Beauty review: RAAIE’s Cocoon Ceramide Cream

If you’ve been on Instagram over the last year or so and your feed is as beauty-obsessed as mine, chances are that some elegantly fabulous posts popped up courtesy of RAAIE. ‘What is RAAIE?’ you may have asked, so if you’re not already acquainted, I’m here to fill you in.
RAAIE is an active skincare brand with the transformative power of New Zealand’s land, sea and alpine botanicals at its heart, and it is seriously impressive. It was founded by New Zealander Katey Mandy, who spent 11 years working in the fashion and beauty industries in London and New York on high-profile celebrity campaigns such as Katy Perry for ghd, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Ryan Reynolds for M&S, and renowned Hollywood stylist Kate Young for Target. Her attention to detail and eye for a seriously covetable aesthetic is immediate from the minute you lay eyes on RAAIE’s ever-growing family of products, with each as sculptural and mesmerising as the next.
But RAAIE doesn’t just look next level, it also comes with the science to back it up. Each product combines lab-approved, highly-effective active ingredients like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and retinal, with powerful, locally-grown plant antioxidants that boost them firmly into the high performance skincare category.
My go-to RAAIE product since it launched is the Morning Dew Vitamin C Serum, which has two different types of vitamin C in the formula to bestow a dewy glow, also helping to reduce redness and hyperpigmentation, and even out the skin tone. Wild-harvested New Zealand alpine rosehip is included to provide a natural form of vitamin A and omegas, while mamaku (native black fern) provides an instant firming effect. New Zealand blackcurrants, containing the highest anthocyanin levels of any berries, help to protect against UV damage, while native kānuka (a powerful inflammatory) and native marine sea algae complete the picture. After having a good play with the product I was instantly enamoured, and I’ve never looked back.

But on to the brand’s newest offering – the Cocoon Ceramide Cream (above). Designed to hydrate, soothe and protect your skin by strengthening its natural defensive barrier and helping repair from within, this baby is set to elevate your skincare experience by promoting healthier, plumper skin. Enriched with ceramides (a must in every skincare routine), cholesterol, and fatty acids, the ingredients within Cocoon Ceramide Cream mimic skin's natural composition and barrier to heal and fortify, creating a nourishing cocoon-like layer that locks in hydration and defends against external stressors.
When it comes to the all-important ceramides, the multifaceted Cocoon Ceramide Cream boasts a combination of seven of the little wonders, along with plant-transforming growth factors to support cellular repair. It also contains fermented minerals (copper, zinc, and manganese) and chebula (a seriously buzzworthy ingredient right now in the form of an ancient Ayurvedic herb that has been used for centuries) for enhanced skin strength, along with hyaluronic acid, Antarctic marine algae, and glycerin for deep hydration. Meanwhile, premium-grade Mānuka honey MGO850+, alpine rosehip, and avocado oil work to lock in precious moisture. The end result? A healthy, nourished skin barrier: all the better to fight external aggressions including sun damage and pollution, and to aid with repairing from within.

Talking to RAAIE Founder Katey during a visit to the product launch at The Facialist, it’s immediately clear that she felt that a ceramide cream was the obvious next step for the brand. “We love the feeling of the sun on our skin. We love what it does for our body and our mood. But at the same time, sun exposure can damage and age our skin. Our Cocoon Ceramide Cream moistures your skin and repairs its barrier so it can protect itself from UV and other environmental aggressors. It’s like a wonderful cocoon of hydration and protection for your skin.”

Formulated to work in harmony with RAAIE’s AM/PM serums or worn alone, the Cocoon Ceramide Cream can be applied day and night, as the final step in your bedtime skincare regime or just before your SPF in the morning. I’ve fallen hard for its luxurious, rich, whipped cream texture, and marvel at how it also absorbs effortlessly into skin and plays extremely well with makeup, SPF and the like. It’s the perfect solution for my on-the-dry-side skin, also serving to strengthen it and dissuade it from its highly sensitive tendencies. And as for that absolutely delicious-looking vessel? It’s sitting pretty alongside my Morning Dew, and is simply way too gorgeous to hide away!

RAAIE’s Cocoon Ceramide Cream is available now.