Rhode to Fame: Why Is Everyone Rhode Obsessed?

Rhode to Fame: Why Is Everyone Rhode Obsessed?

By Evie Allen-Jones

In June 2022, Rhode Beauty had its launch. It was created by model and businesswoman Hailey Rhode Bieber, ( hence the name). At first, I was hesitant about the brand, there were hundreds of celebrity beauty and skincare brands on top of the already existing brands, however, two years later, Rhode has proven it is different. 

Before Rhode, I had never been loyal to a celebrity-backed brand. I had picked up the odd Fenty Beauty product but never ventured out of the high street drugstore.

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The brand launched with a simple three-product skincare routine alongside a ‘peptide lip treatment’. Unlike other brands, that dropped dozens of products at a time, Rhode strategically worked with scarcity marketing. Alongside this, they also used their brand face, Hailey Bieber - for years, everything Hailey used went viral and ended up selling out instantly. Rhode knew they could capitalise on this.

As the brand was being created, Hailey was becoming the face of ‘glass skin’ and the ‘clean girl’, both of which have been woven into the brand’s making. Launching with cleanly made, simple skincare products that were the magic behind Hailey’s clear glass skin meant the brand was already a success after one product launch. 

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Rhode first caught my eye when the peptide lip treatments were suddenly EVERYWHERE. They were a simple lip gloss, but the inclusion of peptide bonds meant that the treatment would help with moisture and improve skin quality due to the increase of proteins. The little tube was also very cute and added to the aesthetic of it all. 

A few months after the launch, I craved and ordered the lip treatment. This then became part of my personality for weeks. I confidently would pull out the cute grey tube and feel special when one of my friends would excitedly ask if I liked it and vow to order one for themselves. Owning a Rhode product felt like I was in a special club. 

Over the first year of Rhode, the brand became a masterclass in marketing. They had eye-catching photoshoots showcasing new products and always remembered to include their founder, Hailey. 

Another way they inadvertently promoted Rhode was by getting people to talk about the brand. The hashtag:#Rhode has 141K views and #RhodeSkin has almost 50K views on TikTok. It doesn’t stop there, their Instagram account has a whopping 2.3 million followers. Hailey often uses her own TikTok and Instagram account to tease new products, including the iconic Rhode phone case, pocket blushes and new lip treatments. This marketing means that by the time products finally drop, people are so desperate to try that they sell out almost instantly. 

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I have purchased the skincare set three times, so I think I have an idea about what I am talking about:

The three-step skincare is perfect for someone who has sensitive skin, like me. For my Morning-Routine, I start with the Glazing Milk which is like a toner. It is a cooling product that instantly moisturises my skin.

After using my Vitamin C cream (not Rhode) I apply the Peptide Glazing fluid. Again, this product instantly adds moisture and hydration to my skin. It gives the glass-skin effect that I haven’t found anywhere else. I have also added some of my foundation to the product to make it a bit thinner and create a light skin tint, which is great for keeping my skin hydrated and not crusty.

During my Night-time Skincare, I use the Glazing Milk, and instead of the Peptide fluid, I layer the Barrier Restore Cream. It is thicker than the fluid and, alongside my Bio-Oil, has cleared the scarring that I had from breakouts. So, unlike many brands, behind the successful marketing, there are some really great products. 

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Over the Summer, Rhode started a rollout of products through pop-ups. The success of these, solidified the brand’s status amongst other skincare and beauty brands. They began with a photo booth in Coachella Valley, where visitors could take photos and receive a free tinted lip treatment. The booth then did a tour of the world, visiting LA, Miami, New York, London, Toronto and Ibiza. Thousands of people came out to grab a lip tint and take snaps at the picture-esc booth. I was one of these people, but after three hours of queueing, I had to call it a day.

More recently, Rhode expanded to pop-up shops. As the brand was releasing the pocket-size blushes, they did a shop in New York where people could buy them. Similarly, as they have just released a new Butter Moisturiser and phone cases, the pop-up shop came to London. This was a huge success, the line being closed only three hours after it opened on one of the four days. I am jealous of everyone who got in, but again, queuing is not for me. 

The brand hasn’t even hit the three-year mark but already has a huge global following. It is wildly impressive and proves that constant drops and dozens of products don’t always equal success. 

The stats speak for themselves, in a Forbes article, they listed some of the high numbers that Rhode has reached, “When the brand launched in June 2022, all Peptide Lip Treatment offerings sold out within three days and proceeded to build a total waitlist of 440,000.” 

I am clearly a huge fan and have the new Moisturiser and Blushes in my basket on the Rhode website. However, the brand is the real deal. It is clear that Hailey is very hands-on and puts a lot of her social media knowledge into how they market, which is working. Personally, I am very excited for the future of Rhode and can’t wait to see it grow.