From Singapore to America, Travis’ skincare brand is the talk of the town. He tells us how he did it
Believe it or not, Allies of Skin CEO and founder, Nicolas Travis, didn’t always have skin that resembled a glazed doughnut. In fact, he, like many of us, was faced with bad acne as a teenager.
“[During that time in my life] I realized that there were a lot of empty promises in this industry. I really wanted to create formulas that give people joy and help them feel fearless in their skin,” he explains.
However, this was put on pause at the age of 19 when he got into an accident that resulted in him falling into a deep depression.
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“I slipped and fell in the bathroom, smashing my face. I had broken several parts of my face, and I needed to have reconstructive surgery. Because I didn't have much money and was spending part of my time in Bangkok, I decided to get it done there. The surgery was an utter failure. I ended up with two infections, necrosis, and dents on my face,” Travis shares.
For the next three years, Travis was in and out of operating theatres in an attempt to fix the dents and scars. “I kept trying because I thought I needed to be fixed, but I just ended up with more damage and scar tissue. I felt like a complete failure,” he recounted.
This led him to see a therapist, who asked: “If you had no choice but to live, what would you want to achieve when you’re 30?”
The question was the push he needed to start his skincare line. “If I could help one person feel better about themselves through their skin, then my painful experience would have been worth something,” the entrepreneur shares.
