Our Story
Our Story
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Ina Rawa is a small family skincare brand located in Whangārei, New Zealand. Surrounded by pristine nature, wildlife and culture, Whangārei serves as inspiration for both our products and brand.
Ina Rawa is a small family skincare brand located in Whangārei, New Zealand. Surrounded by pristine nature, wildlife and culture, Whangārei serves as inspiration for both our products and brand.
How it started.. back in 2019, Brendan started Ina Rawa as a school business studies project. Part of this was developing kawakawa balm which was sold at a school market. After having sent some of these balms to family in the Netherlands, the positive feedback was recognition that there was a demand for high-quality New Zealand skin products. One issue though, as beautiful as a balm may be, let's face it, it's not always as practical! Either your hands become greasy due to the texture or it ends up being a step in your skincare routine you all-too-regularly skip. That's where Brendan saw to change things. Why not integrate New Zealand's finest botanicals into a simple everyday skincare routine? And so the idea of Ina Rawa was born. The next step was making the product idea come to life...can't be that hard right?
How it started.. back in 2019, Brendan started Ina Rawa as a school business studies project. Part of this was developing kawakawa balm which was sold at a school market. After having sent some of these balms to family in the Netherlands, the positive feedback was recognition that there was a demand for high-quality New Zealand skin products. One issue though, as beautiful as a balm may be, let's face it, it's not always as practical! Either your hands become greasy due to the texture or it ends up being a step in your skincare routine you all-too-regularly skip. That's where Brendan saw to change things. Why not integrate New Zealand's finest botanicals into a simple everyday skincare routine? And so the idea of Ina Rawa was born. The next step was making the product idea come to life...can't be that hard right?
Well, it depends. For Ina Rawa we set the bar high. We didn't make things easy for ourselves. At the bare minimum we wanted a cruelty-free brand that didn't come close to having nasty chemicals bad for your skin.
Well, it depends. For Ina Rawa we set the bar high. We didn't make things easy for ourselves. At the bare minimum we wanted a cruelty-free brand that didn't come close to having nasty chemicals bad for your skin.
To guide us through the product development, our values were kept centre at every part of the decision-making process.
To guide us through the product development, our values were kept centre at every part of the decision-making process.
We decided to partner with a local Auckland-based formulator to create industry leading formulations to deliver results. Oh yes, and we wanted Ina Rawa to be certified for sale in the European Union, not an easy feat for any starting brand, let alone one based on the other side of the world. But, this remained a concious decision to make sure we lived up to some of the world's most regulated safety measures. So after several years, we now have a product range we are proud to say has undergone stringent testing and quality assurance, because only the best meets our expectations.
We decided to partner with a local Auckland-based formulator to create industry leading formulations to deliver results. Oh yes, and we wanted Ina Rawa to be certified for sale in the European Union, not an easy feat for any starting brand, let alone one based on the other side of the world. But, this remained a concious decision to make sure we lived up to some of the world's most regulated safety measures. So after several years, we now have a product range we are proud to say has undergone stringent testing and quality assurance, because only the best meets our expectations.
So, we now had formulations, check! Next step, quite important too, packaging. We wanted something that ensured easy use, durability and limited impact on the environment. After testing a range of different variations, we settled on sugarcane tubes. Although there will always be room for improvement, sugarcane tubes provide a circular model solution, from raw materials through to post-consumer. To read more about the environmental benefits of sugarcane, click here ->
So, we now had formulations, check! Next step, quite important too, packaging. We wanted something that ensured easy use, durability and limited impact on the environment. After testing a range of different variations, we settled on sugarcane tubes. Although there will always be room for improvement, sugarcane tubes provide a circular model solution, from raw materials through to post-consumer. To read more about the environmental benefits of sugarcane, click here ->
Throughout this whole process, Brendan also took part in the New Zealand Young Enterprise Scheme, in which Ina Rawa was further developed to become a brand capable of sharing New Zealand with the world. The support from YES meant Ina Rawa also became a recipient of the Prince's Trust He Kākano Seed Funding Programme, helping further develop products to an international market level. Brendan was also selected to partake in the North Asia CAPE China Business Expereince, another significant contribution in making Ina Rawa ready to share at a global level.
Throughout this whole process, Brendan also took part in the New Zealand Young Enterprise Scheme, in which Ina Rawa was further developed to become a brand capable of sharing New Zealand with the world. The support from YES meant Ina Rawa also became a recipient of the Prince's Trust He Kākano Seed Funding Programme, helping further develop products to an international market level. Brendan was also selected to partake in the North Asia CAPE China Business Expereince, another significant contribution in making Ina Rawa ready to share at a global level.
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