Among skincare devotees, RAAIE’s sculptural bottles have become the ultimate vanity fixture. Inside, high-performance formulations powered by antioxidant-rich native botanicals have helped earn the New Zealand skincare brand its cult following. Now, RAAIE enters its most ambitious chapter yet, rebranding as RAESO, a new identity shaped by skincare that works in harmony with the body’s circadian rhythm.
Founded in 2022 by former beauty editor Katey Mandy, the brand has quickly grown from niche newcomer to global contender, earning coveted shelf space at Sephora and within the beauty halls of Liberty London. For Mandy, this next chapter simply deepens the principles that have long shaped the brand’s philosophy.
Rooted in emerging chronobiology research – the study of the body’s innate 24-hour biological rhythms – this evolution to RAESO reflects a growing understanding that when you apply skincare can be just as important as what you apply. From the Yellow Moonbeam Elixir’s encapsulated retinal designed to release during the skin’s nighttime permeability peak, to Tranquility Mist’s ability to lock hydration into the skin throughout the day, and Morning Dew Vitamin C Serum’s antioxidant systems formulated to defend across the full span of daylight hours, the brand’s formulations have long been engineered to work with the skin’s natural rhythms.
The rebrand doesn’t change the products themselves; rather, it articulates the science behind them. “As a founder, I never take for granted that women choose us daily,” Mandy explains. “That’s intimate. That’s trust. Which is why we didn’t reformulate what already worked. The integrity was there. The framing simply caught up.”
In celebration of the brand’s evolution, we sat down with Mandy to unpack the evolution to RAESO, the Circadian Skin Science guiding the shift, and what this next chapter holds.
In conversation with Katey Mandy
What prompted the decision to evolve RAAIE into RAESO?
It was really a trifecta of things all leading us in one direction. From day one, we formulated in sync with what skin is naturally trying to do at different times of day: defend in daylight, repair after dark.
Over the past four years, we’ve quietly invested in research and development, watching the science deepen around how key skin functions fluctuate across the circadian cycle; when antioxidant defence peaks, when DNA repair accelerates, when barrier permeability shifts, when transepidermal water loss rises. Skin is not static. It is rhythmic. And once you see the rhythm, you can’t unsee it.
Alongside that, we are ready to step into a new season of growth, and are reaching global markets in a much bigger way. The name RAAIE, while deeply personal and meaningful, was beginning to limit us from a trademark perspective as we expand internationally. To scale properly, we needed a name that could travel with us. So we’re introducing RAESO to enable that growth, while keeping our products, ingredients and quality exactly the same. We keep the “Ra” and “eso” comes from the Greek word within. We don’t see it as changing who we are, it’s more about articulating the depth behind what we’ve always believed, and building a global brand around the future of Circadian Skin Science.
For someone who’s never thought about their skin in 24-hour cycles, how would you explain circadian skincare in simple terms?
Circadian Skin Science is working with your skin’s natural 24-hour cycle so ingredients absorb better, act more precisely and deliver faster visible results. It’s grounded in a simple but largely ignored truth: skin isn’t static. It moves through a 24-hour rhythm. Across the day, its priorities shift – defending itself in daylight hours, repairing and regenerating after dark. Ingredients don’t perform in a vacuum; their efficacy is influenced by these biological phases.
Antioxidants are more impactful when skin is in protection mode, facing UV and pollution. Vitamin A derivatives align with peak nighttime renewal. Barrier-supporting ingredients help counteract the natural rise in transepidermal water loss while you sleep. There’s also what we call the “power hour” – a window in the evening from 8-10pm when permeability increases and skin becomes more receptive to actives. Applied at the right moment, ingredients don’t just sit on the surface; they penetrate with greater precision.
Circadian skincare is about respecting those windows. Working with skin’s intelligence instead of throwing ingredients at your face and hoping something sticks. It’s understanding when skin is most receptive, and choosing ingredients accordingly.
When you look back at RAAIE’s launch in 2022, what are you most proud of in terms of how the brand has grown and evolved?
I’m incredibly proud of the global team of collaborators we’ve built. For a brand that began in New Zealand, to now have partners and retailers across the UK, Europe, Australia and beyond… that’s very special. We also currently have an all-female team. Early in my career I came up through the advertising world, which at the time was very male dominated. So building something where women lead across science, operations, creative and strategy feels meaningful.
On a personal level, RAAIE was a kind of rebirth for me. I had returned to New Zealand after many years abroad. It was a period of reflection and recalibration. The brand initially felt very tied to that chapter of my life.
The formulas themselves haven’t changed but the story around them has deepened. How important is language and education in helping customers truly understand what they’re using?
We recently conducted a consumer study with Dr Dan Yarosh [who formerly lead the research for all Estée Lauder brands, including La Mer and many others] of 500 women and found that most were already practising some form of circadian skincare; Vitamin C in the morning, Vitamin A at night. They instinctively knew what worked. They just didn’t know why. Education turns habit into intention. It gives people a framework for what they’re already experiencing.
That said, while our existing formulas remain intact, our new product development is leaning much more deeply into emerging skin biology research – particularly around clock genes, repair pathways and ingredient timing. Future developments are being shaped through that lens from the outset. The science is moving quickly, and we’re building with it.
When you think about the next five years, where do you see RAESO in the beauty industry? What excites you most about what’s to come?
I’m really passionate about empowering people to understand their own biology. In beauty, we’re constantly sold the idea of “betterment” – fix this, resurface that, optimise everything. But the truth is, skin is already incredibly competent. It’s not broken. It’s not lazy. It’s not waiting to be rescued. So many of the issues we see are actually the result of overcorrection – too much exfoliation, too many actives, pushing the skin harder than it needs to be pushed. If we can help people step back, understand their skin’s natural rhythm, and build routines that respect it rather than override it, that feels like a meaningful shift.
