Eighth Day, The Serum Brand You've Seen All Over Instagram, Just Launched A Moisturiser

The beauty world has fallen hard for Eighth Day, the skincare line created by Orange County, California–based dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon Antony Nakhla. Featuring a unique active ingredient blend called Peptide-Rich Plasma (not to be mistaken with platelet-rich plasma, which is derived from blood and commonly used in medical aesthetics), the lab-synthesized serum is lauded for everything from healing skin post-procedure to improving fine lines and wrinkles. It is raved about from all corners of social media, with fans including celebrity makeup artist Nam Vo, and has quickly become a "must-try" anti-aging serum for the luxury skincare aficionado. Today, Eighth Day is capitalizing on that craze with the launch of its new Reparative Moisturizer.

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The Hype

Nakhla conceptualized the serum through his experience with healing the skin post-surgery, concocting a formula that queues the skin's innate biological reparative messengers. "Through my work in reconstructive skin cancer surgery with over 10,000 patients, I made the connection between the stem cells and nutrient-rich membranes used to heal open wounds," he tells BAZAAR.com. The trademarked active sends 24 bioidentical peptides, growth factors, and amino acids to the skin's cells to achieve more vibrant health from the intracellular level.

"Frankly, my skin looks younger after using this serum which is all I, personally, need. But I know this isn't enough for our educated customer," Cassandra Grey, founder of the luxury retailer Violet Grey, says. Since launching on the platform exclusively in September 2021, Eighth Day's Regenerative Serum has sold out five times.

"All anyone has to do to launch with us is to make a best-in-class product," Gray adds. "That means it is either better than what is currently on the market or a totally new technology or formula being introduced to the world." Noting that creating hype is the easy part, but that living up to it is another matter altogether, she continues, "With Eighth Day's Regenerative Serum, we launched with both a superior product in its own category and a product with an unprecedented skin care technology. Needless to say, our community has let Eighth Day sit at their table."

What is Peptide-Rich Plasma?

Grey points out that understanding how Peptide-Rich Plasma works is the answer that die-hard beauty consumers are begging for. When the brand says biomimetic, what does that mean? Nakhla describes it as "speaking the same language" as the skin cells; in other words, the ingredients are made in a lab but communicate with the skin cells in the same way as the body. "Biomimetic, or bioidentical, ingredients are chemically identical to the molecules already present within the human body. We know which mechanisms lead to cell death, and we also know which mechanisms promote health and vitality," he says. "The ingredients in Peptide-Rich Plasma are based on those found in cell membranes that are used by reconstructive surgeons to heal open wounds."

Thus, the beauty technology—found in the serum and now the cream—promotes collagen and elastin production, regulates pigment, enhances cellular hydration, and supports the skin's secretion of hyaluronic acid using research-identified biomarkers to stimulate the cells' fibroblasts (i.e., the components of the skin cell that secrete structural proteins like collagen and elastin). As a result of this process comes the minimization of fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging.

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The Reparative Moisturizer

While the serum incorporates other healing actives such as the neuropeptide GABA and manuka honey, the brand's new moisturizer focuses on repair and moisture retention. "Like the serum, it is nutrient rich, containing our proprietary Peptide-Rich Plasma blend, as well as ingredients like ceramides and a super antioxidant blend. It is intended to layer on top of the serum for maximum results," Nakhla says.

His creative process entailed identifying science's most clinically backed active ingredients, and then coming up with the most efficient form of their delivery alongside the Peptide-Rich Plasma. Notable active ingredients include omega-rich ceramides to aid with moisture retention and barrier fortification; fermented marine compound to stimulate lipid synthesis and hyaluronic acid activity; the amino acid L-Ergothioneine to inhibit pigment-forming tyrosinase; a super antioxidant blend of vitamins A, C, E, and CoQ10; brightening ferulic acid; and resveratrol.

Oftentimes, serums are considered the most potent step in a skin care regimen. Nakhla points out that this moisturizer is not less potent than the serum, but merely delivers a different "meal" of ingredients that the skin needs. "I think of skin health like nutritional health," he says. "The same way I want to vary my diet with all of the most nutritious elements, I want to 'feed' my skin the most clinically active ingredients. … Getting in those highly nutrient-dense 'meals' in one sitting—or application—is paramount."

But the luxury skincare sector boasts some of the most meticulous consumers; after all, the results of these products come with a prestige price tag. So is it worth it? "When I first tested the moisturizer, I was intrigued by the texture—it feels more lightweight than my other go-to creams while still packing a major dose of hydration and powerhouse anti-aging benefits," Grey reports. "The results I am seeing don't lie. This moisturizer is a thing—a major hero."

Eighth Day Reparative Moisturizer is available at violetgrey.com.

This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.

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