FROM THE DESK OF SARAH BROWN:

We are in the business of creating heroes over here at VIOLET GREY, and if you haven’t already heard of Eighth Day, well, where have you been?

For the uninitiated, it’s the much-talked-about brand that exploded onto the scene—and into the beauty routines of the most discerning celebrities, skin care enthusiasts, and cool people who know a thing or two—last year, thanks to a transformational complexion elixir in a sleek black bottle. (If you haven’t tried the aptly named Regenerative Serum, may I recommend you PUT IT IN THE BAG, pronto!)

Eighth Day is the brainchild of the handsome fellow you see in these pictures: Dr. Antony Nakhla. Or, Tony, as he’s known around the hallowed halls (and Zoom rooms and speed dials) of VIOLET GREY. He’s a Newport Beach father of two, a vintage watch collector, a reconstructive skin cancer surgeon, and noted wound healing expert—probably the only kind of world-class dermatologist with whom you really don’t want an appointment.

It was his day job repairing severely compromised skin that led to the breakthrough that powers Eighth Day’s products: the skin-rejuvenating blend of bio-identical growth factors, peptides, and amino acids he calls Peptide-Rich Plasma®, or PRP. “Skin is genius,” Tony told me the first time we spoke. “It knows exactly what to do; sometimes it just needs some help.” With Eighth Day, he believed he had created skin care that was as smart as our own skin.

Tony holds a special place in my heart. And not just because he sends me a new bottle of his serum (and moisturizer and eye cream) every time I run out. Eighth Day is the first brand I brought to VIOLET GREY when I joined last year as your faithful curator-in-chief and leader of the newly christened VIOLET LAB. The brand’s instant success sealed the deal: CASSANDRA GREY had not made a terrible mistake, with me, or with Eighth Day. We both stayed!

On the occasion of the launch of his latest blockbuster—a complexion refiner and regimen booster we predict will become every bit as essential to your daily routine as the aforementioned Serum—we sat down to talk about smart skin care, the power of the right ingredients, and the beauty philosophy that guides his work.