Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Names Lauren Ratner President, Chief Brand Officer
Rhode, the beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber, has a new president.
Lauren Ratner, previously Rhode’s head of brand, has been promoted to president and chief brand officer. The appointment follows the departure of chief executive officer Melanie Bender in recent months.
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Ratner joined the brand pre-launch in 2020 after helming marketing at Reformation and other stints at Michael Kors and James Perse. She is stepping into her role after “an incredibly strong growth year,” she told WWD.
Rhode passed the $10 million sales mark after only 11 days of selling when it launched last year, and has amassed more than 1 million waitlist sign-ups. Ratner pointed to its hero peptide lip treatments as a testament to the brand’s momentum.
“The customer continues, with every launch, to get more and more excited. That’s a testament to Hailey and the strength of the product, but also the marketing and high-impact creative,” she said. “Jelly Bean, our most recent limited-edition lip launch, caused the highest sales volume and [of a single lip product] on launch day.”
Ratner’s strategy has been to find the sweet spot between unconventional partnerships, à la Rhode’s Krispy Kreme collaboration, and a measured approach to introducing new products. “The marriage of a household name like Krispy Kreme with a skin care brand wasn’t something people expected. There was this stickiness that worked tremendously well,” she said.
As for the core business, it took the brand a full year to introduce a new stock keeping unit. Although consumers are clamoring for products, Ratner thinks the brand’s restraint is resonating. “We have a continued focus on intentionality with everything we put into the market. The customer feels that,” she said. “They don’t want to see a brand necessarily flood the market, they want to see one that’s choiceful and purposeful.”
Rhode’s foray into color with tinted lip treatments has given the brand confidence to edge deeper into the category, Ratner said.
“We’re going to continue to play there,” she said. “In the marketplace, people were mixing our peptide glazing fluid with foundation, and the barrier restore cream with blush. It’s always going to be skin-forward.…I see unlimited opportunity for Rhode in adjacent categories.”
“Lauren has been by my side forming the world of Rhode since inception in 2020, helping to bring my vision to life,” Bieber said via email. “She’s an incredibly skilled brand builder and has an innate understanding of my vision as a founder as well as a savvy understanding of our customer. We both have big ambitions for Rhode and I’m excited for all that’s to come.”
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