Rhode: сommunication theory

Rhode is an American skincare brand founded in June 2022 by model and entrepreneur Hailey Bieber, alongside Michael and Lauren Ratner. The brand is based in Beverly Hills, California, and operates under the full name HRBeauty LLC — with «rhode» always stylized in lowercase, which itself is a deliberate branding choice that signals approachability and modernity. In 2025, Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for approximately $1 billion, making it one of the most significant deals in recent beauty industry history. By the fiscal year ending March 2025, the brand had reached $212 million in annual revenue — a remarkable figure for a company that is only three years old.

Rhode entered the market with just three products: the Peptide Glazing Fluid, Barrier Restore Cream, and Peptide Lip Treatment. This radical minimalism was not a limitation — it was a strategic positioning statement. The brand’s core philosophy is built around the concept of «skinimalism»: the idea that healthy, glowing skin requires fewer, better products rather than complex multi-step routines. Rhode describes its mission as simplifying «the mysteries and complex narratives behind efficacious skincare» and offering consumers go-to essentials they can rely on daily.

The visual identity of Rhode is immediately recognisable. Soft greys, creams, and muted pastels dominate the packaging, website, and social media. Typography is clean and bold. Product shots are minimal, well-lit, and deliberately leave negative space — communicating calm, quality, and confidence. This aesthetic cohesion is not accidental; every visual element reinforces the brand’s core value of effortless beauty. Rhode’s primary target audience is Gen Z and Millennials aged 18 to 34 — digitally native consumers who are immersed in social media and actively seek out brands that reflect their personal values and aesthetic. According to a survey by Intersect, 86% of Gen Z respondents cited branding and marketing as the main reason they were drawn to Rhode. This audience values authenticity, simplicity, and cultural relevance — all of which Rhode delivers through its founder-led storytelling and community-driven approach.

Central to Rhode’s identity is Hailey Bieber herself. She is not simply the face of the brand — she is the brand. Her personal skincare journey, including her public struggle with sensitive and acne-prone skin, gave Rhode its founding narrative. Her signature «glazed donut skin» aesthetic became a viral cultural phenomenon, turning a skincare routine into a lifestyle aspiration. This fusion of personal brand and product brand is one of the most defining — and analytically interesting — aspects of Rhode’s communication strategy.

Rhode’s public communication field is entirely built around digital-first, social-native channels — the brand launched in June 2022 without a single traditional advertisement, retail partnership, or billboard. This was a deliberate strategic choice, not a budget constraint.

The primary platforms are Instagram and TikTok. The Rhode brand account has over 2 million Instagram followers and 1.3 million on TikTok — but these numbers alone understate the real reach. Hailey Bieber’s personal accounts extend to 55+ million on Instagram and 15+ million on TikTok, effectively giving the brand free mass broadcast reach every time she posts.

Hailey Bieber’s get-ready-with-me (GRWM) TikToks and Instagram Stories are deliberately unpolished — no professional lighting, no scripts. She appears in regular clothes, bare-faced, applying Rhode products in real time. This format erases the boundary between celebrity and consumer, making the content feel like advice from a friend rather than advertising. According to Influencity (2025), this approach is central to what makes Rhode’s communication feel authentic rather than commercial. (Influencity, 2025; Content Kettle, 2025)

A cornerstone of Rhode’s strategy is amplifying content created by real consumers. The brand actively reposts unboxing videos, texture swatches, and mirror selfies from everyday users — transforming the audience from passive viewers into active brand ambassadors. According to a 2024 study published in Social Media + Society (Liu & Zheng, 2024), influencer authenticity and relatability are the strongest predictors of brand credibility and purchase intent — Rhode’s UGC strategy directly applies this principle. Branded hashtag challenges like #RhodeRoutine further expand organic reach without paid media.

Rather than spending budgets on celebrity endorsements, Rhode prioritises micro-influencers — creators with smaller but highly engaged audiences aligned with the brand’s minimalist aesthetic. The brand’s influencer gifting strategy — sending carefully designed PR packages — generates organic content without formal paid partnerships. According to Lefty (2025), this approach drove a 45% year-on-year increase in Earned Media Value in 2024, reaching $248 million in total EMV with a 3,75% engagement rate, above the 3,6% industry benchmark.

One of Rhode’s most iconic communication moves was the Lip Case (2024): a $35 phone case with a built-in slot for a Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment. It functioned simultaneously as a product, a piece of merchandise, and a self-distributing advertising unit — photographed and posted by millions of users in their daily selfies and GRWM content. As Glossyreported (2024), the launch generated enormous organic buzz: TikTok flooded with opinions before the product even went on sale, and competing brands (Benefit, Colourpop) made parody posts — amplifying Rhode’s reach further.

Rhode extends its communication into physical space through pop-up events and cultural collaborations. The 2024 New York pop-up for the Pocket Blush drop featured a fully yellow booth with matching decor, merchandise, and staff uniforms — translating the digital color-coded drop aesthetic into real life. The London pop-up in 2024 attracted coverage from Elle, Vogue, and hundreds of TikTok creators. Brand collaborations function as PR moments rather than traditional sponsorships. The Krispy Kreme «Strawberry Glaze» partnership (2023) and the Erewhon smoothie collaboration embedded Rhode into wider pop culture — turning a skincare product into a cultural event discussed far beyond the beauty community.

For this analysis, we selected two theories from the course syllabus: the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) by Richard Petty and John Cacioppo, and the Dialogic Theory of Public Relations by Kent and Taylor.

Theory 1 — Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) The ELM, developed by Petty and Cacioppo (1986), explains how people process persuasive communication in two fundamentally different ways. The central route requires high involvement — the consumer carefully analyses facts, ingredients, and rational arguments before making a decision. The peripheral route works through mental shortcuts — the consumer is persuaded not by logic, but by visual aesthetics, attractive people, social proof, and emotional associations. Rhode is a textbook case for peripheral route persuasion. The brand rarely communicates product facts (ingredients, clinical studies). Instead, it builds desire through minimalist visuals, the «glazed skin» aesthetic, and aspirational lifestyle imagery. ELM allows us to analyse exactly how Rhode’s visual language persuades without rational argument.

Theory 2 — Dialogic Theory of Public Relations Kent and Taylor (1998) proposed that effective PR is not one-way broadcasting but a two-way dialogue between a brand and its public. They identified five principles of dialogic communication: dialogic loop, usefulness of information, generation of return visits, intuitiveness, and rule of conservation of visitors. Rhode actively applies dialogic communication through UGC reposts, direct replies to comments, community building around hashtags, and inviting consumers to shape the brand through feedback. Unlike traditional celebrity brands that broadcast from the top down, Rhode creates a space where the audience feels heard and included.

Rhode communicates almost entirely through the peripheral route. The brand persuades not through facts or ingredients, but through visual triggers and emotional associations. The central peripheral cue is the «glazed donut skin» aesthetic — dewy, luminous, effortless. Repeated across all platforms, it creates a mental shortcut: Rhode = that glow. The consumer does not analyse the formula. Theywant the image.

Rhode’s packaging reinforces this. The minimalist tube is so compact and photogenic that consumers post it like an accessory — no rational argument needed, the object communicates quality on its own.

Rhode applies Kent & Taylor’s dialogic principles across multiple touchpoints. The dialogic loop is visible in the «You and Rhode» section on rhodeskin.com — a dedicated space for consumer content. The brand reposts UGC on Instagram, tagging creators by name. This signals: your voice matters. It generates more content in return.

The website also fulfils the usefulness of information principle — it provides skincare guides and routine builders, educating before selling. Hashtag challenges (#RhodeGlowUp) and shade-naming polls turn communication into genuine participation.

Rhode has built one of the most coherent and effective communication strategies in contemporary beauty. By combining peripheral persuasion (ELM) with genuine two-way dialogue (Kent & Taylor), the brand created something rare: a celebrity label that feels personal, not commercial. The result — $212M in revenue, a $1B acquisition, and 45% EMV growth in 2024 — validates the strategy.

What works especially well is the seamless consistency across every touchpoint. The same minimalist aesthetic runs from packaging to pop-ups to Hailey’s unscripted TikToks. Nothing feels out of place.