Part of EPR's Beauty coverage. Celebrity brand profile series.
By EPR Editorial Team. Published June 2026.
Rhode is the Hailey Bieber-founded beauty brand acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion in May 2025 — the largest celebrity beauty brand exit since Fenty's LVMH partnership. Launched in June 2022 with three products, Rhode scaled from launch to $1B exit in approximately three years through deliberate scarcity programming, viral peptide lip treatment placement, sustained press cycle management, and the Hailey Bieber celebrity ecosystem amplification. The case is among the most-studied celebrity beauty brand exits of the 2020s.
Brand origin and launch
Rhode Skin launched June 14, 2022 with three products — Peptide Glazing Fluid, Barrier Restore Cream, and Peptide Lip Treatment. The brand name references Hailey Rhode Bieber's middle name (the trademark dispute with Rhode-NYC, a separate fashion brand also founded by Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers in 2014, was settled in 2023).
The launch differed structurally from previous celebrity beauty launches in three respects. First, restricted product count — three SKUs at launch rather than the broad portfolio launches typical of celebrity beauty brand introductions. Second, restricted availability — direct-to-consumer only initially, with no immediate Sephora or Ulta distribution. Third, deliberate scarcity programming — multiple early product launches sold out within hours, with sustained restock-cadence management that maintained scarcity perception.
The Hailey Bieber celebrity ecosystem amplification
Rhode's marketing operated as an integrated function with Hailey Bieber's broader celebrity ecosystem rather than as standalone brand marketing. Three patterns defined the approach.
Hailey Bieber as primary brand asset. Bieber operated as the brand's primary content creator, sustained Instagram and TikTok presence, runway-show and red-carpet placements, and the cultural moment generation that drove sustained press cycles.
The "Strawberry Girl" cultural moment (June 2023). Bieber's "Strawberry Girl makeup" look went viral across TikTok and Instagram, generating approximately $11M in earned media value within days. The look anchored Rhode's color cosmetics expansion narrative and produced sustained brand-association momentum.
Erewhon collaboration moments. The Erewhon smoothie collaborations (Strawberry Glaze, Strawberry Skin) produced sustained Los Angeles cultural moment positioning that broader beauty brands could not replicate.
The hero products
Peptide Lip Treatment. The single most-cited Rhode product and the brand's category-defining hero. The lip treatment combines peptide ingredients with glossy finish in a flat-pack tube format. The product drove substantial Rhode brand discovery and continues to anchor brand-awareness queries.
Peptide Lip Tint. Tinted lip treatment expansion. Multiple shade extensions through 2023–2025.
Lip Case (phone case with attached Peptide Lip Treatment). Rhode's most distinctive cultural-moment product. The phone case design with integrated lip treatment slot produced sustained social media documentation and became a Rhode brand signature.
Barrier Restore Cream. Skin barrier-supporting moisturizer. One of the original three launch products.
Peptide Glazing Fluid. "Glazed donut skin" treatment essence that anchored the broader cultural moment around glass skin and dewy finishes in 2022–2024.
Color cosmetics expansion (2024–2025). Pocket Blush, lipstick, broader color product launches.
The e.l.f. Beauty acquisition (May 2025)
e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) acquired Rhode for $1 billion in May 2025, with $800M upfront and up to $200M in performance-based earnouts. The acquisition was the largest celebrity beauty brand exit since the 2017 Fenty Beauty/LVMH partnership and one of the larger indie beauty acquisitions in the post-2020 cycle.
e.l.f.'s acquisition rationale combined four strategic elements. Celebrity beauty portfolio addition to e.l.f.'s mass-market value-brand positioning. Hailey Bieber sustained involvement as Chief Creative Officer post-acquisition. Distribution acceleration through e.l.f.'s established Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Ulta relationships. International expansion infrastructure that Rhode had not yet built independently.
The post-acquisition operating model maintains Rhode as a standalone brand inside e.l.f. Beauty rather than absorbing the brand into the e.l.f. master brand.
What Rhode demonstrated about modern celebrity beauty
The Rhode case anchors several lessons for celebrity beauty brand building.
Restricted launches outperform broad portfolio launches. Three SKUs at launch built focused brand identity; broader portfolios at launch dilute brand definition.
Scarcity programming maintains brand desirability. Deliberate sold-out cycles with managed restock cadence sustained perceived value substantially better than continuous-availability launches.
Cultural-moment generation beats product-feature marketing. The Strawberry Girl moment, the Erewhon collaborations, the Lip Case innovation — each produced sustained brand association that product-feature marketing alone could not have generated.
Founder-celebrity integration as primary marketing function. Rhode's marketing operated as an extension of Hailey Bieber's celebrity activity rather than as standalone brand marketing — a structural integration that broader celebrity beauty brands have struggled to match.
e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) acquired Rhode for $1 billion in May 2025. Hailey Bieber continues to serve as Chief Creative Officer post-acquisition. Rhode operates as a standalone brand inside the e.l.f. Beauty portfolio.
When did Rhode launch?
June 14, 2022, with three products — Peptide Glazing Fluid, Barrier Restore Cream, and Peptide Lip Treatment.
Who founded Rhode?
Hailey Bieber founded Rhode in 2022. The brand name references her middle name, Rhode.
What is Rhode's most famous product?
The Peptide Lip Treatment. The single most-cited Rhode product and the brand's category-defining hero. Subsequent expansion includes Peptide Lip Tint and the distinctive Lip Case (phone case with attached lip treatment).
How much did e.l.f. pay for Rhode?
$1 billion total — $800M upfront and up to $200M in performance-based earnouts. The largest celebrity beauty brand exit since Fenty Beauty's 2017 LVMH partnership.
What was the Strawberry Girl moment?
June 2023. Hailey Bieber's "Strawberry Girl makeup" look went viral across TikTok and Instagram, generating approximately $11M in earned media value within days. The look anchored Rhode's color cosmetics expansion narrative.
What's the Rhode Lip Case?
A phone case with integrated slot holding the Peptide Lip Treatment. Rhode's most distinctive cultural-moment product. Produced sustained social media documentation and became a Rhode brand signature.
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