Rhode is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about names in skincare, and it’s not just down to who’s behind it. This is a brand built on social strategy, not celebrity. It’s reshaped the rules by knowing exactly how to show up online, and there’s plenty you can take from it to sharpen your own strategy and get your brand noticed for the right reasons.
Rhode isn’t selling skincare. It’s selling a feeling – calm, expensive, soft, in control. Every decision is intentional. From how it looks on the shelf to how it moves on TikTok. It’s a case study in what happens when a brand doesn’t just enter the market but reshapes it with social strategy.
It starts with identity, not product
Rhode launched with three products. No clutter. No rush. That level of restraint is rare, especially in beauty, but it works because it wasn’t about launching products; it was about launching a brand world.
The world is built around one core message: intentional, effective, and accessible skincare that simplifies beauty routines while promoting healthy, hydrated skin. The visual tone backs that up with matte packaging and soft lighting. But the emotional tone is even stronger. It’s calm. It doesn’t try to convince you. It assumes you’re already in.
This isn’t just good branding, it’s a social strategy that uses behavioural psychology. People are drawn to brands that reflect who they want to be. Rhode knows that. Everything from the product names to the content strategy builds towards an aspirational version of reality that feels possible.
Virality without shouting
Rhode isn’t a performance campaign machine, it’s not fighting for your attention. Instead, it leans into culture and lets people come to it. The reason it works on TikTok isn’t just aesthetic, it’s strategic.
Their TikToks mirror real user behaviour, building authenticity through tone, texture, and timing. That’s what makes the brand feel like it belongs in the feed, not as an ad, but as something worth saving, sharing, or trying.
That’s something we talk about a lot in our social strategy work. If your brand doesn’t feel like it belongs in the feed, you’ve already lost.
Brand equality over buzz
Plenty of brands go viral. Very few build trust. Rhode’s smart because it doesn’t try to do both at once. It lets the product do the heavy lifting, and the content do the storytelling.
Every launch is deliberate. Limited stock. No oversell. They build tension and let the audience chase it. This is old-school demand theory dressed up in Gen Z clothes. It’s scarcity used strategically, not to manipulate, but to position the brand as worth waiting for.
Compare that to hundreds of brands burning budget on reach but building nothing underneath it. There is no reason to stay.
E.l.f saw the value
e.l.f. announced its acquisition of Rhode for $1 billion. This move wasn’t just about expanding product lines; it was a strategic play to tap into Rhode cultural capital and Gen Z appeal. In return offers the scale, infrastructure and global footprint Rhode needs to expand without losing its edge. This is less about e.l.f. swallowing a smaller brand and more about buying into cultural influence.
What Most Brands Get Wrong
- Overproduced content for underperforming platforms
- Prioritise noise over narrative
- Trying to be everywhere instead of being someone
How to apply Rhode’s social strategy (without a celebrity)
Ways to build brand equity:
- A sharp visual identity: every post should say something before the caption does.
- Emotional resonance: Lead with who your audience wants to be, not what your product does.
- Platform- first thinking: design UGC, not billboards.
- Strategic scarcity: launch slow, build demand and let people want it.
What can you take from this?
If you’re trying to build a brand that people choose on purpose, pay attention to Rhode. You don’t need celebrity equity. You need to have a clear point of view. A strategy that prioritises behaviour over vanity. And content that knows where it lives and why people care.
Ready to build a brand people obsess over?
This is what we do – a strategy that earns attention and builds trust.
Let’s make it happen.
See our social strategy work in action
