Suppose you’ve got a nose for hunting the hippest new skincare offerings. In that case, there’s every chance you’ve spied Katey Mandy’s effortlessly cool botanical-based skincare brand, RAAIE, on your Instagram feed. In fact, it’s been near impossible not to take notice of RAAIE. In an overwhelming sea of skincare jars and bottles, with their uniform hard lines and little to tell them apart, the organic silhouettes of RAAIE’s first two products offer something new; something to get excited about for the jaded beauty buff.

And while the breathtaking—and Instagrammable–packaging is enough to pique anyone’s interest, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Inspired by her love of nature, Mandy has turned to the unique biodiversity of Aotearoa to power Morning Dew Vitamin C Serum and Yellow Moonbeam Evening Elixir. “My love for botanicals goes right back to my childhood,” explains Mandy. “I spent many weekends helping dad re-wild the family farm in Northland. We tried to restore the natural ecosystem and attract native wildlife back to the area by planting native trees such as Mamaku, Nikau, Kānuka  and Rewarewa.”

In her mid-20s, as many of us do, Mandy hopped on a plane and headed abroad. She spent the next 11 years in London, New York, and Los Angeles working in fashion and beauty marketing for some of the world’s most recognised names. It was her mum’s cancer diagnosis that saw her return home. “When Mum passed away, I felt like something had changed in me. I didn’t want to return to LA; I wanted to stay in New Zealand and find a new direction.”

During a moment of reflection, while surrounded by the native flora she had planted as a child, Mandy’s new path became clear. “Aotearoa is a treasure trove of plants and sea botanicals that are some of the most bioactive rich in the world,” Mandy tells Fashion Quarterly. “That was when I decided to build my brand inspired by these amazingly powerful plants.”

Rather than perplexing us all with endless numbers of serums and lotions, Mandy has kept her initial RAAIE offering succinct. “We chose to launch with AM/ PM treatment serums because serums are the products in your skincare routine that deliver the best results,” explains Mandy. The two serums deliver high concentrations of active ingredients right where they are needed. Both are ideal for targetting an array of specific skin concerns – wrinkles, redness, pigmentation and lacklustre skin.

Botanical ingredients include the likes of antioxidant-rich New Zealand blackcurrants, Sauvignon Blanc Grapeseed, Mamaku Black Fern, and Kānuka . “We harness the power of New Zealand botanicals (that have learnt to survive and thrive in our harsh UV environment) and combine them with the latest developments in cosmeceutical science,” Mandy says. “It’s this balance of nature and science that sets us apart because we believe they both have a part to play in achieving the best skin.”