Interview Questions
- Let’s start with your journey, what inspired you to create Lhamour, and what vision did you hold for this brand from day one?
In 2012, I came back to Mongolia to work for Mongolia’s first wind farm company after having lived in the States and Europe for many years. I slowly started to develop allergies due to the negative external effects such as air pollution, low quality of water and extreme climate, which was a great shock to me because I never had allergies and having skin rashes truly affected my daily life.
I began to wonder what to do. Since I never had skin problems, it never occurred to me that the skin is so important. It is the mirror of our health and it was truly making me understand so many things.
I consulted with doctors and they advised me that I should at least use mild natural products since I cannot change the negative external effects. But, I could not find anything. Either it was imported and not really natural or it was low quality.
I thus, started thinking about products in general, started looking at the ingredient lists and started understanding what it truly means to use natural products. What started out as a question regarding my own problem, turned into passion, as it inspired me to learn about the skin and effects that products have on it.
I started getting deeper into it and then decided to pursue it professionally by enrolling in Formula Botanica, the world's leading accredited online Organic Cosmetic Science School and became a professional skin care product formulator.
I moved quickly onto the advanced diploma and soon started making products for myself using Mongolian ingredients. I started at home and made products that I wished to use myself. I then started giving out to friends and family, who in fact had similar skin problems such as mine. It later turned out that the majority of people
1) have allergies as well
2) do not know what kind of skin type they are
3) do not understand products well enough to decide on which ones are suiting them
4) believe in myths about skin care and have very wrong skin routines
5) do not feel that the skin is that important.
Therefore, I decided that I want to use my passion for solving my own skin problems together with the professional background that I acquired and the opportunity of using amazing unique raw materials in Mongolia and start my journey of entrepreneurship.
Thus, I hope you can see that LHAMOUR is based on love. The philosophy of loving yourself and taking care of yourself, loving others and sharing knowledge and passion as well as loving the environment. It has my niece’s name LHAMO in it, because eventually what we do now will affect our next generation and thus, by being a social impact business, we want to show the future generation that we need to take care of each other and mother nature as well.
- You launched Mongolia’s first organic skincare brand, which is incredible. What challenges did you face building something so pioneering, and how did your roots guide you through it?
I honestly had so many challenges since I created the brand 10 years ago in my kitchen in Mongolia, a country that is developing. From theft and losing it all right at the beginning to flooding and losing it all again to numerous challenges regarding educating the customer, making sure people understood what I was trying to do and also just navigating through an ecosystem that does not support women, entrepreneurs, young people or manufacturing in general was quite harsh.
But I always had that dream of creating a Mongolian brand and through my products creating an impact on people’s lives. It was those challenges that kept me going since they taught me that every lesson is a learning experience and that they make me stronger.
I grew up in Europe, specifically Germany and my parents have always taught me to be resilient and strong and take things in and grow from them. I think those things have truly impacted my upbringing and made me very resilient towards difficult situations.
- Lhamour isn’t just a skincare brand; it’s a movement rooted in sustainability, inclusivity, and empowerment. How do you define your brand’s purpose today?
Lhamour's journey from a personal quest for solutions to a thriving business built on love and care is truly inspiring. It's impressive to see how the founder's own experiences led to the creation of a brand that not only addresses skincare needs but also champions sustainability and community empowerment.
The emphasis on using natural, eco-friendly ingredients sourced responsibly from local farms not only ensures product quality but also supports the community and minimizes environmental impact. Incorporating traditional Mongolian remedies into modern skincare products adds a unique touch, showcasing the richness of Mongolian culture.
Moreover, Lhamour's commitment to empowering girls and women through various initiatives, including supporting female-led businesses and promoting entrepreneurship and STEM education, reflects a dedication to creating positive societal change.
The brand's recognition on both national and international levels, including features in prestigious publications and awards for sustainability and product excellence, underscores the impact of its efforts. Overall, Lhamour's story exemplifies how a passion for personal well-being can evolve into a mission to uplift others and make a meaningful difference in the world.
- Your ingredient philosophy is deeply tied to your heritage. Can you share more about how local, traditional ingredients play a role in your formulations, and why that matters globally?
Yes, absolutely. We use the knowledge of nomadic traditional remedies and the abundance of the amazing raw materials that we can find in Mongolia. For example, nettle is widely available in Mongolia and has been used for centuries by the nomads for treatments and hair care etc. So, now we take that knowledge and make nettle soap, nettle bar shampoo and nettle hair oil because it is so pure and so healthy that it is an amazing ingredient to use.
Other examples of local Mongolian special ingredients would be pure yak’s milk that we source directly from the nomadic families or sea buckthorn and rosehip that grows in abundance in Mongolia. Also, another very special ingredient is sheep tail fat oil that the nomads have been using for centuries as well as it is has the purest form of collagen and even nowadays we still use it for cooking and to use for babies and elderly as it has no cholesterol but all the nutritional benefits and is something very sacred to Mongolia.
And honestly, seeing how the world is becoming more and more processed and how big companies are artificially recreating what mother earth has given us and how that in return affects the human body negatively, I feel even more the urge to get natural skincare products across the globe as it is so important to use healthy products on a daily basis.
- In a world where beauty standards are evolving, how do you see 'conscious beauty' shaping the future of the skincare industry, and what role does Lhamour play in this global shift?
I see conscious beauty as a big changemaker not just in the beauty industry but in people’s lives and I hope that Lhamour can be a vital part of it. Being conscious about the products you use and the business you run is so crucial. We are just guests on this beautiful earth and we have to be aware of our impact on the world and have to make sure that we do not deplete it and destroy it.
We need to make sure that everything is aligned, the earth, mother nature, human beings. We need to respect nature and respect our own bodies and minds. It is so important to have this alignment and to truly understand what you are putting in and on to yourself. Businesses need to be ethical and authentic and need to prioritize the best for their customers.
Especially, our generation who is so fully aware of so much information, seems to be caring more about the impact that the businesses are having on them. They seem to intentionally choose more sustainable and conscious brands and seem to truly care about what is happening behind the scenes. At least that is what I am hoping for. Money is a key goal for everyone but we have to also understand that we leave a legacy behind for our future generations. And we need to make sure that we leave a better place behind.
- Lhamour was born out of a personal skin journey. Can you tell us more about that, and how it shaped the way you formulate for others?
Since Lhamour was created because of my own skin issues and health issues, it has impacted everything I do deeply. Whenever I come up with an idea for a new product, I always set the intention to create something for dry and sensitive skin and keeping in mind people with eczema, psoriasis and allergy.
Besides being all natural and pure, I always think about also how I can incorporate what the Mongolian nomads have been using for centuries, what I have been taught by my mom and my surroundings and have I can then create something that can be modern and innovative and used by anyone in the world.
- You’ve created a full line of beautifully intentional products. Is there one product that truly captures the soul of Lhamour, one that tells your story in a unique way?
I always say all my products are my babies. Whenever we finally finish our product and launch, we always say a new baby is born. That is why every single product is so dear to me as every single product was in my mind first, then all the testing and trials happened, then the packaging was created, the formulation finalized and when you finally see and feel the end product - it is always a magical moment to realize you have just created something.
One of our bestsellers is our sea buckthorn hand butter and one product I absolutely love and is also one of our bestsellers is our facial oil that has both pure rosehip and sea buckthorn oils in it. Mongolia has so much natural beauty and rosehip and sea buckthorn both grow abundantly in Mongolia and we use it on a daily basis.
Rosehip and sea buckthorn are both considered superfoods and have so much vitamin C and nutrition that the nomads have been using them ever since. Lhamour being able to use them in their purest forms, organically and without any processing is truly incredible and I am so honored to be part of this amazing nature.
- Building Lhamour has been nothing short of remarkable, and along the way, you’ve received numerous global accolades. When you look back at these milestones, which one stands out as the most meaningful to you? How did that moment deepen your understanding of your mission and impact?
Yes, it was truly amazing to see all the recognition we got starting from being named “most sustainable SME of Asia” to “best entrepreneur of Asia-Pacific”. We took part in many global competitions and were featured on magazines such as Forbes, Harpers Bazaar and on TV shows by NHK WORLD, SIngapore Channel News Asia, German Deutsche Welle etc. But I think that the sustainable cosmetic product award from Japan was amazing because first of all Japan is very strict when it comes to skincare products and has great regulation and high standards.
So, just being recognized by Japanese judges was already incredible. But then for our rosehip facial oil being recognized as the most sustainable product because of our supply chain, pure ingredients and the way we produce - really summed everything up and showed how the hard work of our team comes together.
We do everything in house. From raw material processing to putting the last ribbon on. Everything is done in house by our 10 amazing women. And it is important to use to control our processes and really shape the narrative. That is why it was amazing to get this recognition.
- Your brand bridges modern innovation with ancestral knowledge. How do you maintain that balance between honoring tradition and embracing change?
Change is the only thing that is constant. We have to embrace change in order to move forward but we have to also respect our ancestors and the knowledge they build as this is the reason why we exist now. Even though the world is becoming so modern and rich and technology is advancing, we would never be where we are without our ancestors and the knowledge they passed on.
Nomadic living is so rich and amazing and we live one with nature. That is why it was so crucial for us as an organic skincare brand to truly dive deep into the knowledge our nomads have been passing on and even using today when they live their day to day live together with nature.
They live in harmony with nature and use the purest form of natural ingredients and this knowledge is so important for Lhamour as we see it as a way to keep the knowledge but also enrich it through our modern innovations. There is so much beauty in what our ancestors used to do and it was so aligned with mother nature. Both lived with each other and respect each other and I think this respect towards nature is something we shall never lose.
- You often speak about using business as a tool for positive change. How has entrepreneurship shaped your perspective on leadership, impact, and legacy?
Our social business has been focusing on helping girls and women gain their strength and confidence to be self-sustainable and moreover know that they can have a greater vision as well and not just earn money to make a living for today. We have created the mentorship program “Finding your passion” where we helped girls aged 15 to 20 find their inner passion.
We have created Mongolia’s first “Women in Business” event where we gathered 450 women at once and gave them the opportunity to share their experience and network and showcase their business.
We have also created Mongolia’s first “Women Entrepreneurship Day” event for 300 women where we encouraged them to become entrepreneurs and gave them motivation and inspiration. We invited 6 Mongolian and 8 international successful business role models to show them that they can do it as well.
We also created our “Girls in S.T.E.M” mentorship program where we inspire girls to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. All these programs and events that we created really just show how much we can do through our products and the brand we create.
We do not have to be rich in order to help others. We can do that along the way as well. And it is so important to help each other and support each other. We all only live once and we are all struggling.
So, I think it is important as a brand and an entrepreneur to try and give back to the community as much as possible. At the end of the day, it is not about how much money you make but the positive impact you leave on others.
- Skincare is intimate and emotional. What kind of transformation, physical or emotional, do you hope your customers experience when they use Lhamour?
I hope our customers will not only see how healthy and nourished their skin is becoming but I truly hope that they will love themselves more, see within themselves and start to be confident in their own skin because a healthy body creates a healthy mind and I hope that all our customers embrace their unique beauty.
Instead of trying to put make up on when their skin is having problems, it is important to see what it means when our skin is giving us signs. People need to understand that our skin is our largest organ and truly a mirror to our health. Having healthy skin is deeply connected to your overall health and once you are truly healthy, you can find your inner strength to be confident about your own unique self.
- As Lhamour continues to grow, what key strategies have you implemented to scale the brand without compromising its authenticity or commitment to sustainability, and how do you ensure the brand stays connected to its mission?
Most of my team mates have been with me now 5 to 10 years and it has been remarkable to see the team grow together through all the difficulties and challenges. Everything is still hand made and us growing would mean adding more people to the production.
It is important for me that everyone understands the company values and vision and once they do, it is much easier to keep the authenticity. Now that we are growing internationally, it gives us a good opportunity to go deep back to our value system and what makes us unique. And I am very proud to truly think that we are unique.
- The beauty industry is crowded with choices. What steps did you take to ensure Lhamour stands out globally, and how do you stay true to your roots while expanding your reach internationally?
I think it is all about educational posts and truly reaching the customers that understand our special offer and that understand our value proposition. Instead of trying to sell to everyone, I try to sell to people who are health-conscious, who are eco-friendly and who have dry and sensitive skin and possibly allergies, eczema and psoriasis.
We tailor our products towards these people and try to find exactly them in order to match our offering to our target. I think with all the artificial, synthetic and non natural products out there, many people start to realize the importance of truly pure ingredients. And by being from Mongolia, we can promise to provide the purest and most natural ingredients possible.
- As a brand deeply rooted in sustainability, what advice do you have for beauty entrepreneurs looking to incorporate ethical practices into their business model, particularly around sourcing and packaging?
Sourcing is the most important aspect and you have to truly understand what you want out of your suppliers and check whether they can deliver that. We at Lhamour are even able to supply raw materials as we saw how important it is to provide the purest ingredients also to others who look for them. Check the documents, the processes and even just the people that work there. The human contact aspect is always important.
We for example source some ingredients like our fresh goat’s milk and yak’s milk direct from the countryside from the nomadic herders. We make sure they get good payment and in return help them become more professional and sustainable. It is a long term relationship and we evolve together.
Regarding packaging sustainability, we for example launched six years ago Mongolia’s first zero waste corner where people can come with their own containers and get their favorite body oils or facial oils refilled, so that the manufacturer and brand as well as the customer do not create any packaging waste.
Also, we started commercializing recycled paper - making it hip and trendy. I think there is so much potential to be more sustainable and the cosmetic and skincare industry is so wasteful. Everyone has to try and see how to minimize this waste.
- Where can people around the world discover and shop Lhamour, and how can they stay connected to the mission?
Check out our website www.lhamour.com and follow our Instagram “lhamour”. We are now starting Tiktok as well and you can also follow me on Instagram “hulancka”. I will start with educational and motivational posts and hope to help people love themselves, love others and love the environment and understand the benefits and importance of organic skincare.
Khulan Davaadorj is an Award winning entrepreneur. Founder, director of Lhamour -Mongolia's first organic skincare brand - combining her background in renewable energy, sustainability and organic skincare formulation to create a better place.
