For Tina Shum, it all started with a need to soothe her sunburn. She bought a product which claimed to have 92 per cent aloe vera only to later find out that the actual amount contained was much less—more than 91 per cent less to be specific. This tall claim made her realise that many people blindly trust what’s on the labels and brands find loopholes to exploit this trust.
Shum felt it was about time to change this and founded Raw Lily, a holistic wellness retail platform to “transform the way retail is done”.
“The simplest way we approach products at Raw Lily is that whatever we sell we must be comfortable to use on our loved ones,” she says. This has led to the foundation for a business that not only sells beauty products but is also reshaping how people make decisions in a world flooded with marketing noise. Read on to find out more.
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Raw Lily founder Tina Shum shares why she treats customers like family members (Photo: Instagram / @rawlily)
Q: On your website, it says that Raw Lily believes in the power of good. What does “the power of good” mean in the context of your business, and how do you achieve that?
TINA SHUM: It all started with a simple search for aloe vera to soothe a sunburn. I picked up a product from a well-known Korean beauty brand at a popular retailer, which proudly labelled it as containing 92 per cent aloe vera. But when it didn’t seem to work, I began to wonder why. Shockingly, tests conducted by the Market Supervision Bureau later revealed that the product contained only 0.4 per cent aloe vera.
That moment opened my eyes to a deeper problem: how hard it is for consumers to navigate a market flooded with misleading claims and overwhelming options. People want to make safe, informed choices for themselves and their families, but the lack of transparency and trust in everyday products makes this incredibly challenging.
For us, “the power of good” means leading with transparency, integrity and good intentions. People are tired of clean-washing, greenwashing and empty promises—and so are we. That’s why Raw Lily is committed to cutting through the noise with brands that prioritise safe ingredients and stand up to scrutiny.
We know that striving for holistic wellness can feel overwhelming, so our mission is to simplify it. By curating products that align with our strict standards—which we call The Raw Standard—we empower people to make better choices confidently.
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Q: As you mentioned, you founded Raw Lily out of a sense of frustration with the lack of transparency in the market. What discerning alternative does your brand offer?
TS: At Raw Lily, we operate with a singular promise: The Raw Standard. This standard is our commitment to transparency, quality and trust, ensuring that every product we carry aligns with our values and meets our rigorous criteria.
One cornerstone of The Raw Standard is our Never Ever List™, which eliminates harmful ingredients and focuses on safety without compromise. But we don’t stop there. Products must also reflect beautiful craftsmanship and quality. We carefully evaluate their formulations and the ingredients used—and, most importantly, listen to the feedback from our customers. Customer testimonials and real-world experiences are an essential part of our curation process, helping us ensure the products we offer truly resonate with those who use them.
What sets The Raw Standard apart is its thoughtful approach. Instead of relying solely on regulatory standards—which can vary widely across regions—we set our own benchmarks, drawing inspiration from trusted global practices to ensure consistency and reliability across everything we offer.
The Raw Standard is more than a guideline—it’s our promise to cut through the noise and provide our customers with consciously curated products they can trust. We believe in wellness that’s simple, honest and rooted in integrity.
Raw Lily founder Tina Shum underlines the importance of holding brands accountable
Q: How does your organisation balance profit with purpose?
TS: We’re still in the early stages, learning as we go, but our purpose is crystal clear: to make choosing better products easy, enjoyable and affordable.
We want to make our products accessible to [people in] all walks of life. To do that, we work hard on negotiating a fair price with our brand partners and continuously look for ways to minimise our operating costs so we can pass on the maximum amount of benefits to customers at affordable prices.
While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we remain committed to continuous improvement. Balancing profit with purpose isn’t a box you tick—it’s an ongoing journey.
Q: Tell us about the practical strategies that underpin Raw Lily’s success and the broader impact you aim to create.
TS: Our success comes down to a few core strategies. First, rigorous attention to detail: From ingredient lists to sourcing, nothing escapes our scrutiny.
Next is the Never Ever List: it evolves as we learn more, ensuring our standards remain among the strictest in the industry.
Third, our commitment to truth: We’re relentless in verifying claims and ensuring transparency.
And fourth, there is our patient, human-centred approach—instead of focusing on hard sales, we prioritise trust and relationships.
The broader impact we aim to create is simple but meaningful: to make wellness accessible for busy individuals who are overwhelmed by choice.
Raw Lily founder Tina Shum is on a quest to change the retail experience
Q: What are the challenges you have faced along the way?
TS: Launching a brand like Raw Lily comes with its fair share of challenges.The toughest task is to identify high-quality brands that meet our standards and to make them accessible in Hong Kong without compromising on price for our customers. It has truly been an eye-opener—we have discovered so many ‘clean’ brands that don’t fully deliver on their promises. Finding brands that truly align with our values has not been easy, but we’re proud to work with partners who are market-leading in all the qualities we aspire our brands to have.
Another significant challenge has been educating customers. Misleading marketing terms like “natural” or “organic” have created confusion, making it harder for people to understand what truly makes a product safe or effective. To address this, we create educational content across our platforms to share clear, actionable knowledge. Through blogs and social media posts, we aim to break down complex topics like ingredient safety, label transparency and product efficacy into easily digestible information.
Q: How do you think your experience working in the corporate world influences the way you do business at Raw Lily?
TS: The corporate world taught me to think critically, operate with precision and approach challenges systematically. It’s where I learnt that success isn’t just about having big ideas—it’s about creating structure, setting standards and following through. While compliance and operational rigour might not sound exciting, they’re the backbone of building trust and ensuring long-term success.
At Raw Lily, those lessons translated into an investment in time and effort to set things up the right way from the very beginning. We took the time to define The Raw Standard. This involved not only studying what the regulations and scientific research say but also considering what promises we could realistically make to our customers. We needed to focus on trust—not overpromising, but delivering exactly what we say we will.
That experience also shaped how we think about growth. The corporate mindset taught me to step back and see the bigger picture: how do the choices we make today shape the future of our brand? At Raw Lily, that means focusing not just on curating great products but on redefining how people approach everyday essentials—bringing clarity, simplicity and trust to a space often filled with noise.
This article is part of Business of Good, the series that explores how global leaders drive change through innovative ideas and positive action. New stories are out every Wednesday.
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