Adibah Mazlan had a pretty typical upbringing. Hailing from Selangor, she grew up in a middle-class family, surrounded by strong women who believed in hard work and purpose. She went on to pursue pharmacy, finding it to be a field where science meets impact.
One way that she differed from others, though, was her streak of curiosity and itch for entrepreneurship. She was always selling things in school, finding ways to build something of her own.
In 2015, she even started her own business as a luxury brand personal shopper and was importing several international skincare brands that weren’t available in Malaysia at the time.
This entrepreneurial spirit might explain why she eventually felt like working behind the counters had its limits.
She shared with Vulcan Post, “I wanted to reach more people—and skincare became my way to merge pharmaceutical knowledge with everyday impact.”
And that was how Adibah created The Raw.
Real and raw products
It was 2019 when Adibah founded her business. The trigger to delve into skincare was because the founder herself couldn’t find local skincare brands that met her standards of safety, efficacy, and transparency.
“Many were trendy but lacked substance,” she argued. “I saw a huge gap: Malaysians wanted affordable, effective skincare—but there was a trust deficit. I built The Raw to fill that gap.”
The Raw began with small batches, covering the basics. But when the team saw real customer transformations and increasing repeat purchases, Adibah knew they were onto something.
So she doubled down on The Raw, pushing it as a skincare brand built on “real science, real results, and real confidence.”
She shared, “Our mission is simple: promote healthy skin through products that are safe, effective, and rooted in pharmaceutical knowledge. We’re not here to promise flawless skin—we’re here to make people feel confident in their skin, whatever condition they’re in.”
In terms of product development, The Raw is all about practicality. Everything starts with identifying the skin concern the team wants to solve.
“We run competitor audits, ingredient evaluations, and scientific validation—combining pharmaceutical-grade research with dermatological insight,” Adibah explained.
This process is not a quick one. Formulation to launch typically takes nine to 12 months. Part of the reason for the drawn out R&D experience is because The Raw actually collaborates with university labs and external R&D consultants to ensure every ingredient serves a purpose.
The careful formulation and compliance is a reflection of Adibah’s pharmaceutical background. But running The Raw involves more than that. As Adibah herself pointed out, it requires a different muscle: marketing, operations, HR, supply chain—none of which pharmacy school teaches.
“The biggest challenge was learning to scale without losing quality,” she said. So how did she do it?
Reaching that wider audience
The Raw’s hero product had been The Raw Arbutin 2% Serum, which was formulated for brightening dull and uneven skin tones.
According to Adibah, it gained traction because it was one of the few local serums that delivered visible results without compromising on skin safety.
But having a good product is one thing. How do you even start marketing those products to customers?
“We launched during MCO (2020), and our content went viral organically. We spoke in a way people understood. TikTok and Instagram were key channels. We educated instead of selling, and word-of-mouth did the rest,” Adibah shared.
With this strategy, The Raw grew rapidly. Today, they’re in over 800 retail outlets—including Guardian, AEON Wellness, and KPJ hospital pharmacies.
“Getting into retail wasn’t easy. We had to prove our products were safe, compliant, and that we had a loyal customer base,” Adibah said. “Retailers took us seriously because our numbers backed us up—we showed demand, repeat purchase rate, and a clear brand identity.”
Aside from having a physical presence, they’ve also tapped into major ecommerce platforms such as Shopee and TikTok Shop, and there’s also the official www.theraw.com.my website.
The founder shared that combining online growth with physical presence helped The Raw scale faster and reach a wider demographic—the goal she had since day one.
Rising above the competition
Ever since the pandemic, though, there have been more and more local skincare businesses popping up and finding their ways to retail shelves.
“Yes, the barrier to entry is lower now—white labelling, social media, and influencers have made launching a brand easier than ever,” Adibah agreed. “But the barrier to sustainability is still high.”
The Raw’s path to sustainability is all about trust—achieved by their science-first approach, backed by intense R&D, and focused on real results.
“We’re not built on hype. We’re built on trust,” she reiterated. “Marketing can sell once. But product quality builds longevity.”
Competition with local and overseas brands aside, scaling while maintaining product quality was another big challenge.
But The Raw stayed agile, investing in brand education and building a loyal community.
With that, Adibah is proud to share that the business is tracking RM50 million in annual revenue this year, which reflects a 43% growth from last year’s revenue of RM35 million.
“The brand was bootstrapped in the early days—I used savings from my pharmacy job, amounting to RM30,000, to get started,” she said about their startup capital. “Over time, we reinvested profits to scale. We haven’t taken any external investment—yet.”
While The Raw intends to continue strengthening their presence in Malaysia, the long-term vision is to go regional. Specifically, they’re looking at Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and Middle Eastern countries.
Keeping her ambitious streak alive, Adibah is also working towards an IPO by 2028.
She believes that strategic collaborations, stronger R&D, and continuous product innovation will bring her to the international playing field, getting her closer to the dreams of going public.
Featured Image Credit: The Raw
