Despite evidence on the contrary, Hailey Bieber actually didn’t nail the art of making a cult beauty product on her first try — her Peptide Lip Treatment took more like 17.

“I’m joking, but form of not joking,” said the model/entrepreneur on the Beauty CEO Summit, of the variety of formula iterations.

Bieber launched Rhode in 2022 with five stock keeping units, aiming to supply consumers a glimpse into her own must-have beauty lineup — nothing more, nothing less.

“I desired to create something that felt prefer it was this line of only essentials, where if I used to be stranded on a desert island — and other people have asked me this so over and over — what could I not live without?” said Bieber.

Her vision has resonated.

Based on Rhode’s chief executive officer Melanie Bender, the brand crossed the eight-figure sales mark over a 6 month period with just 11 days of selling and it shows no signs of slowing. In March, Rhode entered Canada and this week, landed within the U.K.

“[It’s been] form of an intense, rocket fuel form of growth, but as a brand and as leaders, we’ve tried to prioritize impact over speed,” said Bender.

While Rhode is swiftly expanding its international footholds (Bender hinted a foray into India could also be next), its approach to product development has remained slow and regular: The road still consists of its debut moisturizer, serum and three iterations of its Peptide Lip Treatment, all priced under $30.

“There’s a whole lot of skepticism [about celebrity beauty brands], so I do think there’s a really high hurdle to clear when it comes to product efficacy, when it comes to driving impact, when it comes to having an identity and a reason for being that features the founder, but transcends them,” said Bender.

“I stepped into launching a brand already having a platform and a reputation, that are a privilege to have getting into,” said Bieber, adding that her ultimate goal, though, was to create a product range so resonant that it will “stand by itself when you took me out of it.”

Enlisting a team of beauty veterans like Bender and Rhode’s chemist, Ron Robinson, has been one means to that end; intuitively looking for out white spaces — nevertheless unsuspecting they could appear — has been one other.

“I like data, I’m steeped in data, but I also recognize its weaknesses,” said Bender. “Our lip treatment has been our number-one seller as a brand, and [lip treatment] is the number 13 category on Circana for skincare — nobody would have checked out data reports and said, ‘Guys, you must start there.’”

Since launching, Rhode has driven Google searches for lip treatments to an all-time high, said Bender.

So far as what’s next product-wise, Bieber said she’s “not taking anything off the table,” however the brand is prioritizing skincare and goals to progressively begin playing in body care and potentially color cosmetics, as well.

“When you may have a brand that’s growing fast, there’s a pressure to place recent things out more quickly — that’s something I’ve needed to constantly fight against, because I do know that the core value of the brand is to never overwhelm the patron,” said Bieber.