Regina

Regina is a Czech cosmetics brand based in Nové Město nad Metují, in the east of the Czech Republic. It is one of several lines produced by Detecha, a chemical manufacturing cooperative that also makes paints and coatings [2]. Regina covers decorative makeup, skincare and body care, and is best known for Jelení lůj, a beef-tallow lip balm that has been in continuous production for decades.

The brand presents itself as traditional Czech cosmetics passed down across generations, and it manufactures and ships directly from its own factory rather than through third-party producers. Sources give two dates for its beginnings: the brand and a Czech retailer trace Regina to 1954 [14], while the commercial registry records the Detecha cooperative's legal registration on 1 January 1972 [16]. The two are not necessarily in conflict — 1954 marks the start of the brand and its operations, and 1972 reflects the re-registration of the cooperative under Czechoslovak cooperative law.

Regina belongs to Detecha, chemické výrobní družstvo, a manufacturing cooperative in Nové Město nad Metují whose main output spans DETECHA paints and coatings, the Jelení lůj line, and both decorative and medical Regina cosmetics [2]. Because Detecha was organised as a cooperative under the socialist-era Czechoslovak system, no individual founders are documented; the enterprise was established collectively.

The company dates its cosmetics operations to 1954 and marked a 70th anniversary in a blog post on 27 September 2023 [10]. On its homepage the brand describes itself as "a brand verified by generations" and signs off with the line "with love from Nové Město nad Metují."

Regina's best-known product is Jelení lůj, whose name translates as "deer tallow." According to Czech Wikipedia, the balm contains no deer fat despite the name; it is built on beef tallow blended with medicinal petroleum jelly and paraffins [13]. The brand calls the line its pride and dates the classic version to 1962. Over time the range grew to around twenty varieties by 2008, and today includes variants such as placenta extract, almond, sea buckthorn and SPF versions. In 2017 Detecha added flavoured, mineral-oil-free versions aimed at children aged six to twelve [13].

Alongside the lip balms, Regina sells lipsticks, mascara, eye shadows, nail polish and blush, together with hand and foot creams, facial creams and serums. Its Placenta skincare line includes day and night creams, a serum, a toner and a cleansing milk. A separate heritage line, OLD LOVE 1954, revives the look of the brand's original 1954 lipsticks and nail polishes; the company says it preserved what customers liked about the originals while modernising the formulas. Hero ingredients across the range include placental extract, almond oil, aloe vera, oat, hemp oil and sea buckthorn.

Regina positions itself on heritage continuity and accessible pricing. A Czech retailer summarises its philosophy as offering high-quality yet financially affordable products [14], and the brand emphasises a direct-from-factory model, captured in its slogan "manufactured yesterday, shipped today." Its stated tagline is "traditional Czech cosmetics."

Parent company Detecha holds ISO 9001, ISO 22716 and ISO 13485 certifications, covering quality management, cosmetics production and medical devices respectively [2]. Detecha also names avoiding harm to the environment as a fundamental principle in its product development, though it discloses no detailed targets.

The flagship Jelení lůj balm has a long market presence, which Czech Wikipedia notes ran to more than fifty years by 2008 and around fifty-seven years by 2019, with the original recipe largely unchanged [13]. The English-language review site Whatsinmyjar analysed the Jelení lůj Originál Placenta balm as an occlusive moisturiser, assigning it a 100/100 efficacy score while noting its main actives are petrolatum, lanolin and mineral oil, and flagging a higher irritation risk from its fragrance components [17]. In May 2026 the brand announced Czech curling Olympian Julie Zelingrová as an ambassador for Jelení lůj [10].

Regina sells through its own webshop and through retail partners including the Central European beauty retailer Notino, with a distribution network across the fourteen regions of the Czech Republic and into Slovakia [12]. It remains active: its most recent visible activity is the May 2026 ambassador announcement, alongside an ongoing editorial blog and an Instagram account with hundreds of posts. Production of Regina cosmetics continues at the Nové Město nad Metují site.