Khine Alkhal is not easily defined by any one title. She’s a mother, a friend, a humanitarian, an activist and a skin-care product connoisseur. She’s also a survivor. Alkhal, who was born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Burma), says she was the victim of sexual abuse for many years, beginning when she was just six years old. Despite the trauma, Alkhal has thrived. And perhaps because of the trauma, Alkhal has spent the majority of her adult life trying to avail girls and women of similar dire circumstances. She’s the owner of Khineder Creations in Emmaus, which offers both all-natural beauty products and various wares made by women who have escaped sex trafficking, domestic violence and other forms of abuse. “The reason I started the store was to showcase their products,” she says.
Years before the seed for Khineder Creations was planted in the Lehigh Valley, Alkhal was thousands of miles away, earning her master’s degree and PhD at the University of Tokyo, where she studied political economics and international relations. Early on, she displayed a flair for learning new languages and toyed with the idea of becoming a diplomat. But her interactions with refugees and asylum seekers were what ultimately lit a fire inside her. “That really opened my eyes,” says Alkhal. “I started digging into why these people became stateless.” She also worked extensively with victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse. Her work was both enlightening and heartbreaking; she recalls an especially challenging case in which she befriended a nine-year-old girl who was working in a brothel operated by one of the girl’s own relatives.
And yet, as trying as they were, those experiences were instrumental in deepening her empathy, and sharpening her convictions about her future aspirations. “I was never going to go after money,” she says. “I define success by the amount of time and energy I can contribute.”
It was in Tokyo where Alkhal met her now ex-husband, an Allentown native. She moved with him to the Lehigh Valley in 2013, the same year she gave birth to her son, Daniel Elie. But what should have been a joyous time was tempered by the cultural and geographical changes. “In Tokyo, I was surrounded by friends who were like family,” she explains. “Here, I couldn’t make any friends.” She was also suffering from postpartum depression. “In my culture, you don’t talk about it.”
But Alkhal began to feel more at home after she started meeting other mothers and like-minded women at yoga classes. And she recognized a possible business opportunity when she was introduced to a local mother who, along with her daughter, was making and selling homemade lip balms. At first, Alkhal was only interested in funding the endeavor, but then she began to involve herself in the production side by studying natural ways to make soaps and creams. “Working with her, it made me realize there are so many women looking to connect with their communities,” says Alkhal.
Her son, who suffers from eczema, was an added incentive for Alkhal to dip her toe into the skin-care business. Alkhal says standard treatments involving Benadryl and hydrocortisone creams weren’t helping the little boy. She was anxious to seek relief elsewhere.
But where to begin, in a field already overcrowded with an alphabet’s worth of brands all fighting for precious shelf space while trying to one-up each other with promises of dazzling results? For Alkhal, a clue as to how she could set herself apart came from a blood test. She recalls that the nurse who delivered her results commended her on her health and asked her about her diet.
That’s when it dawned on Alkhal that the Burmese recipes that were a staple of her go-to cuisine might be beneficial for more than just warding off hunger. Recalls Alkhal: “I thought, ‘How can I make them suitable for the skin?’”
And so she began to convert those very same recipes into bath and beauty products, while steering clear of preservatives and chemicals. “They’re fresh like a meal,” she says. “When you treat your skin with the right ingredients and nutrients, your skin starts to show it. The less chemicals we put in our bodies, the healthier we can be.” And, just as Monday night’s leftovers aren’t meant to linger in the fridge for years to come, Alkhal is proud to admit her products do have a shelf life, unlike some of the competition. “The fact that a lipstick can look the same year after year is weird,” she remarks. “That shows how many chemicals were used to make that product.”
Indeed, many of Alkhal’s “recipes” sound good enough to eat. The “Blush” tinted lip and cheek stain features turmeric and organic beet powder. A bar of “Gentle Soap” blends ingredients like lime, citrus, goat’s milk, spearmint and lemongrass. As you might expect from someone with a collegiate background heavy on meticulous study and research, Alkhal goes through a lot of trial and error when whipping up her various concoctions. “I test every recipe as if I am submitting a PhD dissertation,” she says with a laugh. “I test them for months.” And Alkhal plays both scientist and guinea pig. “I test on myself first. I don’t want to sell anything I wouldn’t use on myself or my child.”
When it came time to showcase those products in a brick-and-mortar store, Alkhal knew exactly what kind of vibe she was looking for. “I didn’t want to stuff the space with shelves,” she says. “I wanted there to be a living-room feel.” An Emmaus Borough Council member steered her to 379 Chestnut Street, and Khineder Creations opened its doors in January of 2017. Alkhal says she and a handful of part-time employees man the store, while whipping up all of the skin-care products right there on the premises. According to Alkhal, many of the ingredients and packaging materials are supplied by local moms and veteran-owned businesses.
But establishing an attractive retail location was only one part of the equation. “I wanted to create a space where women could meet other people in the community,” says Alkhal. For that reason, the store hosts a myriad of social events, including a “Meet and Keep” workshop on the second and fourth Saturday of every month. “It’s an hour long, but people never leave after an hour,” says Alkhal. It’s an opportunity for women to learn about the products, get free samples and make networking connections. It’s also a chance to see what’s possible for a budding entrepreneur.
While Khineder Creations is primarily a skin care and beauty product company, the store also displays and sells items that are made by mothers and abuse survivors. Elegant silk scarves, colorful purses and intricate woven baskets are just a few of the offerings that adorn the walls and shelves. Their creators are women whom Alkhal has met through her humanitarian work in Myanmar. “I wanted these women to find their own calling,” she says. A percentage of the proceeds from those items is returned to the very artists who made them. But that’s only a small part of the benefit, for both the buyer and the seller. “All the products have their own story,” Alkhal says. “It comes with a message that being a survivor is more than just a will. And all of these women are survivors.”
Alkhal says she’s fielded offers to turn Khineder Creations into a franchise beyond the Lehigh Valley, but it’s not a career move that interests her at the moment. For now, she’s focused on what she’s been able to create on her own little corner of the Emmaus Triangle. “Over the past year, I have met so many women who feel empowered,” she says. ”For me, that means more than anything.”
379 Chestnut St., Emmaus | 610.928.0408 | khinedercreations.com