Eighth Day has tapped a C-suite veteran for its top job.
The luxury skin care brand, founded by skin cancer surgeon Dr. Antony Nakhla in 2021, has named Savannah Sachs chief executive officer. Sachs most recently helmed “clean-ical” skin care brand Tula through its acquisition by Procter & Gamble in 2022, which she departed last year.
“I love to build brands and I personally thrive in this growth stage environment. We will ground our strategy in today’s consumer and in the luxury market context to bring [Nakhla’s] vision to life,” Sachs said in an exclusive interview. “It’s rewarding to be able to tap into my experience in skin care. Having led companies through so many different stages of growth, [I have] a lot to draw on, but also a lot to learn.”
Sachs added that “luxury is one of the fastest growing segments in beauty and to win as a brand, you have to have two things: deep clinical credibility and potent formulas. That’s what Eighth Day is.”
Nakhla founded the business with one hero product, The Regenerative Serum, on Violet Grey and has since built out the range to include an eye cream, a toner, and two moisturizers in different weights.
The products are powered by platelet-rich plasma, a proprietary and patent-pending hero ingredient comprised of amino acids, growth factors and 24 bioidentical peptides.
Distribution has also grown. Eighth Day entered Net-a-porter in September following a minority investment from L Catterton, and also counts Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom as distribution partners.
“The world is our oyster in so many ways,” Sachs said. “This will be about investing and leaning into brand building and brand awareness. We have an incredible cult following, but we need to get the word out. Product innovation will continue to be a focus, and to make that happen, it’s about building a team.”
Nakhla’s role will shift to focus on product development, he said, noting that he’d rather focus on science and innovation. “I’m working full-time as a physician. I don’t have business training,” he said. “This was my project, and I knew eventually it would go from interest to enterprise, but I didn’t know how quickly. The business has been growing steadily, and it came time for us to think about investment, and moving me into a role I fit best in.”
The brand’s customers are diverse, with Nakhla and Sachs agreeing they market to a wellness-oriented mindset as opposed to demographic chunks of beauty shoppers.
“Our customer doesn’t drink just regular green juice, they drink organic, cold-pressed green juice. They wear an Oura ring and think about heart rate variability. It’s the customer who wants the best of the best and truly cherishes their health, beauty and self care,” Nakhla said. “That’s the customer that’s willing to pay a little extra for the very best — I wouldn’t tie it even to one age group, we’re all over the map.”
Source: WWD