The brand has curated an edit of well-formulated skincare products (iStock/The Independent)
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It’s been eight months since Hailey Bieber’s in-demand skincare line rhode – which is her middle name – launched on UK shores, and the brand has been going from strength to strength.
For the uninitiated, Hailey Bieber is a model and social media sensation. She’s the reason you’ve been seeing ‘glazed doughnut’ manicures all over your feeds for the best part of a year, and it’s fair to say anything she wears, eats or does either goes viral or becomes an immediate trend.
So, it probably comes as no surprise to hear the internet went wild over the news of a Hailey Bieber skincare line. The essence of the brand is a curated edit of well-formulated skincare products, with Bieber saying: “I live by a collection of edited essentials – one really good coat, or one really good moisturiser that works perfectly for me and that I’ll always come back to,” demonstrating her ethos.
Rhode is certified cruelty-free; all of its packaging is made from PCR and FSC-certified material; and it’s been developed in partnership with – and tested by – dermatologists. Plus, it’s suitable for sensitive skin, and everything in the range is available fragrance-free.
The range is steadily growing, too – as well as the initial launch products (the peptide glazing fluid, barrier restore cream and three peptide lip treatments), there’s been new flavours of the lip balm, and now there’s a cleanser on the scene, in the form of ‘pineapple refresh’.
But are the products as good as they sound? Do they live up to the hype? We tried them to find out – keep reading this article for our full verdict.
These rhode products come beauty editor-approved (Lucy Partington)
We received samples of the rhode kit (£96, Rhodeskin.com) and incorporated each product into our daily routine for a few days. Although we haven’t tested them long enough to comment on any long-term results, we’re here to bring you our initial thoughts.
Our skin is blemish-prone and sits somewhere in between oily and dry. We have also been using a prescription-strength retinoid and our skin is prone to dryness from that, so we were interested to see how well the barrier restore cream worked on our skin.
Rhode pineapple refresh
Key ingredients: Polyglutamic acid, green tea extract, pineapple enzyme
Size: 150ml
Vegan: Yes
Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
Breaks down even longwear foundation
Gently exfoliates
Take note
Skin felt a little tight after use
Continue reading...
This is the first cleanser launch from rhode, and we were excited to try it. After getting our hands on a pre-launch sample, we were happy to discover it didn’t disappoint. Formulated with polyglutamic acid for hydration; green tea extract for its anti-inflammatory properties; and pineapple enzyme for gentle exfoliation, this is a balm-to-lather cleanser.
We also really loved the gel-like, golden texture and found that it emulsifies really well with just a drop of water, so it always gave us a really satisfying cleanse and it meant we were really able to massage it into the skin thoroughly.
We found that it effortlessly broke down our longwear foundation, and it worked well as a second cleanse as part of our evening routine, too. We liked the blend of ingredients, and the pineapple enzyme works well as a gentle exfoliator. The only slight downside is it left our skin feeling a little bit tight after cleansing, but that could be down to the arctic weather conditions we’ve been having lately, rather than as a direct result of using this cleanser.
The pineapple refresh cleanser will be available to buy from 25 January, but you can sign up to join the waiting list now.
This is the product we were most keen to try. It’s dubbed as Bieber’s signature dewy glow in a bottle, and those few words alone were enough to convince us. The serum itself is incredibly lightweight, absorbs into the skin really well, and it initially feels cooling on application.
It has an impressive list of ingredients, including niacinamide to nourish and brighten skin; peptides to plump; hyaluronic acid to lock in hydration, and marula oil to support the skin’s barrier. It brightened instantly and felt hydrating. While the promised dewy finish was subtle, it did provide a ‘lit from within’ glow that perked up our otherwise dull-looking skin.
We found the formula played well with other products: it was applied underneath sunscreen and on top of an antioxidant serum, and it didn’t pill. The one small downside is the packaging of this product feels a little bit cheap, and the lid was hard to get off at times, but that’s something we can definitely overlook.
We were impressed by rhode’s focus on the skin’s barrier, and use of nourishing ingredients – all the products are incredibly gentle but well formulated. The barrier restore cream was something we weren’t fussed about initially but, having used it on our dry skin – which had some peeling around the chin and mouth, thanks to a prescription retinoid – we changed our mind.
The cream isn’t heavy or greasy like some barrier repair products can be. Instead, it’s rich but lightweight. It combines shea butter and squalane with peptides, acai and niacinamide to nourish and repair skin. It’s fragrance-free too, so it won’t cause further irritation, and it feels comforting and cooling to use.
We also tried it under make-up, and it worked well – it didn’t pill and it helped keep skin hydrated through the day, with no dry patches appearing. This one is staying in our daily routine – we just wish it was available in a bigger size.
A lip balm is just a lip balm, right? Not where Hailey Bieber is concerned – this is a product that’s also got people incredibly excited. Plumping, hydrating and restorative but not in the slightest bit sticky, it leaves lips looking glossy and feeling nourished. It works to treat dryness and locks in moisture, thanks to a blend of shea butter, peptides, cupuaçu and babassu. It sits nicely on top of lipstick and/or lipliner but it’s also great to use on its own.
We love each of the three scents available, too. Salted caramel is as decadent and as sweet as you’d expect, while the watermelon variety doesn’t smell artificial – it smells like summer – and the unscented option has a tiny hint of sweetness.
Overall, we are incredibly impressed with rhode. We like that everything seems to stay true to Hailey Bieber’s personal brand, and that there isn’t an abundance of products just for the sake of it. As for the newest launch, the pineapple refresh cleanser did not disappoint and gently exfoliated while removing make-up with ease.
If you only try one thing though, make it the lip treatment, but we don’t think anybody would be disappointed by the skincare products either. They do what they promise and the ingredients are well formulated – plus the fact they were developed in partnership with dermatologists is a huge plus, in terms of credibility. The price points feel fair, too, although, we do wish the barrier cream and serum were slightly bigger – or that bigger sizes were available.
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