The Colossus of Rhode

Rhode, the Hailey Bieber-founded beauty brand, has scaled up from a one-off celebrity lip gloss line into a nine-figure business with aspirations to be the Skims of beauty—and that includes charting a future that’s less dependent on its famous founder.

So far, Rhode’s success is all Bieber—she’s the founder, the line’s face, and its loudest promoter—but the company is slowly incorporating other celebrities into the mix. Photo: Harley Weir/Courtesy of Rhode

Rachel Strugatz

December 11, 2024

I did a double take when I saw Rhode’s latest marketing campaign, which stars Matilda Djerf, a Swedish influencer famous for her bouncy blonde “butterfly” haircut, like a ’90s Farrah Fawcett. In one image, Djerf wears what appears to be a red satin pajama top with matching nails and rosy cheeks. In another, she’s pictured lying on a red couch, feet in the air, in a red bodysuit, tights, and heels. Djerf looks like a grownup Cindy Lou Who, right down to the reindeer-in-headlights stare.