Hailey Bieber launched her skincare line, Rhode, just three years ago – but it’s just been announced that the model and mogul has sold the brand to beauty behemoth e.l.f. in a reported $1 billion deal.
From the lip glaze to the pineapple cleanser and new peptide lip shaper, Rhode’s products have earned the brand a cult fanbase. Now, the blockbuster acquisition by e.l.f – one of the biggest Gen Z conglomerates – is set to improve its global reach. “We can’t wait to bring Rhode to more faces, places, and spaces,” Bieber says in the announcement. “From day one, my vision for Rhode has been to make essential skin care and hybrid makeup you can use every day.”
For UK shoppers, e.l.f’s ownership could lead to stock at retailers like Boots or Lookfantastic (it’s currently sold direct-to-consumer with overseas shipping costs) – and it’s already been confirmed that Rhode will be available in Sephora UK from autumn.
Bieber will continue her role as chief creative officer and head of innovation, ensuring the essence of the brand endures – namely, a carefully curated edit of well-formulated and cost-effective skincare products.
For the uninitiated, Rhode is Bieber’s middle name. She’s the reason you’ve seen ‘glazed doughnut’ manicures and skin all over your TikTok feeds in recent years, and it’s fair to say anything she wears, eats or does either goes viral or becomes an immediate trend.
It probably comes as no surprise to hear the internet has gone wild over the Hailey Bieber skincare line. “I live by a collection of edited essentials – one really good coat, or one really good moisturiser that works perfectly for me and that I’ll always come back to,” Bieber said, demonstrating her ethos.
Rhode is certified cruelty-free; all of its packaging is made from PCR and FSC-certified materials, and it’s been developed in partnership with – and tested by – dermatologists. Plus, it’s suitable for sensitive skin, and everything in the range is available fragrance-free.
Launching with just three products (the peptide glazing fluid, barrier restore cream and peptide lip treatments), there are now new flavours of the lip balm, a cleanser, pocket blush, peptide lip shaper and even a phone case to store your lip treatment.
With the e.l.f. deal funnelling more funding into the brand, products could be manufactured and launched at a much faster rate than before.
But are the products as good as they sound? Do they live up to the hype? We tried them to find out – keep reading this article for our full verdict.
How we tested
We received samples of the Rhode kit (£117, Rhodeskin.com) and incorporated each product into our daily routine for a few days. Although we haven’t tested them long enough to comment on any long-term results, we’re here to bring you our initial thoughts. Our skin is blemish-prone and sits somewhere in between oily and dry. We have also been using a prescription-strength retinoid, and our skin is prone to dryness from that, so we were interested to see how well the barrier restore cream worked on our skin. When it came to the peptide lip shaper, we considered ease of application, longevity, the formula and the shade range.