Hailey Bieber Sells Rhode to e.l.f. for $1 Billion - Here’s What It Really Means

It’s official: Rhode Skin has been acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in a $1 billion deal. Just two years after launch, Hailey Bieber has turned her minimalist skincare brand into one of the most powerful assets in the beauty world – and just made one of the most strategic exits we’ve seen in recent years.

From Cult Status to Corporate Deal: Why the Timing Was Flawless

This wasn’t just a lucky exit. Rhode wasn’t sold because it could be. It was sold because the timing aligned perfectly with its peak in cultural momentum, with over $200 million in annual revenue and, most importantly, leading the industry in Social Media Value.

Rhode isn’t just another celebrity brand. It’s one of the very few that combined:

💄 A clear visual identity
📲 Trend-driven, viral product drops creating hype beyond its momentum
💃 A creator at the center who actually leads creatively
🫂 Strong community building at scale

The result? This billion dollar deal, driven by content that converts.

The Social Value Behind the Deal

Let’s talk numbers that matter more than revenue right now – their Social Media Value:

@rhode                   @elfcosmetics
💸$12,225,119        💸$3,026,820

What’s your brand’s Social Media Value?

In an era where attention is the most expensive real estate, Rhode has built one of the highest-performing beauty brands online.
Rhode has built one of the strongest culture-led beauty brands through authentic creator content, not just polished ads. This is what Social Media Value really looks like – measurable impact powered by influence, conversation, and community. It fuels sellouts, builds anticipation, and drives conversion before a shopper even lands on the site.

Rhode was born in the social era – it speaks fluent visual language, masters influencer architecture, and builds a culture-led creative strategy and community at scale. It doesn’t just post, it moves culture – and that’s exactly what e.l.f. just bought into, aligning perfectly with the strategy they’ve been scaling toward all along.

What Each Brand Gets Out of This

💄 For Rhode:

• Instant global scope – with e.l.f.’s retail muscle, expect Rhode to land in commerce across the globe
• Resources for product development, innovation and operations
• Hailey Bieber retains creative control meaning the brand DNA stays intact, while scale happens behind the brand

💄 For e.l.f.:

• Diversification of brands with Rhode giving them access to luxury aesthetics, aspirational influence, and serious creator power as e.l.f. can maintain its fun Gen Z culturally relevant campaigns and social first content strateg
• A broader audience portfolio – from drugstore affordability to quiet luxury
• New perspectives and insights of creator-led DTC and social commerce

A Win for the Creator Economy

This deal proves what we’ve been preaching for years: influence = business leverage. But only when it’s paired with strategy, consistency, and deep community understanding.
Rhode was built like a “social-native startup” – with the creator at its core and the community as their orbit. And in a sea of celebrity brands, that’s what made it different.
For e.l.f., it’s the perfect way to add emotional equity and cool factor to a business already winning on price and accessibility.

What Else to Expect

Hailey Bieber and her team cashed out – and leveled up. e.l.f. just bought more than a skincare brand – they bought relevance, audience, and social value.
And for every brand, creator, and marketer watching this play out, the message is clear:
Social media value is sales value.

And the brands that know how to spend content and value the right way? They win.

Want to decode how brands like Rhode turn influence into enterprise?
Get in touch with us.