Hailey Bieber 'overconsumption' comments draw criticism over beauty empire
Hailey Bieber was called out by critics after she claimed being uninterested in ‘overconsumption’
Hailey Bieber launched her beauty brand, Rhode in 2022, with a line of just three products and went on to become one of the most highly-coveted beauty brand that was sold out by fans wanting to recreate Bieber's effortless glow.
Yet as the empire grew, so did the Rhode merchandise. From plastic cases for disposable pimple patches, a phone case with built-in lip gloss holder, and a butterfly charm for their blushes, Rhode's products and packaging have faced criticism for being excessive.
During a conversation with Rhode co-founder Lauren Ratner at the at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, Ratner described the vision of Rhode as an “extension of Hailey's personal world. It's aspirational but accessible. It's fun. It's sexy, it's playful.”
Fortune's Ellie Austin, who was moderating the discussion, then asked, “I'm really interested in the world of Rhode because it's so powerful. So, you've alluded to what belongs in it. What doesn't belong in the world of Rhode, even if it would sell well? Do you ever think of that?”
“I really am not interested in overconsumption,” Hailey replied. “I think the beauty space is very, very filled as it is, and the whole ethos of Rhode from the beginning was this idea of one of each thing done really well, one of everything good, which that concept for me came from the idea of you know your perfect pair of jeans, the perfect white tee, the perfect jacket, your perfect moisturizer, your perfect lip product.”
“As somebody who has been working since I was 17-years-old and traveling on my own for many years, what were the must-haves I needed to have when I'm on the plane and landing straight to a job, and [what do I need] to have in my skincare must-haves and beauty must-haves, and that is still the true ethos today. I'm not interested in putting a bunch of stuff out there just to put it out there,” she said.
For Bieber, the beauty brand which has made a fortune was never about the “money.” Heiley mentioned, “I'm always in the meetings like, ‘This isn't like about money for me,’ and of course, you want to have a healthy business, and I care about having a healthy business.”
However, as the conversation made it online, so did the criticism in the comments.
“Frequent private jet user Hailey Bieber claims she’s not interested in overconsumption in an interview with Fortune, Despite having launched products like a bikini lip gloss holder,” one netizen posted.
While another noted, “Didn't you just, as in last week, sell a case for pimple patches,” with a third user posting, “Nothing says anti-consumerism like buying a $16 case to store the patches you also have to buy separately.”
It is pertinent to mention that last year, Rhode beauty was acquired by Elf Cosmetics in a deal worth $1 billion and Hailey Bieber became the company's Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation.
