So Your Teen Says She Wants ‘Something From Rhode’?
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Ask any teenage girl where she was on September 4, and she’d very likely tell you she was in line at Sephora with one product display in sight: Rhode’s. At least, that was the case for just about every teen girl I’ve chatted with recently, whether she lives in New Jersey, New York, or Arkansas. The day marked the first time that Hailey Bieber’s viral beauty and skin-care brand was available at a major retailer, and it’s been almost impossible to find its most popular items — hydrating lip tints, blendable blushes, and glow-inducing moisturizers — in stores during the two months since. As more and more teens show off their preferred lip tints at lunch and slather onglazing milk essencesin GRWM videos, the hype is only growing. At this rate, Rhode is on track to be the hottest thing this holiday season — at least for those in the Gen Zalpha set.
So, if you’re not quite sure what to make of all thede-puffing eye masks, peptide lip treatments, and “glazing” whatsits on your teen’s wish list, take my advice: Just get them the lip tint. Unlike, say, the glazing milk, which can be comedogenic, or the blush, whose lineup of shades might not match your teen’s favorite makeup products, the tint is low commitment. It’s available in seven core shades — ranging from a bolder, warm berry brown called Pbj to an everyday sheer pink called Ribbon that’s comparable toSummer Fridays’s lip butter balm in pink sugar(another wish-list staple) — along with a rotation of limited-edition shades and, as of this week, scents, too. If she’s not into color, there are also the sheer glosses (a.k.a the peptide lip treatments) that are packed with Rhode’s headliner ingredient, thepeptide, as well.
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For teens, though, the tint’s appeal stems largely from its statusy packaging and hallway ubiquity. “Everyone at school after lunch, they just throw it on. It’s very easy,” says New Jersey–based 16-year-old Lexa Pine. Over in Illinois, 17-year-old Romy Bergetz says Bieber’s phone case, which is molded to hold the viral gloss, is popular at school dances so teens can reapply their lip combo without carrying around a purse. (High-schoolers are,famously, anti-purse.) Even for college kids, the all-my-friends-have-it effect has helped Rhode earn a spot (or two or three) on carefully curated holiday wish lists. “Last year, I lived with a bunch of girls, because I lived in my sorority house, and everybody used it. So that was my deciding factor,” says University of South Carolina student Dray Dalia, once a Rhode skeptic who’s now a glazing milk evangelist with more lip tints and blushes on her Christmas list.
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Perhaps most important, it’s hydrating, too — at least, according to the Gen-Zers. “I’ve actually tried a lot of lip products, and they’re not as hydrating for me, especially during the wintertime,” says 21-year-old Aquilah Farrell, whose collection includes both sheer treatments and lip tints. That’s all thanks to some shea butter and Rhode’s hero ingredient, peptides. The brand’s — palmitoyl tripeptide-1 — is formulated to hydrate and smooth the lips while reducing fine lines. And while that might not mean anything to your teen (or you, for that matter), one thing’s for certain: They love their lip products — or as they call them, “lippies.” “I take it with me to class every single day. She’s perfect,” Vanderbilt student Mia Wilson told me. She recommends surprising teens with the sheer-pink Ribbon shade, which she’s found is the most popular, especially for younger girls who are just getting into beauty. And while it’s unclear if Rhode will release another holiday-exclusive lip tint this year, if it does, it’s best not to dillydally.
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