Pierre René

Pierre René is a Polish makeup company based in the seaside town of Ustka, on Poland's Baltic coast. Despite its French-sounding name, the brand is Polish in origin and ownership, built around colour cosmetics and sold under the tagline "Empire of Make Up." It remains active, run by the founding family and distributed both across Poland and in export markets.

The company was established on 1 March 1993 by Henryk de Lubicz Szeliski [6]. A business database lists the founding year as 2001 [7], but that entry is doubtful and appears to conflate an associated legal entity; the 1993 date, cited to the company itself, is consistent with the brand's own description of roughly three decades in the beauty world.

Pierre René was founded by Henryk de Lubicz Szeliski, who built the business in Ustka before expanding into makeup manufacturing. He remained the founding figure until his death on 28 February 2017, after a serious illness [10]. Beyond cosmetics, he was also the owner of the Grand Lubicz health resort in Ustka, linking the family early on to both beauty and hospitality.

After his death, the company passed to his sons: Wojciech de Lubicz Szeliski took charge of the cosmetics side, while Łukasz de Lubicz Szeliski oversaw the hospitality business [9]. The brand presents makeup as more than a daily routine, describing it as a tool of expression, confidence and conscious style.

Pierre René is part of the Lubicz Group, a family-owned business held by the de Lubicz Szeliski family. Alongside the cosmetics operation, the group runs spa and wellness hotels in Ustka, including the five-star Grand Lubicz resort and the Lubicz Wellness & SPA. In a trade-press interview, co-owner Wojciech de Lubicz Szeliski described the ambition to integrate the spa business with the cosmetics business under one umbrella [9]. The company's portfolio also includes the sister brands MIYO and Medic, the latter a dermocosmetics line.

The company frames its work around five stated pillars: trends, professionalism, innovation, quality and colour. Wojciech de Lubicz Szeliski has summarised the family's outlook with the line "cosmetics are the heart of our business" [9]. Positioned in the drugstore price tier, Pierre René sells a broad makeup range and markets itself as one of the faster-growing companies on the Polish cosmetics market.

The brand's reach extends well beyond Poland. Its own copy claims a presence in more than 35 countries, while the interview with Wojciech de Lubicz Szeliski cites some 45 countries in the portfolio and monthly shipments to around 20 of them [9]. Domestically, the company reports distribution through roughly 3,000 drugstores.

Pierre René's core is colour cosmetics: foundations, concealers, powders and contouring products for the face; mascaras, eyeliners, brow products and eyeshadow palettes for the eyes; and lipsticks, glosses and lip pencils. The range extends into nail care, including hybrid polishes, and into skincare through the Medic Laboratory line. One example of its collection work is the Lighthouse Eyeshadow Palette, part of an Ustka Collection that ties products to the brand's home town.

Two proprietary systems feature in the company's marketing: a Palette Match System for building custom shade combinations, and a "Hybrid System at Home" aimed at professional-style manicures done at home. On the ingredient side, the family has invested in 20 hectares of peat-bog plantations growing patented plant variants, part of a stated move toward more natural formulations [9].

The company describes its products as based on innovative formulas, dermatologically tested, and not tested on animals [6]. It labels a large portion of its range as vegan — 251 products carried a "VEGAN" marking [4] — though no formal third-party vegan certification is recorded. Manufacturing is based in Ustka, and the company says it works with suppliers in Italy, Germany, France, Sweden and Spain [6].

Pierre René's own materials cite the title Cosmetic Brand of the Year (Kosmetyczna Marka Roku) among its industry recognition, alongside awards described as coming from experts and the influencer community [3]. The founder, Henryk de Lubicz Szeliski, was recognised by the Polish Cosmetics Industry Association as a long-standing member in its 2017 obituary notice.

The brand is active. It operates a current e-commerce store, continues to release new products and influencer collaboration collections, and has refreshed its brand copy to mark roughly 30 years in business — a figure consistent with the 1993 founding date. Ownership and day-to-day operation remain with the de Lubicz Szeliski family.