Hailey Bieber on New Skincare Line and Embracing Her Natural Beauty: 'I've Never Felt Sexier'

Gabriela Celeste

Hailey Baldwin Bieber knows what you're thinking — a celebrity with a skincare line, groundbreaking. But the 25-year-old multi-hyphenate supermodel and tastemaker, who has captivated Gen Z on TikTok with her dewy "glazed-donut" complexion and candor, has put in the work. And she believes there is a seat at the table for everyone.

Bieber's road to Rhode — her hotly anticipated foray into the skincare space — has been a long one. A self-proclaimed skincare obsessive, the model says she "always dreamed of" starting her own line, but didn't get serious about planning and concepting until the pandemic — carving out time to meet with cosmetic chemists and dermatologists, evaluate formulas and test samples with family and friends.

"What sets Rhode apart is we're putting out a very curated, edited line of essentials — our philosophy is making one of everything really good," Bieber tells PEOPLE during a recent intimate sit-down interview in Brooklyn, New York. "For me, that spans across all things in my life — [from] beauty [to] how I edit my wardrobe. It's like that one really good pair of jeans you're always reaching for. That one really good blazer you keep going back to. That's how I look at skincare as well. That one really good moisturizer you keep reaching for. That one really great hydration product you keep going back to. These formulas are very intentional and very specific so that they can become those curated essentials that you keep going back to."

The debut drop includes a trio of products — Peptide Glazing Fluid, Barrier Restore Cream and Peptide Lip Treatment — all under $30 and available now on RhodeSkin.com.

Courtesy rhode

"It was very important to me that if I open up the world of Rhode, everyone is invited," she tells PEOPLE. "Everyone is included. I wanted it to be accessible and attainable for everyone."

Below, more on Bieber's launch, beauty philosophy and what to expect from the brand.

You declared 2022 the year of glazed-donut skin, and social media exploded with how-tos, memes and praise. Were you surprised by all the love?

"I find any influence I might have on anyone very flattering. Anytime somebody comes up to me and is like, 'I look at your style all the time and I love your style. I'm very inspired by it,' I still get jittery. That is the best part of creating for me. I can't even believe that people want to look at what I'm doing and that they're inspired by it. I am so grateful for that. I think it's really cool and really amazing. And I feel like I'm in it with them.

And we all want glazed, dewy donut skin. Here's just what I use for mine. And here's how I like to attain it. I actually love the community feel of it. I learn so much from TikTok. I see what other people are using. I'm like, 'I want to try that.' And I think it's actually just this big circle of support, we're all not gate keeping — we're sharing tips and tricks and hacks. And if people tend to gravitate more towards mine, then that's amazing."

Can you remember the last time your skin went haywire?

"Honestly, it goes haywire every once in a while. Especially every time I try to incorporate retinol into my routine — my forehead really reacts. I'm 25 now, and I'm trying to be preventative at this age moving forward, [so] I guess I'm just going to have to deal with letting my skin get used to a strong product like retinol. [But] what always works for me [now] is being consistent with hydration, trying not to dehydrate or strip my skin, keeping my skin barrier healthy and protected, which is what Rhode's whole first drop is based on. It's all about complete hydration, taking care of your skin barrier and protecting the skin barrier."

You can only pack one of these products in your summer suitcase. Which one is it?

"It would probably be the Peptide Glazing Fluid. That one is a sneaky powerhouse because it is a gel serum but it's hydrating enough thanks to the hyaluronic acid where on a balmy summer day, it can act as such a great moisturizer as well."

Courtesy rhode

Why was including a lip-care product in the core four drop important to you?

"I love that the lip product is an actual treatment. We put real skincare ingredients — peptides — into the product because you can't forget that they also age as well. So I wanted it to be great for anti-aging but also hydration and just keeping the lips super protected and moisturized. I also love to use our it as a gloss. I'll use a lip liner and one of our Peptide Lip Treatments [available in three flavors: watermelon slice, salted caramel and unscented], and that's it!"

What's the best beauty advice you've received — and from whom?

"My love of being dewy and hydrated comes from my mom. She was always very big on moisturizing and sunscreen — the way she has protected her skin from the sun for the last 20 years has been very diligent. I saw her dedication to that and was like, 'Okay. I know what she looks like now. So there is something to that.'"

Courtesy rhode

How has your beauty philosophy changed throughout your career so far?

"My beauty philosophy has definitely evolved over the years. I look back at when I was 16, 17, even 20 and I used to love darker eye makeup and heavier contouring. I was always dedicated to healthy skin though. And now at 25, I'm at the point where I have never felt more beautiful, never felt sexier, just embracing my skin, embracing my natural hair color. I didn't even know what my natural hair color was for 10 years because I've been dyeing my hair since I was 13.

It's been such a nice journey of kind of just doing less and learning that less is more. I've noticed that for me, personally, looking back at red carpet photos, I think I look more beautiful with less makeup and less coverage. Just letting my skin breathe and embracing my natural side. There is always a balance, of course, and I'm sure my philosophy will continue to evolve. It might be completely different in another five years — and even more different the five after that. But right now, for me, less is definitely more."

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Can we look forward to a Rhode makeup drop in the future?

"I would love for Rhode to evolve into other categories. I think we will always be very skin-focused, but our plan is to evolve. But again, very curated. The perfect cheek tint. The perfect brow gel. My kind of go-tos — the products I use daily. There will potentially be some body care in the future. One day I'll be pregnant, and I'll probably want products that work at that time in my life. There will be evolution for sure."