By Beth Landman
In the crowded skin care field, it takes something special to stand out, and a line created by a dermatologic surgeon who specializes in skin cancer and reconstruction is certainly a good place to start. It’s no wonder that Eighth Day, launched in 2021 by Dr. Antony Nakhla, is already selling robustly at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Violet Grey, Hirshleifers and Moda Operandi. “This started out as my expensive science project,” says Nakhla, “but it’s on the cusp of becoming a brand people know and love.”
In Nakhla’s work with skin cancer patients, he has used membranes taken from placental tissue, umbilical cords and amniotic fluid to heal wounds. These same cells can harness regenerative properties to combat the effects of aging. “If you view aging skin as wounded by time, elements and the sun, you can treat it in a similar way,” Nakhla says, “and I wanted the products to produce the same things your skin would in response to an injury.”
While the membrane itself was not optimal for cosmetic use, a synthesized form, chock-full of growth factors, bioidentical peptides and amino acids, mimics the body’s healing response, boosting collagen and elastin production without inflammation or injury. “I had the idea of bringing bioidentical products to this line,” Nakhla says. “These growth factors and signal peptides—like those naturally released when the skin is wounded—activate fibroblasts and kick-start the repair process, building firmer, healthier, more resilient skin over time.”
Others have tried sheep placenta or apple stem cells, but Nakhla believed the body would react better to his formula. “Even when some human donor cells are extracted, and they try to grow them and get live cultures, they are using unknown cells and that extract is variable, so you never really know what you are getting,” says Nakhla. “The safest and cleanest way is to synthesize. It’s the most expensive, but the most reliable.”
The Eighth Day line features an impactful range of products, including the Regenerative Serum, packed with the highest concentration of the synthesized formula patent-pending Peptide-rich Plasma; Night Cream Treatment with retinal—more potent than retinol, but not as irritating as prescription retinoids; and a sheer, non-chemical, mineral SPF primer, formulated with natural pigments to neutralize the white cast.
The line contains bioidentical elements that the body understands how to accept, which, Nakhla maintains, other products do not. “When they use raspberries or caviar, your body considers them foreign objects,” he says. “Our products communicate in the way the body would. This is a way to speak to your skin cells. It may not sound as sexy as a pearl from the bottom of the ocean, but it works.” eighthdayskin.com