NI S CO VI LASTRA

The tenacious founder of cult skincare brand, Allies of Skin, on honesty, success and Tom Ford

t has only been slightly over two years since Nicolas Travis launched his skincare brand Allies of Skin with just one product— the 1A All-day Mask—and five years since he first started working on it. Since then, he has already sealed deals with Net-aPorter, Sephora, Lane Crawford, and recently, Harrods to stock his products in their stores. Allies of Skin’s presence in major markets in Asean, the US and the UK, as well as smaller markets such as Poland and the Czech Republic have also opened doors for discussions with distributors and retailers in the Middle East. Behind the scenes, Nicolas, who studied biomedical science and pharmaceutical science, works tirelessly with two laboratories in the US to create and test his products to perfection. Earlier this year, he also began working with another lab in South Korea. For 2018 alone, he will be launching nine new formulas. Despite the plethora of things that Nicolas has and wants to do, his enthusiasm for work and life never dries out, although a glass of tequila or vodka lime soda does keep him going. And his unwavering drive is infectious, just like his megawatt smile.

“My family has always known about my obsession with good skin and skincare. At age 19, I told them that I wanted to create my own skincare line. Now that I have, I find a lot of fulfilment in helping people with their skin and making them feel...

“Allies of Skin is sophisticated, effective and honest, because we’re pro-transparency. We talk about what’s in our formulas and the specific amounts of ingredients, which is important because these days, people are so hyperaware of what they put on...

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