- Rhode generated about $15 million in first-day Sephora sales, a record-breaking launch.
- The brand outperformed Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty during their debuts.
- Roughly 40% of Sephora shoppers redirected beauty spend from other retailers to Rhode.
- Rhode’s minimalist line of 16 SKUs fueled demand while aligning with its “less is more” philosophy.
- Backed by e.l.f. Beauty’s $1B acquisition, Rhode is poised for global expansion beyond DTC.
- Rapid sellouts highlight both unprecedented demand and inventory planning challenges.
Hailey Bieber’s minimalist skincare brand dominates Sephora’s retail landscape with record-breaking numbers.
On September 4, 2025, Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand Rhode stormed into Sephora North America with unprecedented momentum. In just 24 hours, the brand raked in an estimated $15 million in sales, making it the most successful celebrity beauty brand launch in the retailer’s history.
According to data from YipitData and reports cited by Reality Tea, Rhode not only surpassed internal forecasts but also outperformed launch-day results from Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty—two of Sephora’s most celebrated celebrity-backed lines.
“This blew Fenty out of the water,” a source close to Sephora told Reality Tea, underscoring the disruptive impact of Rhode’s entry.
Outperforming Established Celebrity Brands
The success is striking because it places Rhode above established players in a space already crowded with celebrity-driven beauty brands. Both Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty are considered category leaders, yet Rhode’s first-day numbers outpaced their early trajectories.
Multiple SoHo locations in New York sold out “within hours,” with restocks delayed until the following week—a visible sign of demand outstripping supply.
Insiders say Rhode is “sucking all the oxygen out of the room for every other brand,” leaving competitors scrambling for visibility in Sephora’s high-traffic beauty aisles.
Sephora’s Strategic Positioning
Rhode’s success is not just a win for Bieber’s brand—it’s a strategic coup for Sephora in its ongoing rivalry with Ulta and other beauty retailers. Sephora has deliberately doubled down on exclusive, high-visibility partnerships with influencer-founded labels, using them as cultural anchors to draw in younger demographics.
Insiders note that Sephora views Rhode as more than a temporary hit. The retailer is betting that viral momentum can be converted into repeat, multi-category purchasing behavior, a critical strategy to retain shoppers who might otherwise split their spend across platforms.
The data is telling: around 40% of Rhode’s Sephora buyers shifted from Ulta, Target, or Rhode’s DTC channel, underscoring Sephora’s ability to use buzzy launches to steal share directly from competitors.
By securing Rhode as an exclusive partner, Sephora strengthens its identity as the go-to platform for next-generation, culturally relevant beauty—a positioning that gives it an edge in the prestige segment where Ulta has traditionally leaned on breadth of assortment rather than exclusivity.
These consumers, who have driven Rhode’s online hype through TikTok and Instagram, translated that digital excitement directly into brick-and-mortar sales.
@itsbabykelz full face of @rhode skin ✨ who else was SO excited when they finally launched in @sephora 🫢 what full face should I do next and what’s your favorite rhode product? 🤍#makeuptutorial #makeupchallenge #rhode #makeuproutine #makeuptips
e.l.f. Beauty’s Strategic Backbone
Rhode’s blockbuster debut comes just months after e.l.f. Beauty’s $1B acquisition of the brand in May 2025. The deal included $800 million upfront and a $200 million performance-based earnout, signaling e.l.f.’s belief in Rhode’s potential to scale globally.
“We can’t wait to bring Rhode to more faces, places, and spaces,” Bieber said when the acquisition was announced. The Sephora rollout is the clearest sign yet of how e.l.f. intends to deliver on that promise—leveraging its infrastructure to push Rhode beyond its direct-to-consumer origins.
Minimalism as a Market Advantage
Unlike many celebrity beauty brands that launch with sprawling assortments, Rhode entered Sephora with a lean 16-SKU range. When broken down by minis and kits, its true assortment sits closer to 10 core products—reflecting the brand’s mantra of “one of everything really good.”
This pared-back approach amplified the viral momentum of Bieber’s “clean girl” aesthetic, which continues to dominate TikTok and Instagram. Traackr’s H1 2025 report even placed Rhode 6th among top beauty brands by earned media value, with just 1% of content being paid. In other words, Rhode’s growth is organically community-driven, not artificially inflated by paid influencer campaigns.
Retail Impact and Competitive Pressure
For Sephora, Rhode’s arrival validates its pivot toward buzzy, influencer-led exclusives that resonate with Gen Z. The challenge now is retention: Sephora must convert Rhode’s launch-day buyers into repeat, multi-category shoppers. For Rhode, the balance lies between rapid scale and maintaining brand integrity.
The performance also spotlights inventory missteps—rapid sellouts left some stores without product for days. While such shortages reinforce hype, they risk frustrating new customers and competitors will be watching closely to exploit gaps.
What Comes Next
Industry sources suggest Rhode is already preparing its UK retail debut as part of e.l.f.’s plan to globalize the brand within two years. Expansion into new categories—such as lipsticks and blushes slated for late 2025—signals Rhode’s intent to move beyond skincare and challenge more entrenched players in the color cosmetics market.
With Sephora as its retail anchor and e.l.f. as its operational engine, Rhode now sets the standard for what a celebrity-led brand can achieve in modern beauty retail.
