Hailey Bieber's Rhode and the Rise of Lifestyle Marketing
- R A E
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Rhode Isn’t Just a Beauty Brand Anymore—It’s a Lifestyle
Let’s just start with the obvious: there’s no shortage of celebrity skincare brands. In fact, I’d argue we’re all a little fatigued by them. They pop up left and right, and many disappear quietly, never to be repurchased again. So when Hailey Bieber launched Rhode, it was easy to brush it off as just another A-list side hustle. But something about Rhode stuck. It didn’t just survive the saturated market — it thrived, and not just as a skincare brand. Somehow, in the span of a couple of years, Rhode turned into a vibe. A look. A way of being.
And I have thoughts.
Hailey herself has always had that girl energy. Minimal makeup, slicked-back bun, oversized leather jacket — the Pinterest boards practically make themselves. And with Rhode, she bottled that look, literally and figuratively. Dewy skin wasn’t new, but when Hailey called it glazed donut skin, it suddenly became the gold standard. (Let’s not get into the fact that nobody’s skin should actually resemble a pastry.)
The aesthetic worked. It was clean, modern, and — here’s the key — attainable with effort. Rhode didn’t come out with a 20-step routine or fancy ingredients nobody could pronounce. It kept things simple: peptide lip treatments, barrier restore creams, glazing milk. All beautifully packaged, neutrally branded, and sold with the promise of effortlessly perfect skin.
But here’s the thing: this kind of simplicity isn’t really simple. It’s curated to feel that way.
Less Is More (But Also… Not Really?)
Rhode’s minimalist approach isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it is smart. Instead of overwhelming consumers with dozens of products, they built hype around just a few. Every launch is treated like an exclusive drop. You either get it or you miss out. There’s a certain FOMO baked into the brand’s DNA — a tactic that’s as effective as it is predictable.
What I find interesting is how the minimalism extends beyond the product lineup and into the entire brand language: the soft-focus ads, the monochrome packaging, the whisper-toned tutorials on TikTok. It’s the clean girl aesthetic in product form. But behind the scenes, you know this isn’t just Hailey picking out Pantone colors and making lip balm in her kitchen. It’s a hyper-strategic machine — one that understands that looking effortless is the ultimate luxury.
And while I appreciate the aesthetic, I can’t help but feel that we’re being sold a fantasy. You’re not just buying a lip treatment — you’re buying the idea that if you carry it in your tiny bag and apply it while taking a mirror selfie, you might, just maybe, exude the same low-key perfection as Hailey Bieber.
The Phone Case Era: Beauty as a Lifestyle Flex
The turning point — the moment I knew Rhode was no longer just a skincare brand — was when they dropped a phone case with a built-in slot for the lip treatment. It’s the kind of idea that feels ridiculous at first… until you realize it’s brilliantly engineered for virality.
Suddenly, Rhode wasn’t just part of your skincare routine; it was part of your everyday carry. Your phone case. Your mirror selfie. Your entire aesthetic. The lip balm became the accessory. Forget that half of us lose lip balms on a weekly basis — now you could holster it to your phone and look chic doing it.
And while the innovation is admittedly clever, there’s something unnerving about how seamlessly Rhode turned a functional beauty item into a branding opportunity. It’s lifestyle creep in action. One minute you're just buying a moisturizer. The next minute, your phone case is part of the brand narrative.
Krispy Kreme Collabs & the TikTokification of Skincare
The Strawberry Glaze Lip Treatment (aka the Krispy Kreme collab) is another moment worth examining. On the surface, it's fun, playful, a nod to nostalgia. But to me, it also felt like a bit of a marketing grab — attaching a skincare product to a beloved childhood snack to trigger that emotional buy-in.
That’s where Rhode really shines: in the emotional marketing. It taps into internet culture, trend cycles, aesthetics — but always in a way that feels just barely commercial. It’s a delicate balance, and they’ve nailed it so far. But as a consumer, I can’t help wondering: where’s the line between cultural relevance and over-branding everything we touch?
Do I want my skincare to remind me of doughnuts? Do I want my phone case to double as a lip balm carrier? Am I being curated or commodified?
Sensory Marketing and Brand Activations
Rhode's marketing campaigns are meticulously crafted to engage multiple senses. From the tactile satisfaction of sleek packaging to the evocative scents of its products, every detail is designed to create an immersive experience. Pop-up events and limited-edition releases further enhance this strategy, offering consumers tangible interactions with the brand that go beyond the digital realm.
The Rhode Community: Aesthetic First, Skincare Second?
Rhode's ascent from a skincare line to a lifestyle brand is a testament to strategic branding, innovative product design, and authentic engagement. By aligning closely with Hailey Bieber's personal brand and tapping into cultural currents, Rhode has created a blueprint for modern beauty branding. As the brand continues to evolve, its influence on both the beauty industry and consumer culture is poised to grow even further.
There’s no denying that Rhode has built a real community. People share their “Rhode routines,” line up for pop-ups, collect the glosses like Pokémon. The brand's messaging emphasizes self-care, confidence, and authenticity, resonating with a demographic seeking more than just skincare solutions. User-generated content, featuring real customers showcasing their Rhode routines, reinforces this sense of belonging and collective identity. But what’s striking to me is how often I hear about the aesthetic and the packagingrather than the actual results.
Yes, the products are really good but is Rhode’s success really about efficacy, or is it about being part of something cool?
Skincare has always been aspirational, but Rhode makes it aspirational in a distinctly Gen Z way — not expensive or unattainable, but socially shareable. You buy it to feel like you belong to a prettier, glossier version of the world, one that looks amazing in Stories and Reels.
And hey, maybe there’s nothing wrong with that. But I do think we need to call it what it is: a well-oiled lifestyle brand built on aesthetics and emotional marketing as much as (if not more than) the actual skincare.
Rhode’s journey from skincare startup to lifestyle staple is impressive, no doubt. It’s a case study in branding done right. But it’s also a reminder of how easily we’re sold ideas disguised as products. Simplicity, glow, effortless beauty — these are not just skincare benefits. They’re emotions. And emotions sell.
Do I like Rhode? Yes.
Do I use it daily? No.
Do I respect the branding? Absolutely. B
ut do I think we should pause before jumping into the next limited-edition drop just because it matches our outfit? Definitely.
Because at the end of the day, good skincare should do more than just look good on your shelf or in your selfie. And if Rhode continues to blur the line between self-care and lifestyle merchandising, we’ll need to ask ourselves: are we buying skincare or just another perfectly packaged identity?
Love,
Rae
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