Hailey Bieber sparks backlash after revealing distaste of 'overconsumption' in the world of beauty

When Hailey Bieber launched Rhode in 2022, little did she know the phenomenon that she had started. 

What started off as a line of just three products would go one to become a highly-coveted beauty brand that was sold out by fans clamoring to recreate Bieber's effortless glow. 

Last year, the brand was acquired by Elf Cosmetics in a deal worth $1 billion and Bieber became the company's Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation. 

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. 

Fans were reminded of the brand's extensive inventory after Bieber, 29, reflected on four years of Rhode at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit on Wednesday, where she revealed her disinterest for 'overconsumption' in the beauty space.

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,' Bieber said. '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. 

'You know, these these things that I was like, if I was going on a weekend trip, what would I need to have in my bag? 

'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. 

'I actually want to make things that I need and I love, and every single product that we have put out has been something that I'm like, "it's always in my bag, it's always traveling with me, it's always part of my routine,"' she said. 'I love the idea of like on the go stuff.'

For Bieber, the beauty brand which has made a fortune was never about the 'money'.    

'I'm always in the meetings like, "This isn't like about money for me,"' she said. 'And of course, you want to have a healthy business, and I care about having a healthy business. 

'But I'm somebody who doesn't like to compromise anything that I want to do and what my gut is telling me to do and that I believe in for the sake of margin, which maybe is like the wrong thing to say, but like that is true for me.'

Bieber acknowledged she was in a position not to worry about money due to her massive platform.

'100% and I think that going into building a business and having a platform is a privilege. It's a privilege that I had going into it,' she said. 

The criticism came once the comments made their way online.  

'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.  

'Didn't you just, as in last week, sell a case for pimple patches,' one person pointed out.

'"i'm not interested in overconsumption" girl then explain this,' another tweeted in a post which included a photo of the Rhode's lip gloss phone cases. 

'Nothing says anti-consumerism like buying a $16 case to store the patches you also have to buy separately,' another wrote. 

'Girl, wtf. Her brand screams overconsumption,' another posted. 

'Hailey Bieber really didn't go to school because why is she on an interview saying she isn't interested in overconsumption when her trash brand sells "banana AND strawberry pimple patches?"' an X user posted. 

'Case in point Rhode phonecase.'

'‘I'm not interested in overconsumption, I'm just interested in selling you the exact same lip peptide product in 12 different tints,' a Reddit user posted. 

'She’s may not be interested in overconsumption for herself and her home but she’s certainly interested in selling products that contribute to that problem,' another posted. 

'im not interested in overconsumption" i love hailey w all my heart but c'mon, you're selling very small products at exorbitant prices, you cant say that, rich people are something else sometimes (all the time),' another posted. 

The issue of overconsumption and the environment is a concern Rhode has directly addressed previously. 

On their website, in a message headlined 'Our Commitment to Our Planet', the company states: 'Rhode believes in the reduction of overconsumption and the inclusion of our community in the process. From our limited product releases to consciously-sourced ingredients, we are committed to mindful skincare, every step of the way.' 

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Bieber for comment but has not yet heard back.

Bieber launched her much-anticipated brand in June 2022, releasing only three products at the time - Peptide Glazing Fluid, Barrier Restore Cream, and Peptide Lip Treatment.

Since then, the brand has grown exponentially, expanding into different tinted lip products, blush and even viral phone cases that double as lip gloss carriers.

Last year she agreed to sell her skincare and beauty line, Rhode, to E.l.f. Cosmetics, in a deal worth $1 billion. 

While Bieber has successfully made the transition from catwalk to board room, it took time for her to feel respected as a business founder. 

'I don't think it was an immediate thing, no. I think people actually at the time were feeling very fatigued by celebrity brands, and I went into it knowing that,' she said at the Fortune event. 

'And I think because I went into it being like, "I get it. Like nobody really is asking for this," but I really want people to just give me a chance. 

'I have a different point of view, and then really sticking to that and seeing it through is, I think, what ended up really resonating.'

'It's really a real extension of my my my life and my world and the things that I love, so I was really hoping that the biggest thing that came across was that it is actually very authentic to me because I think people, the consumer today, is just so smart. 

'They're so, so, so smart. They don't care about the BS. They see through it all. This next generation, they don't care. They don't care. They're like, "okay, seen it all, don't care." 

'I do think they really want to feel something that's real to someone and authentic, and then feel that you care about it in a real way.'