From Glazed Skin to Billion-Dollar Buyout: Rhode’s Rise as a Cultural Powerhouse
Photos courtesy of @rhode on Instagram
In 2022, Hailey Bieber unveiled Rhode, and it was not a skincare brand; it was a lifestyle brand. Rhode has managed to build three minimalist products into a billion-dollar brand in less than three years, which shows that the key to modern beauty success is not formula, but strategy.
The Rise of Glazed Skin
Photos courtesy of @rhode & @laurenratner on Instagram
Rhode was launched when the world went out of heavy makeup and into minimal, healthy skin, the optimal time of Hailey Bieber's glazed skin aesthetic. The brand sold out in a few days with a launch consisting of only three necessities, building more than 440,000 waitlists. However, the genius was in positioning. Rhode did not sell skincare products; it was selling a sense of glowing, easy, and effortless. The beige aesthetic of the brand, its sensory nature of packaging, and its language that was more of a dessert (glazed, buttery, peptide treat) had made skincare a form of self-care.
Photos courtesy of Pinterest & @rhode on Instagram
Marketing in the Age of Scarcity
Instead of overproduction, Rhode had perfected deliberate shortage. The product drops were not frequent, which created a sense of anticipation and FOMO online. Pop-ups in NY and LA were cultural experiences, a combination of retail, community, and sensory experiences, with the help of sampling products, making smoothies, and design-oriented spaces. Such a scarcity flywheel, small inventory, high demand, and viral UGC, made a scarcity strategy. The fans were not just customers, but they were part of a story that was being told.
Photos courtesy of @rhode on Instagram and TikTok
From Influencer to Icon
Hailey Bieber was transformed into the best marketing asset of Rhode. She was not using paid ads but relying on her own sense of authenticity, routines, trying products, and modelling the clean girl image that she helped create. Partnerships with Krispy Kreme and Erewhon made it less clear where beauty and lifestyle met, and Rhode was associated with cultural imagery of decadence and health. The result? A skincare brand that is alive in ordinary culture.
Modern Branding Case Study of $1B
The brand was worth more than 1 billion dollars when Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in 2025 is a credit to the sustainable strategy. Minimalism, combined with meaning, enabled Rhode to create a base of loyal customers who are based on a sense of emotion, rather than product loyalty. The formula of it was simple, but effective: Sensory narration + scarcity marketing + identity for people as a part of the lifestyle = long-term desirability. Rhode did not attain beauty trends. It created one, and then caused it to endure.
Key Takeaway
In a world of excessive exposure, Rhode demonstrates that less is more when it comes to exposure. Through editing and not overloading, Hailey Bieber's brand made scarcity its scale and aesthetic its power, and a legitimate masterpiece in brand building.
Want to dive deeper?
Download the full case study to explore Rhode’s growth strategy, from product storytelling and consumer psychology to cross-industry collaborations and long-term brand positioning.
