Ryor

Ryor is a Czech family-run cosmetics company founded in 1991 by chemical engineer Eva Štěpánková [10]. It develops and manufactures skincare, body care and hair care at its own facility in Kyšice u Kladna, and is known in the Czech Republic for accessible formulations that pair natural extracts with laboratory chemistry. The company remains active, with recent product launches and a public open house scheduled at its production site for June 2026.

Štěpánková founded the business in her mid-forties after 17 years developing cosmetics at the Institute of Medical Cosmetology, initially making products for professional salons. It has since grown into a firm of more than 80 employees with a retail catalogue of over 200 products, still owned and run by the founding family.

Eva Štěpánková trained as a chemical engineer at the Prague University of Chemical Technology and spent nearly two decades in cosmetics development before starting her own company at the age of 43. According to the brand, she launched the venture from her family home while raising her young daughter Jana largely alone, combining her technical background with an interest in natural ingredients.

The company's own pages disagree on exactly where that home was. Ryor's About page places the founding in the Strahov district of Prague [2], while its founder's-story page locates the first production in the Smíchov district [4]; both are neighbourhoods of Prague. The name itself is drawn from the first fragrance composition the company used, combining the Czech words for currant and orange — RYbíz and ORanž.

Production began on a small scale for beauty salons, but demand from those salons' clients led the company to build out a retail range. Štěpánková's daughter, Jana Stránská, later joined the business and eventually took over its leadership; the founder's son-in-law, Tomáš, serves as commercial director.

In 1997 the company moved into a purpose-built facility in Kyšice, near Kladno, which houses its manufacturing alongside development and testing. In 2016 it opened a store in Poděbrady — Štěpánková's home town — to mark the firm's 25th anniversary.

A turning point came in 2017. That year Ryor introduced cosmetics containing CBD, which the founder has described as a first among Czech brands [13], and the same year Štěpánková underwent major spinal surgery that prompted Jana Stránská to assume day-to-day leadership [13]. During the COVID-19 pandemic the company added an antimicrobial hand gel scented with cucumber to its range. In January 2024 it opened a cosmetic salon in Prague 6.

Ryor is privately held and family-owned. Eva Štěpánková founded the company and retained ownership, moving into an advisory role focused on product development after 2017, while her daughter Jana Stránská directs the business as co-owner. There is no record of the company being acquired or of an outside parent.

The company presents itself as a Czech family maker of "fresh cosmetics" that combines natural extracts with functional chemistry, and it places unusual weight on customer education. Rather than promoting single "miracle" products, Ryor advocates a four-step routine — cleanser, toner, day cream and night cream — and offers free personal skincare consultations. Its stated mission is to make quality, functional and affordable cosmetics.

Editorial coverage has echoed this positioning, describing the brand as balancing current active ingredients with established formulations and as a favourite among people with sensitive or reactive skin [12]. Its product lines feature ingredients such as coenzyme Q10, hyaluronic acid, sea algae, argan oil, collagen and caviar.

Ryor's catalogue spans facial care, body care and hair care, organised into named lines including Cannabis Derma Care, Argan Care with Gold, Caviar Care and the anti-blemish Aknestop range. Its KOLAGEN+ day and night creams are marketed around a "reversed emulsion" formulation, and the company's technical work on emulsion chemistry has featured in its media coverage. An editorial profile has singled out the brand's Light Protective Cream and Hemp Shower Oil as award-recognised products [11], though the specific awards are not detailed in available sources.

Ryor frames its environmental approach as practical rather than promotional, and states plainly that it avoids greenwashing [5]. Its measures include separating fats from wastewater before disposal, sourcing packaging locally within the Czech Republic or from European suppliers, and replacing plastic void fill and tape in shipments with recycled paper. On the grounds of its facility the company maintains bird feeders, insect houses and nesting boxes, and limits grass cutting to support local biodiversity. It has not published formal cosmetics certifications.

Public recognition has centred on the founder rather than the brand as such. Eva Štěpánková received the Lady Pro award in 1998 and was named Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year in 1999 and Woman of the Year in the Trade and Business category in 2006 [10]. In 2019 she appeared on Forbes' list of the 125 most influential women in Czechia [13], and in 2020 she was made an honorary citizen of Poděbrady. The company and its leaders have been featured by outlets including Czech Television, the Forbes Byznys podcast and Seznam Zprávy.

Ryor is active. The company continued to launch products and publish content into 2026, and announced open-house days at its Kyšice manufacturing site for 13–14 June 2026, its first such opening in four years. It exports to more than 20 countries [12] while remaining a family-owned business run by Eva Štěpánková and Jana Stránská.