Dewy glass skin, glazed donut nails, and minimalism are all standards of the “Clean Girl” aesthetic set by Hailey Beiber. The beauty brand Rhode is founded by Ms. Bieber herself, and is widely considered one of the top most successful celebrity based beauty brands.
The brand seems to achieve its success through its creative and striking marketing, but could it be a result of having a celebrity as the face of the company?
Hailey Beiber’s fame lended a huge advantage to Rhodes’ success. After gaining attention from her modelling career and marriage with the pop star Justin Bieber, Hailey has an even bigger following.
In 2022 she single handedly set the “Clean Girl” aesthetic trend. From skin care to nails, and even hair, Hailey’s followers wanted to copy her appearance. Bieber took advantage of this, launching her beauty brand later that year.
The Rhode marketing team has accomplished its fair share of achievements, as well. Rhode as a brand is focused on a modern and minimalistic aesthetic, proving this through their many campaigns. It focuses on using a neutral color palette with a luxurious feel. The packaging is designed to be easily recognizable, while still simplistic. The “Rhode” name on each is striking but not blinding.
Like many other beauty brands, Rhode uses PR packages to gain further popularity. PR packages are gifts sent to influencers for free, so long as they promote the product. Rhode also uses exclusivity to hype their “limited edition” products. Frequently, viral products become sold out, such as the Glazing Milk and Peptide Lip Treatments.
The brand continues its minimalism through its product variety, as well. The brand sells only about five main products, which on their website are curated to display a simple skin care routine.
They use these to show how beauty with Rhode is almost effortless. By preventing an overwhelming offer of products, Rhode is able to keep a steady grasp of consumers’ attention and demand.
Rhodes’ success is actually a result of both their celebrity cameo and their smart marketing. The brand’s marketing is absolutely stunning, their photoshoots and minimalist style never disappoints.
However, using Hailey Bieber also furthers the brand’s image and sales. Bieber holds a powerful influence over consumers. She sets trends faster than anyone.
One extreme example was when she applied a face mask to her face with a comb and the trend went viral. Other examples include eating sushi with a face mask, a slick back bun, “Bob Summer”, and, of course, the Rhode brand as a whole.
Comparing Rhode to other celebrity founded brands, it stands out. Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez, bases their brand identity on inclusivity. They promote disability and mental health awareness, while also providing an extensive range of skin shades. While the company uses Gomez as the brand face, it focuses on a variety of identities.
Another celebrity based brand is R.E.M beauty founded by Arianna Grande. The brand uses Arianna Grande as the primary face of the company as well as their marketing campaigns. After Grande starred in the popular movie, Wicked, R.E.M launched a campaign tied to the movie.
While still successful, the brand is limping behind other celebrity brands such as Rare Beauty and Rhode. Ariana’s brand, R.E.M, not only lacks the revenue, but also the viral trends that Rhode does. This shows how using celebrity cameos only as the marketing strategy for a beauty brand backfires eventually.
Ultimately, Rhodes success can be attributed to both its celebrity cameo and marketing skills. While Bieber’s celebrity status elevates the brand, marketing takes Rhode to even higher levels of success.
