Marketing Strategy of Rhode: Lessons for Emerging Beauty and Skincare Brands
Rhode, the skincare line with a minimalist approach started by Hailey Bieber, is no longer a celebrity-endorsed company. In a surprise turn of events, Rhode was recently purchased by e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion, only three years after starting the company. This rocketing success has been on both the radar of the beauty community and the advertising world.
In this post, we analyze Rhode’s marketing strategy and look at how a digital marketing agency for beauty and skincare companies can assist emerging businesses to follow in its footsteps. Whether you’re starting your own skincare business or rebranding an already established beauty company, there are takeaways here.
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Celebrity Branding Done Right
Hailey Bieber didn’t merely put her name on Rhode—she became its strongest brand ambassador. She evangelized “glazed donut skin” as a skincare trend that went viral on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Rhode was no longer a product line, but a movement.
But it wasn’t only her celebrity status that succeeded—there was also authenticity and consistency in messaging. A beauty brand marketing agency can assist in duplicating this formula for non-celebrity founders as well, by assisting in creating relatable stories and having consistent branding across channels.
Backlink opportunity: Emphasize how a digital marketing agency specializing in beauty and skincare brands can create influencer campaigns and brand storytelling to resonate with Gen Z viewers.
Strategic Leverage of Social Media Influencers
Rhode never depended on one face or one platform. It collaborated with more than 8,000 creators to popularize its lip peptides and skin therapy. Micro and macro influencers introduced Rhode into their skincare routines, reviews, and GRWM posts—building genuine engagement.
Collaborating with a digital marketing agency with a focus on skincare and beauty brands can assist companies in creating effective influencer partnerships. The agency is able to search for influencers who share your brand values and audience.
Minimalism as a Powerful Visual Language
From its website to packaging, Rhode’s own minimalist style can be seen from the very first glance. The brand’s design is targeting a younger audience that appreciates simplicity, simple formulations, and “Instagrammable” branding.
This degree of visual branding does not occur by accident—it’s the product of careful UX design, color psychology, and visual storytelling. A digital marketing agency for beauty and skincare companies can create robust design systems and brand guidelines that strengthen identity on every customer touchpoint.
Viral Product Design: The Lip Case
One of Rhode’s most clever marketing decisions was making a functional product a branding play—the Rhode Lip Case. This phone case contains the Peptide Lip Treatment and was a quick Gen Z favorite, trending on all platforms.
This type of innovative product promotion is what distinguishes brands. With the assistance of a skincare brand marketing agency, innovative product concepts can become viral hits. From concept development to launch planning, agencies assist in bringing such distinctive propositions to the market.
Controlled Scarcity and Product Drops
Rather than inundating the market, Rhode started with only a handful of SKUs and relied on creating demand through limited drops. Products would sell out in hours—spinning FOMO and urgency, which created more hype.
An experienced beauty digital marketing agency understands how to create this type of buzz. With countdown timers, SMS waitlists, and email drip campaigns, agencies can mimic Rhode’s scarcity model while keeping customers engaged and loyal.
Intelligent SEO and DTC Website Strategy
Rhode’s direct-to-consumer site is clean, conversion-optimized, and search-optimized. Each page is crafted to improve discoverability and sustain interest. Organic traffic contributes significantly to keeping CAC low but raising LTV.
This is where a digital marketing agency for beauty and skincare brands shines. Through SEO-optimized blogs, product descriptions, and highly converting landing pages, these agencies assist brands in growing sustainably without having to depend on paid ads.
Seamless Expansion into Retail
After building a solid DTC foundation, Rhode expanded to Sephora—providing more touchpoints without compromising its brand identity. The expansion was timely and data-driven.
A full-service beauty brand marketing agency can help with the transition, aligning your online and offline marketing efforts, maintaining brand consistency, and reviewing performance metrics across platforms.
Using Data to Refine Strategy
Rhode not only grew—it transformed with analytics. From social listening to customer sentiment, each campaign was performance-optimized. Traackr states Rhode experienced 367% YoY growth in earned media value and more than $212 million in sales by year two.
With the assistance of a beauty and skincare digital marketing agency, brands are able to conduct A/B testing, monitor user paths, and make adjustments based on live data. Such information makes marketing more efficient and scalable.
Final Thoughts
Rhode’s marketing experience demonstrates how powerful branding, strategic influencer marketing, clever design, and solid SEO can build a billion-dollar brand within a few years. And you don’t have to be Hailey Bieber to accomplish that.
No matter whether you’re introducing a lip balm or a complete skincare product line, using a digital marketing agency for beauty and skincare brands provides the competitive advantage you need in an oversaturated marketplace. From content creation and paid advertising to influencer management and performance monitoring, the right agency can put your brand in the spotlight—just like Rhode.
Rahul M.
B2B Service Provider