It 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 sealed deals with Net-a-Porter, 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 opened the doors for discussions with distributors and retailers in the Middle East for the brand.

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 and 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. He shares more about his dreams and what goes behind building Allies of Skin.