LONDON — At Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, baby is the word.
Beauty’s new billion-dollar baby has tapped “Babygirl” star Harris Dickinson for its latest campaign for the launch of the Glazing Mist.
“I watched [‘Babygirl’] and I thought it was so great. I knew for this campaign that I really, really wanted to use a male face. I’m just really a fan of his work and I just felt like there could be really good synergy between him and Rhode. I think that was definitely showcased in this campaign,” said Bieber in an interview.
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There’s a quiet seduction to the black and white campaign images of Dickinson posing with the Glazing Mist and his lips pressed against his arm. In another photo, his doe eyes are looking up with dewy skin from the product.
Bieber didn’t want the images to have too many bells and whistles. She wanted the British actor to shine.
“I really wanted to keep it simple as I usually do and not over-conceptualize it. I want it to feel beautiful, natural and organic. There wasn’t a big concept behind it — he really is the concept of the campaign along with the Glazing Mist,” she said.
“I didn’t want anything to feel too on the nose with ‘Babygirl.’ I never want to make anything feel gimmicky and the undertone of it all is there. I wanted it to feel chic and sporty,” she added.
Bieber clarified that the use of Dickinson in its campaign is not a signal that Rhode is expanding into the menswear category.
“Women have gravitated towards [Rhode] mostly, but my husband has used Rhode since its inception and I really wanted all of the packaging to feel as unisex as possible, that’s why it’s a lot of gray, cream and eggshell,” she said.
The universe of Rhode is open to everyone.
“I really, really want Rhode to just feel like a world that’s open to anybody who gravitates towards it and just wants great skin care with great packaging, storytelling and imagery. That’s why I like bringing a male face into it because I want everybody to see themselves in the brand and in the imagery at different points,” Bieber explained.
She has welcomed an inclusive and eclectic mix of stars into the brand including Alex Consani, Paloma Elsesser, Claudia Schiffer and Tate McRae.
The Rhode campaigns have become an exercise in world-building for Bieber. She wants to create a specific space and tone for each product that she puts out. She calls it “one of the best parts of what I get to do. I just like creating stories each time. Good imagery and amazing storytelling makes me feel something very specific and that’s how I want to make people feel.”
The Glazing Mist is an extension of the brand’s glazed essentials family.
Bieber said a face mist is her summer staple and the first step in her beauty routine. She has been carrying the Glazing Mist with her everywhere she goes, from the gym to the beach and even keeps one on hand in her car.
“It’s the most hydration I’ve ever gotten out of a mist, which was the goal behind it. Also, being a mom on the go you often don’t have a lot of time, it’s something to run out the door with,” she said.
The Glazing Mist’s ingredients are made up of ectoin, an amino acid that binds water molecules to the skin to keep it hydrated; ceramide trio for moisture, smooth skin and to help reinforce the skin’s natural barrier; beta-glucan, a mushroom-derived humectant that preserves moisture; magnolia extract to provide antioxidant protection and help guard the skin against oxidative damage; and panthenol, a vitamin B5 that holds and binds water.
Bieber has been fixating on summer and what she wants to put out.
“My vision has been clear for months about what the world of Rhode summer is going to look like. I have a whole world that’s coming and ready to go, just think very European, beautiful summer,” she said.
Will she go on a summer Rhode trip? Open a Rhode martini bar? Or maybe launch a SPF?
The latter is something for the long run.
“If I could snap my fingers and have my perfect SPF be out in the world tomorrow, I would, but it’s just so hard to do SPF. I want to make sure that the formula is efficacious and we’re not ever putting anything unnecessary out into the world,” said Bieber.
But not to fret, for the Rhode summer could be all about “lemon drop martinis” according to her Instagram account.
Summer is a long road ahead for Rhode, which was acquired by E.l.f. Beauty in a deal valuing it at $1 billion.
“They support founders, they want to help push the founders’ vision and get behind them,” Bieber told WWD last month of the deal with E.l.f. “That’s where we are with Rhode, and I’m ready to get to the next place.”
“This is my baby, and to find a home for it is really not an easy process — it’s very scary. When I met the E.l.f. team, we had a lot of similarities when it came to the importance of community and team building,” she said.
Rhode is a growing baby that’s sprouting fast.