other people feel perhaps more confident in their skin or more fearless in their skin, then my pain would have been worth it."
On building a brand
The essence of the brand goes beyond just skincare products; it's about creating a supportive community. "There's often a feeling where you make people feel like they can't reach you and they can't sit with you. And I wanted to just create a brand because it's our name that was not only beloved by celebrities but also making people feel like they can sit with us. So that's also part of our brand. And that's why we're called Allies of Skin. I love the skin so much because it is one of the only organs we have that's capable of healing and regenerating itself, which means that you can always begin again, which I think is such a beautiful thing."
Allies of Skin's unique approach to skincare is deeply rooted in addressing specific needs and concerns of consumers. Nicolas explains, "I look at the pain points of consumers and then figure out how we can do it better." The brand's commitment to addressing these needs is evident in its product offerings. For example, Nicolas elaborates on the 35% Vitamin C+ Perfecting Serum. “I know that in Asia, where we’re from, stubborn pigmentation is a top-of-mind issue. That is why I started looking at ingredients and putting an ingredient list together.”
The key to Allies of Skin's success lies in its unwavering focus on the consumer. "I go where the need is, and then I start thinking about, OK, how what active ingredients would best address those concerns,” he says.
Hot takes on ingredients and routines
Allies of Skin has garnered a celebrity following most brands would dream of: Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, Henry Golding and Behati Prinsloo have shouted the brand out. “It is so wild to me that celebrities—who have access to every brand in the world—come back to mine,” he says. He builds routines for them—Gerber’s includes the Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment, the Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream and the CE15 Bakuchiol Firming Oil.
A shift in consumer consciousness aligns with Allies of Skin's mission to provide products that are not just effective but also transparent and trustworthy. "The shift is going from, 'OK, all of that is important, but what is inside? What is the juice? Can I trust it? Are they using the right percentages?' That's something that's super important because consumers are very intellectual these days. Indian consumers are also so hyper-aware now—they travel so much and they know what they’re looking for."
Nicolas’s own skincare routine is multi-layered and has many steps—"I’m a skincare maximalist,” he says. It includes the Prebiotics & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster and the Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum (he wants to look super dewy and glowy and is focusing on overall skin tone brightening) and the Molecular Barrier Recovery Cream Balm. He tops it all off with the CE15 Bakuchiol Firming Oil, a product that he says tricks the skin into producing less sebum, moisturises and hydrates, and stimulates collagen too.
The brand has some exciting developments in the pipeline. "Formulating with copper tripeptide, for example, that's something I'm super excited for. Plus, sun protection is our next frontier." Nicolas reveals, "We'll launch our first sunscreen next year, which is something we're super excited for as well."
