I founded MÁDARA Organic Skincare in 2006. Today, we are the largest beauty manufacturer in Latvia, our homeland, and one of the leading natural skincare and makeup brands emerging from Northern Europe. It has always been about listening and staying close to our customers while aligning with their evolving lifestyles. Early on, we recognised the potential of ecommerce. We see it as a natural extension of our curiosity – not just for nature’s powerful active compounds, but also for innovative tools and digital solutions that help bring these wonders closer to contemporary people.
Ecommerce allows us to make high-quality, natural skincare accessible to a global audience while nurturing a personal connection. Skincare and makeup are largely sensory experiences, so communicating textures, shades, aromas, and both immediate and long-term effects of our products has been essential. We’ve focused on recreating this experience online through our content, visual communication, and tools like the MÁDARA skin quiz and virtual makeup try-on tool, ensuring customers get a complete sense of each formula and can navigate the product range easily.
Beyond accessibility, ecommerce has been a cornerstone of our growth strategy, enabling us to gather insights and champion natural, sustainable, and ethically-made beauty products worldwide.
International growth requires a thoughtful balance of global vision and local adaptation. There are, of course, practical adjustments – like languages, currencies, payment, and shipping methods –, but cultural nuances that need to be considered in branding and visual imagery are just as important. Every detail matters. Localised marketing campaigns and user-generated content (UGC) created by locals can also boost credibility and relevance in new markets. For customer retention, brands should focus on seamless experiences at every touchpoint.
At MÁDARA, we also use personalisation to guide our customers toward the best solutions for their needs. Loyalty programmes, subscription models, and personalised email flows make a significant impact. Transparency also plays a vital role. People appreciate having access to full ingredient lists and understanding the science and process behind our products.
For merchants, the priorities might include sustainable deliveries, eco-friendly packaging, responsible production, and circular economy initiatives. Transparency and traceability are becoming essential – customers increasingly expect to know the origins of ingredients, trace the process of beauty formula development and production, and even delve into the ethical practices of suppliers.
For marketplaces, encouraging merchants to meet sustainability and social responsibility standards is crucial. Implementing eco-badges or filters to highlight sustainable products based on particular criteria and setting transparent environmental goals can help build trust and align with regulatory demands.
At MÁDARA, sustainability is woven into every stage of our process, from sourcing ethical ingredients to owning our laboratory and production facility in Riga, Latvia. Building our own factory, rather than outsourcing formulas and production, has been one of the best decisions we made back in 2006. This gives us A-Z control over every aspect of production, helps reduce the environmental impact, supports fair labour practices, and allows us to innovate and adapt to new trends quickly.
So, our commitment to ESG extends beyond the environment to a holistic view of sustainability that encompasses skin health, the well-being of people, the protection of all living beings, support for local communities, and care for future generations. These principles form the foundation of MÁDARA leadership in natural and ethical beauty.
Looking ahead, sustainability will shift from being a value-added service to becoming a standard expectation in beauty ecommerce. The principles of the circular economy, such as biodegradable materials, post-consumer-recycled packaging, carbon-neutral formulations and deliveries, will define the industry’s future. Social sustainability is equally important, encompassing fair labour practices, diversity, and community engagement. Innovations like virtual product try-ons and authentic content will help minimise returns, while transparent production and supply chains will definitely set new benchmarks for trust and responsibility.
At MÁDARA, we’re committed to driving these changes and engaging our customers in the journey. Our approach highlights the advantages of in-house production, marketing, and ecommerce. By keeping these processes in-house, we maintain better control, ensure integrity, and can adapt quickly to market demands and emerging trends. Also, made-on-demand practices can help minimise overproduction, aligning with our collective responsibility toward environmental and social sustainability.
Lotte Tisenkopfa-Iltnere studied business, Asian culture, and Japanese in Latvia and Japan. Mother of three, she founded the MÁDARA skincare and makeup brand in her early 20s, with a vision to create highly effective, natural, and honest beauty products, whilst pioneering scientific research and ingredient innovations based on plants from Northern and Arctic regions. Lotte is a board member of NGO Marta, which provides legal and psychological support to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, and co-founder of selfnamed.com, a cosmetics-on-demand startup, and investment management company VAIRO.
Founded in 2006, MADARA Cosmetics JSC is Latvia’s largest skincare and makeup manufacturer and one of the leaders in the Northern region. Renowned for a commitment to quality and sustainability, all products are certified natural and organic by ECOCERT/COSMOS and deliver dermatologically proven results. MADARA Cosmetics JSC brings together a multi-talented team of cosmetic chemists, perfumers, production specialists, and experts in the sales, marketing, design, and ecommerce fields. The company has received numerous product, company, and design awards, including the Ecommerce Star Awards in 2021 and 2023 (Latvia). Since 2019, the company’s shares have been listed on Nasdaq Baltic First North.
The ECOM'21 conference in Riga, Latvia, is a fintech and ecommerce gathering in the Baltics, with diverse industry participation comprising banks, financial institutions, regulators, payment institutions, payment schemes, fintechs, payment tech providers, compliance professionals, ecommerce specialists, and more. During the two days of the conference, industry experts exchange insights, formulate challenges, and agree on actionable solutions regarding business operations, tech, regulatory frameworks, and beyond.
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