April 5 will mark the one-year anniversary of Dr. Fredric Brandt’s unexpected death. Most will never recover from the shock and heartbreak when learning that the 65-year-old skin guru had taken his own life in his home in Coral Gables, Florida.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Brandt pushed the boundaries of cosmetic dermatology, creating innovations and products that promised to deliver impressive anti-aging results without invasive procedures. Among other contributions to his field, he also established the Dermatology Research Institute.

It’s hard to imagine how a company moves forward when someone such as Dr. Brandt, not only a vital and intrinsic force, also served as the face of his brand.

“It’s been very difficult and devastating for all of us,” explained Stephane Colleu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dr. Brandt’s company since 2013, and who has been with the brand for more than a decade in various positions. “I was lucky enough to have worked with an extraordinary man who I talked to three times a day for the past 10 years. I was committed to stay and do whatever I needed to do. He can’t be replaced, but we still wanted to execute his vision.”

So how does one recover?

“We had to ask ourselves, ‘what message and vision do we want to share and bring to the new platform we’re creating and how do we sustain the message?’”

Prior to his death, products had been in the pipeline with the intention of being launched last year and this year. That stayed on track, including the launch of Pore Dermabrasion, Needles No More3-D Filler Mask, Vitamin C Power Dose and Vitamin D Power Dose, both potent youth-boosting shots of vitamins that Dr. Brandt used in his medical offices to revitalize the skin.

For the past year Stephane said he has also worked on creating the Dr. Brandt Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in partnership with The Miami Foundation. The charity will fund research for suicide prevention, and will raise awareness about depression and support programs that focus on mental health. Dr. Brandt was also incredibly passionate about art and animals and so the foundation will provide support to young artists and the Humane Society.

The company, based in Miami, is also partnering with the University of Miami, where Dr. Brandt had a large presence since 1973. The collaboration gives the company access to the University’s research and development department.

“I also wanted to assemble a panel of experts that would be fully committed to the Brandt method and innovation in New York, Chicago, Los Angles, Orange County and Miami,” Stephane explained. “We’re also forming a skin advisory board overseas in France, Spain, Italy, UK and then in Asia, which are our key countries.”

Another push was to increase visibility.

“I realized we needed to make a statement that we’re still here and we’re here to play big, so we invested in national advertising, which is a great way to share storytelling,” he added. “We’re also engaging with consumers. Part of my strategy was to share our products with the community so we created a sampling program. We now work with retailer beauty boxes, such as Sephora and Ulta, and offer samples on our website.”

The website, too, will go through a massive overhaul, and video content will be created to capture new consumers, both of which will be released by end of the year.

As their portfolio and popularity continue to grow—the company now has worldwide distribution in 38 countries—so do their customers. Loyal fans remain loyal, and every day the company is working towards building new ones. Though their consumer covers a wide age range, between 25 years old and 70, the main concentration seems to be those in their 30s to mid-50s.And according to Stephane, they are starting to appeal to millennials.

“This has been quite a journey,” Stephane said. “We have new customers. We have a 40 percent growth since 2015. We have been able to keep the momentum despite his death. We are rebuilding and reenergizing a brand I know he would be proud of.”