Katey Mandy
Founder of RAAIE shares her star products and past, present and future dreams
What first inspired RAAIE’S creation?
My love for botanicals goes right back to my childhood. I spent many weekends helping Dad re-wild the family farm in Northland. Then in my twenties, I moved to Europe and spent 15 years working in the creative and beauty industries. When I returned to Aotearoa, I combined my passion for our unique and bioactively-rich botanicals with my experience working in the global beauty industry, and RAAIE was born.
Name one beauty product that will always be a star in your eyes?
I can’t go past the cult P50 French exfoliating toner. It’s been around since the 1970’s but has not been beaten. It smells like salad dressing and is quite stingy to apply, but there is no denying that it delivers visible results.
Favourite RAAIE product?
This is like being asked to choose your favourite child! I love them both equally of course. Morning Dew Vitamin C Serum is super cooling and refreshing, with a subtle fragrance of beach botanicals. It has Aotearoa’s most resilient and antioxidant-rich plants and highly effective, lab-derived ingredients to protect and brighten the skin. The Yellow Moonbeam Retinal Elixir is an evening treatment that has a velvety, rich texture with a scent of evening blooming botanicals. It has a next-gen retinal (vitamin A) to smooth and firm skin, alongside NZ marine algae, alpine rosehip and harakeke to nourish and heal. Together they are a killer combo that protects and brightens in the morning and repairs at night.
Favourite beauty ritual or treatment?
The ancient ritual of cleansing. People have used herbs and botanicals since the beginning of time to purify and rebalance. Cleansing is an often-underestimated skincare routine step because without a clean baseline, it makes it near impossible for other products to penetrate the skin properly.
Dream holiday destination?
Deià, a magical place in Spain’s Balearic Islands. It has been a haven for artists and musicians for decades. It’s a tiny village nestled between the sea and the mountains where winding paths lead down to a bay with crystal clear water.
Favourite winter indulgence?
The healing Infrared Sauna at Hana Space in Grey Lynn.
What are you reading or listening to at the moment?
I’m re-reading ‘A Fine Balance’ by Rohinton Mistry. It’s a beautiful story of the enduring survival of the human spirit.