Mongolia is a country that is often overlooked. Bordered by Russia and China, this country is often thought of with respect to its rich cultural history, but it offers a new array of powerful and compelling stories today. Khulan Davaadorj is an undeniable example of this. Awarded Woman of the Year by Mongolia’s Prime Minister in 2016, Davaadorj is an inspiring social entrepreneur whose passion for ethical living drove her to create LHAMOUR. LHAMOUR is Mongolia’s first natural skincare company and it aims to revolutionise the Mongolian economy, empower Mongolian citizens, and inspire all of us to live with compassion and love.
Words: Tracey Flores
Image: LHAMOUR’s founder Khulan Davaadorj / Vital Voices NGO
What inspired you to pour your passion for social entrepreneurship into LHAMOUR?
In 2012, I came back to Mongolia to work for Mongolia’s first wind farm company after having lived in the [United] States and Europe for many years. I slowly started to develop allergies due to the negative external effects, such as air pollution, low water quality and extreme climate. This 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 important, it is the mirror of our health. I consulted with doctors and they recommended that I use mild natural products but I could not find anything. Everything was either imported, not really natural, or it was low quality.
This prompted me to start looking at ingredient lists – I wanted to understand what ‘natural’ truly meant. What started out as a question regarding my own problem turned into passion. 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. I quickly moved onto the advanced diploma and became a professional skincare formulator. Soon after I started making products for myself using Mongolian ingredients.
Fascinating! Talk us through the process of making the first products.
I started at home and made products that I wished to use myself. I then started giving these products to friends and family who had similar skin issues. It later discovered that the majority of people: (1) have allergies as well; (2) do not know what kind of skin type they have and do not understand products well enough to decide which ones are right them; (3) believe in myths about skin care; and (4) do not feel that the skin is important. This made me decide that I needed to combine my passions for solving my own skin problems with the professional background that I acquired in order to create unique skin healing products made from raw Mongolian materials.
"We believe companies should be change makers and positive role models that care about society from the start, not after they’ve made a big profit."
Image: LHAMOUR Mongolia Natural Cosmetics / Vital Voices NGO
What does the brand name, LHAMOUR, stand for?
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 what we do now will impact future generations. This awareness made me want to create a business based on social impact. We want to show the future generation that we need to take care of each other and mother nature as well.
Ever since you founded LHAMOUR in 2014, you have made creating meaningful impact a core component of your business. Could you describe LHAMOUR’S various social and environmental programs/initiatives?
Once I started to sell product, I saw that my business meant more to people than skincare. They saw motivation, inspiration, and hope. At that time, Mongolia was fixated on mining and natural resource [extraction]. The ideas of entrepreneurship and social impact were foreign. I realised that LHAMOUR could be something much bigger, and once our following extended we started creating many programs to reflect that.
For instance, LHAMOUR’S flagship store was the first store in Mongolia to introduce a zero waste concept to consumers. We have a designated area in our shop (we call it our zero waste corner) where people can buy products without packaging and refill some of their favorite products. Our zero waste corner is really all about changing people’s mindsets regarding the environment and consumption. We try to exemplify this as a company by doing everything from using recycled paper in our baskets (in-store) to having a zero waste production line.
“By receiving a product from us the customer receives a little bit of that nomadism and pureness.”
I also saw that many younger people, especially girls, looked up to us. Because of this we initiated two mentorship programs, Finding Your Passion and Girls in STEM. Finding Your Passion is meant to help teenagers (aged 14-16) find themselves so they can find [gratifying] career paths. Girls in STEM is meant to inspire girls to engage with and pursue interests and careers in STEM [as women are still vastly underrepresented in this sector]. We also realised that LHAMOUR was really reaching women due to our company being all women led. This inspired us to start Mongolia’s first “Women’s Entrepreneurship Day,” which happens in 144 countries worldwide in November.
Beyond our mentorship programs, we have also created a number of assistance programs for children. We have done several things, such as going to the suburbs and giving free dental care for public school children, helping renovate the children’s section in a public hospital, and gifting products to children with disabilities while supporting their parents.
Image: LHAMOUR Mongolia / Vital Voices NGO
We believe companies should be change makers and positive role models that care about society – including the marginalised – from the start, not after they’ve made a big profit. Actions speak louder than words and we want to show that companies can take a holistic approach by creating impact and value at the same time.
Your brand is literally paving a new path in Mongolia’s socio-economic landscape. What impact do you hope LHAMOUR will have in Mongolia in long-term?
We hope that when people think of LHAMOUR, they think of positive change and of all the good in the world. We see a corporation as a huge agent for change and for a small developing country like Mongolia, I believe huge impact is possible. Even if it is gradually. We only have 3 million people, yet we are a young dynamic population. We hope that startups, like LHAMOUR, can show the younger generations that we are the change makers and that we can shape the future! As time goes by we hope LHAMOUR can show people that doing good is the way forward. Everyone can be a catalyst for change and even small steps can make a huge difference.
While LHAMOUR is undoubtedly making an impact in Mongolia, it also has an incredible potential to be something akin to a cultural ambassador for Mongolia worldwide. What do you hope that your brand communicates about Mongolia and Mongolian culture?
Mongolia has a rich history and amazing culture, and I truly believe that we can make an impact through the brand in Mongolia and worldwide. When people think of Mongolia, they think of the never ending blue sky and the vast beauty of the countryside. We have so many unique plants and herbs. The fact that Mongolia is 5 times bigger than Germany but only has 3 million people really shows how big the countryside is and how much original nature we still have left.
I think showing this originality and pureness is very important for us as we use all the richness that mother nature has to offer. Natural Mongolian ingredients are the foundation of LHAMOUR. Without our ingredients, we could not provide products that are good for people. We source high quality ingredients that are unique to Mongolia. Ingredients like sea buckthorn, rose hip, sheep tail fat oil, thyme, and nettle have amazing properties for the skin. We source our fresh goat’s and yak’s milk directly from herders, something that a few brands around the world can say. Our ingredients (and ingredient sourcing) are rooted in something very special to Mongolia, and by receiving a product from us the customer receives a little bit of that nomadism and pureness.
"Hopefully, LHAMOUR can show people that doing good is the way forward and that everyone can be a catalyst for change."
Image: LHAMOUR Mongolia / Vital Voices NGO
LHAMOUR’S path thus far is nothing short of exemplary. What vision do you have for the future of LHAMOUR?
I see a bright future for LHAMOUR because of the efforts we’ve made to fulfill our goal of becoming an international brand. Our vision is to become a brand that is globally recognised for natural, healthy, and high quality products made in Mongolia. We also want to create a more sustainable future by sharing the philosophy of loving yourself, loving others, and loving the environment. I believe we can achieve this.