From the moment I stepped back into NYC last week the #1 question I’ve been asked is What we’re you doing in Poland?? Well besides instagraming and tweeting up a storm… (Thanks for noticing); HBA Global invited a handful of bloggers and buyers – I’m talking Felicia from This That Beauty, Danielle from The Style and Beauty Doctor, Heather from Beauty Unbiased, Alice of Miss Alice An, Rachel from Birchbox and me! — to attend the inaugural Polska Cosmetics conference and Beauty Forum Expo to learn more about the beauty industry in Poland.

{Team Poland: Danielle, Rachel, me and Felicia at dinner!}

I’ll be honest, prior to landing in Warsaw my knowledge of their industry was limited to – isn’t that where Inglot is from? Yes, it is! However after spending almost a week in that beautiful city, I learned so much!

For starters… how are these for some fun facts?

• Helena Rubenstein was the first manufacturer to offer a sun-protecting cream and who popularized mascara and color face powders, was born and set up her first cosmetics company in Cracow, Poland.
• Max Factor, also born in Poland… His real name, Maksymilian Fakorowicz.
• The very 1^st alcohol based perfume in history, “The Queen of Hungary’s Water” was created in the 14^th Century thanks to it’s Polish namesake, Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary.
• During the economic transformation post 1989, foreign companies such as Avon, Proctor & Gamble, and Colgate Palmolive invested in new factories in Poland.
• Poland and Lithuania are the only countries in Europe where cosmetology is taught at a university level.
• Poland is the 6^th largest cosmetics producer in Europe.

Considering Poland is located in the center of Europe and is a member of the European Union coupled with their world-class research and development facilities, low employment costs, and high experience and flexibility within the industry opens them up to a world of possibilities (literally). And that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In a 3 year effort to expose and grow the cosmetic and beauty industry, the European Union and Polish Ministry of Economy have co-financed The Promotion Programme; which will support the