Allies of Skin

Allies of Skin is a Singapore-founded skincare company launched in 2016 by Nicolas Travis [6][5]. It makes high-concentration treatment products built around active ingredients such as peptides, growth factors and retinoids, positioned at the prestige end of the market. The brand sells directly to consumers and through international retailers, and reports distribution in 36 countries [5].

The company describes its approach as "supercharged clinicals" — heavily concentrated formulas of clinically proven actives intended to deliver results in fewer steps. It remains active and growing: in March 2024 it raised a 20 million US dollar strategic investment, and trade coverage in 2025 reported continued expansion.

The brand grew out of its founder's personal history. According to editorial coverage, Nicolas Travis began developing Allies of Skin after a severe facial accident at age 19 that required reconstructive surgery; complications including infections and necrosis led him to study active ingredients such as epidermal growth factors and copper tripeptides for skin regeneration [5]. He had also struggled with adolescent acne, taking antibiotics for years and seeing multiple dermatologists while searching for non-comedogenic products — an experience he has cited as shaping his decision to formulate for all skin types [6].

Travis studied biomedical and pharmaceutical science, and before founding the brand he worked briefly in public relations at the agency Ogilvy & Mather. He self-financed the launch after roughly two and a half years of research and development. The brand's own account frames the company more simply, describing it as "born in 2016 from our founder and formulator Nicolas Travis's journey healing from traumatic facial injuries."

Allies of Skin launched in Singapore in 2016. Its first product was the 1A All-Day Mask, which a launch profile in Tatler Asia said had taken "two years of clinical trials and 10 revisions" and contained 35 active ingredients, pitched as "a multi-vitamin pill for your skin" [6]. In March 2020 the company introduced a separate, lower-priced sister line called PSA — variously rendered as Purposeful Skincare by Allies or Purposeful Skincare for All — aimed at making effective skincare more affordable. Travis sold PSA to an Eastern European distributor in 2023 to refocus resources on the main brand [5].

In March 2024 the company received a 20 million US dollar strategic investment from Meaningful Partners [5].

The founder retains a central role in the company; while Allies of Skin took a 20 million US dollar strategic investment from Meaningful Partners in 2024, no acquisition of the brand itself has been recorded. Its headquarters location is recorded differently across sources: Tatler Asia describes the brand as Singapore-based, reflecting its country of origin, while trade coverage notes a European headquarters in Berlin [6][5]. The brand operates its European storefront from a German domain.

The company's stated mission is to "make beauty more human." In its own words, it aims to "encourage and enable effortless joy" by "creating highly concentrated, supercharged formulas that help you achieve maximal results, in minimum steps." The founder has described the products as designed to "improve your skin's baseline and extend your skin cells' lifespan," adding that "even when you stop using our products, your skin will be in a better state than before."

That thinking is organised around a five-step routine — cleanse, prep, treat, moisturise and replenish — with the concentrated treatment serums positioned as the core of the regimen. The brand's stated values include "Renewal and Regeneration," "Humanity Connects Us" and "Innovate Boldly," and its tagline is "Healing fearlessly through supercharged skincare."

Allies of Skin works primarily in skincare, with formulas built around peptides, growth factors, copper tripeptide, bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, niacinamide and retinoids. Early products included the 1A All-Day Mask, the Molecular Saviour Toner Mist, formulated with probiotics and antioxidants, and the 1A Overnight Mask, which the company says uses a patented time-release form of retinol.

Its best-known recent product is the Multi Peptides & GF Advanced Lifting Serum. BeautyMatter reported that the serum sold out six times after its launch in the third quarter of 2023, with an 11,000-person waitlist [5]. Pricing for it differs by region: BeautyMatter cited a US price of 188 dollars, while the brand's German storefront lists it at 199 euros [5][1].

The company supports its products with a roster of dermatologist advisors it calls the Scientific Collective, and publishes product-level efficacy claims such as "86% see lifted skin with reduced sagging." Such figures are the brand's own marketing claims rather than independent findings.

In 2025 Allies of Skin received a Vogue Beauty & Wellness Honour for Best Sunscreen [5]. The brand has been profiled by trade and regional press, including a 2025 BeautyMatter feature on its growth and funding and a 2016 Tatler Asia launch profile of its founder.

Allies of Skin remains active and expanding. Trade coverage in 2025 reported around 800 stores across 36 countries, direct-to-consumer sales in eight figures annually, and a projected 50 million US dollars in revenue for the year [5]. The most recent activity recorded in the sources is a July 2025 self-care campaign with author Case Kenny.

The brand also runs a cause partnership with Face Forward International, an organisation that supports survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and crime through reconstructive surgery and emotional support across 14 countries — a focus the company links to its founder's own recovery.