Women Who Launch: Katey Mandy of RAAIE

Can you please tell us more about RAAIE’s journey and how you brought your vision to life?

RAAIE was born from a very personal journey. I grew up in northern New Zealand on a re-wilded farm where my father and I spent years planting back native forests that had been cleared for farming. It was on this land that I first understood the resilience and power of New Zealand’s flora. Later, after more than a decade working in fashion and beauty in London and New York, I came back home when my mum was very ill.

Losing her shifted my perspective. I wanted to create something rooted in meaning, something that combined my brand-building experience with the extraordinary plants of Aotearoa. RAAIE is the result of that: a skincare brand that honours nature, backed by advanced science, and designed with real integrity.

What makes RAAIE stand out from the crowd?

Every aspect of RAAIE exists to cut through the noise with intention. We don’t chase trends or churn out endless launches; instead, we offer a tightly edited collection of potent formulas that deliver real, visible results. The sculptural bottles are as much design objects as they are vessels for skincare - minimal, iconic, and timeless rather than seasonal. But it’s what’s inside that sets RAAIE apart.

Each product is built on the resilience of New Zealand’s botanicals, plants that have adapted to some of the world’s harshest UV conditions, naturally arming themselves with extraordinary levels of antioxidants. Paired with cutting-edge cosmeceutical science, the result is skincare that is both high-performance and deeply respectful of the skin and environment. Equally rare in the industry is RAAIE’s close relationship with its community. The brand listens, adapts, and stays transparent, fostering trust in a space too often driven by hype. The effect is a brand that feels both luxurious and grounded, an antidote to the fleeting, the throwaway, the trend-led.

Your products are plant-powered, how did you manage to fuse science-backed formulas with natural ingredients that are kind to the skin and environment?

At RAAIE, our natural ingredients aren’t there to sound pretty, they’re scientifically validated. New Zealand’s botanicals have evolved under some of the harshest UV conditions on earth, developing extraordinary concentrations of protective antioxidants. Our sauvignon blanc grape seed, for instance, contains up to 200% more antioxidants than the same varietals grown in France.

Powerhouse extracts like mānuka honey, mamaku black fern and kawakawa are equally proven for their ability to defend, repair and rejuvenate the skin. Paired with advanced cosmeceutical actives - like encapsulated retinal, biomimetic peptides, DNA-repair enzymes - the result is formulas that deliver uncompromising performance while remaining kind to both skin and planet.

What was the inspiration behind the brand’s name and packaging?

RAAIE (pronounced “ray”) comes from “Ra,” the ancient Egyptian sun god, and “rā,” which means “ray of light” in te reo Māori. That duality felt perfect for a brand born in New Zealand but built for the world - both scientific and spiritual, light-filled and life-giving. The packaging is deeply personal too: each bottle shape was inspired by river pebbles I collected by hand from wild landscapes at home. Funnily enough, I actually designed one of our bottles while I was pregnant, sketching it out on tracing paper at the kitchen table.

How has your time in New Zealand influenced your brand?

New Zealand is deeply woven into RAAIE’s DNA. It will always be home for me, and I believe no one else in the world has a relationship with nature quite like Kiwis do. We treat the land as something to be protected, not exploited. That philosophy shapes everything, from the ingredients we choose, to the way we source them using traditional Māori harvesting practices, to the sustainability built into our supply chain.

The beauty world is so saturated - how difficult was it to cut through all the noise?

It’s true, the space is crowded. But in a way, that forced me to be incredibly intentional. Our packaging is often the first thing people notice; its sculptural, stone-like forms stop people in their tracks. But it’s the formulas that make them stay. We’ve had people come back again and again because they’ve finally found products that deliver results without compromising their skin barrier or the planet. That kind of loyalty cuts through louder than any marketing gimmick.

What has been the most challenging aspect of launching your own business?

The hardest part has been juggling the sheer breadth of it all. As a founder, you’re the creative director one day, the logistics manager the next, and then suddenly you’re knee-deep in legal contracts or financial modelling. There’s no manual, it’s a constant exercise in resilience and adaptability. And sometimes, especially in the early days, it can feel like you’re carrying the whole vision on your shoulders. But now I have an amazing team of passionate women who are experts in their own right.

RAAIE has already won several awards, what other grand visions do you have for the brand?

The recognition has been humbling - it validates the work we’re doing. My vision is for RAAIE to be the New Zealand brand that sits on the global stage alongside the world’s most respected luxury skincare houses. We’re expanding into new markets with partners like Sephora and Liberty London, and we’re developing professional treatments and immersive brand experiences that bring chronobiology - the science of skin’s circadian rhythms - to life. Ultimately, I’d love RAAIE to redefine what luxury skincare looks like: sustainable, intentional, and rooted in science and nature.

What advice would you give to any aspiring female founder?

Don’t wait until everything feels perfect, just start. You’ll learn so much more by doing than by planning endlessly. Surround yourself with people who understand your vision but aren’t afraid to challenge you. And protect your energy fiercely. As women, we’re often taught to give endlessly, but building a business requires focus, boundaries, and self-belief.

What’s your best budget beauty hack?

A homemade tonic I make with apple cider vinegar, mānuka honey, ginger, cayenne, and sparkling water. It’s zingy, energising, and great for your skin from the inside out. On the topical side: always double cleanse properly - clean skin is the foundation for every active to work its magic.

As a mother-of-two, how do you balance family life with work?

Balance is a word I’ve learnt to take lightly - it’s rarely perfect, and that’s okay. Some weeks the brand needs more of me, and other weeks it’s my children. What anchors me is knowing that the two are deeply connected: RAAIE was built out of a return home, out of family, and it’s shaped by the way I want to live and work as a mother. I try to be fully present wherever I am (at my desk or on the school run) and to remind myself that showing my kids what it looks like to build something with purpose is just as important as bedtime stories.