FROM CELEBRITY TO CORPORATE: HOW DID RHODE DO IT?

Written by Camila Saenz

In 2022, Hailey Bieber launched Skincare and beauty brand, Rhode, with three simple products: a moisturizer, a serum, and the now-iconic Peptide Lip Treatment. At the time, celebrity beauty brands were thriving, but very few made big impacts. Rhode set itself apart with minimalist branding, affordable prestige positioning, and Bieber’s ability to connect directly Gen Z’s culture through Instagram and TikTok. Within months, the brand went  viral, selling out launches and building a waitlist of hundreds of thousands of customers. 

Rhode’s growth was more than just the hype. Bieber and her co-founders, Michael D. Ratner and Lauren Ratner, structured the company around sustainability, clean formulations, and a tight, well-curated product line. By the end of 2025, Rhode had acquired more than $200 million in net sales. This number had almost been unheard of for a three-year-old startup.

This rapid rise caught the attention of e.l.f. Beauty, the cosmetics company that has quietly become one of the most powerful in the industry. E.lf. is known for its affordable, cruelty-free products available at stores like Target, Walmart, and Ulta. E.l.f beauty has spent the past decade reinventing itself as a brand house, acquiring prestige and creator brands such as Naturium and Keys Soulcare by Alicia Keys. Rhode represented the perfect next step: a prestigious skincare brand with a huge social media presence, the “IT” factor, and massive room for expansion.

The acquisition shows Rhode’s evolution from a celebrity brand into a corporate-backed powerhouse with global ambitions. Under e.l.f., Rhode is preparing to move beyond its online direct-to-consumer roots. It will be launching in Sephora stores across North America and the UK later this year. With expanded distribution, financial power, and operational infrastructure, Rhode is set to transform from a social media favorite into a long-term icon within the beauty industry.

Rhode’s story from a side project to a billion-dollar business, shows how the line between celebrity brands and serious entrepreneurship is starting to blur. What began as a personal passion project has now become part of one of the fastest-growing corporate beauty groups in the world, proving that a celebrity brand can move past the hype when it is built with dedication, innovation, and the right partner.