Inside Hailey Bieber’s Rhode to Success
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Despite evidence to the contrary, Hailey Bieber actually didn’t nail the art of creating a cult beauty product on her first try — her Peptide Lip Treatment took more like 17.
“I’m joking, but kind of not joking,” said the model/entrepreneur at the Beauty CEO Summit, of the number of formula iterations.
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Bieber launched Rhode in 2022 with five stock keeping units, aiming to offer consumers a glimpse into her own must-have beauty lineup — nothing more, nothing less.
“I wanted to create something that felt like it was this line of only essentials, where if I was stranded on a desert island — and people have asked me this so many times — what could I not live without?” said Bieber.
Her vision has resonated.
According to Rhode’s chief executive officer Melanie Bender, the brand crossed the eight-figure sales mark over a 6 month period with just 11 days of selling and it shows no signs of slowing. In March, Rhode entered Canada and this week, landed in the U.K.
“[It’s been] kind of an intense, rocket fuel kind of growth, but as a brand and as leaders, we have tried to prioritize impact over speed,” said Bender.
While Rhode is swiftly expanding its international footholds (Bender hinted a foray into India may be next), its approach to product development has remained slow and steady: The line still consists of its debut moisturizer, serum and three iterations of its Peptide Lip Treatment, all priced under $30.
“There’s a lot of skepticism [about celebrity beauty brands], so I do think there’s a very high hurdle to clear in terms of product efficacy, in terms of driving impact, in terms of having an identity and a reason for being that includes the founder, but transcends them,” said Bender.
“I stepped into launching a brand already having a platform and a name, which are a privilege to have going in,” said Bieber, adding that her ultimate goal, though, was to create a product range so resonant that it would “stand on its own if you took me out of it.”
Enlisting a team of beauty veterans like Bender and Rhode’s chemist, Ron Robinson, has been one means to that end; intuitively seeking out white spaces — however unsuspecting they may seem — has been another.
“I love data, I’m steeped in data, but I also recognize its weaknesses,” said Bender. “Our lip treatment has been our number-one seller as a brand, and [lip treatment] is the number 13 category on Circana for skin care — no one would have looked at data reports and said, ‘Guys, you need to start there.'”
Since launching, Rhode has driven Google searches for lip treatments to an all-time high, said Bender.
As far as what’s next product-wise, Bieber said she’s “not taking anything off the table,” but the brand is prioritizing skin care and aims to gradually begin playing in body care and potentially color cosmetics, as well.
“When you have a brand that is growing fast, there’s a pressure to put new things out more quickly — that’s something I’ve had to continuously fight against, because I know that the core value of the brand is to never overwhelm the consumer,” said Bieber.
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