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Most everyone can think of something they believe would change the world if it were created — such as a product that would cause the population at large to say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” However, most of us don’t take the steps to make this a reality.
Maybe you’re afraid your product will turn out to be useless or too pricey to manufacture, or that you don’t have enough of a following for it to be marketed well — and therein lies the difference between most of the population and Hailey Bieber.
The products Bieber has released for her brand, Rhode, prove she does not have the same kind of reluctance as many of us when it comes to making her product ideas a reality — and for good reason!
Bieber has over 51 million Instagram followers, and the beauty and skincare products sold on Rhode produced eight-figure revenue during their first six months on the market; sold-out products often had over one million sign-ups on their waitlists.
By economic standards, Rhode has been wildly successful, but with great success comes great confidence, and this confidence sometimes leads to the development of unorthodox products.
For Rhode, their newest radical product is the Lip Case, a phone case with a built-in compartment to hold their Peptide Lip Treatment or Tint.
After Rhode announced the Lip Case, many took to the internet, declaring it a “genius” product. But is it really as revolutionary as everyone claims? Is this phone case what we need in a generation of rampant materialism?
Sure, I would say the Lip Case solves the problem of carrying both a lip product and phone during a night out, in fact it might even relieve the need for a bag. And the accessibility of the lip tint would encourage frequent reapplication, a must during the colder months.
I can see how the Lip Case would be useful. Nevertheless, my qualms with this product are more significant.
The first issue I have with this case is not so much about the case itself, more about the idea of it — the idea that everyone will become more attached to their phone than they already are.
I try to be as present as possible during a night out, and if reaching for my lip gloss now means reaching for my phone as well, I am more likely to get distracted by a text or finally give into one of many *exclusive* DoorDash deals.
The creation of innovative products like this one also means there are going to be ample off-brand versions released soon thereafter, and who is to say other brands won’t start attaching anything to phone cases.
Think of all the possibilities: hand sanitizer, tissues, keys, and even snacks could all theoretically be attached to your phone case, and you probably carry them around just as frequently as your lip products, but do you need that to happen?
My second main issue with this case is its affordability. The case is $35 by itself, and if you want to buy the lip product to go with it, which is not included, that will be an extra $16. But that’s not even the biggest problem.
The Rhode case and lip products could be double the price they are now, and there would still be substantial demand for them. The problem is that buying the case is like signing an agreement to continue purchasing the Peptide Lip Treatment until further notice.
The case is built for only Rhode lip products, and once you run out there will be a weird, somewhat ambiguously shaped hole in the case until you fork another $16 over. The cycle will never end.
The case is also made to fit exclusively on the iPhone 14 or 15 Pro/Pro Max, so it looks like many of us will be making the trek to our nearest Apple store. Why don’t we grab Hailey Bieber’s Strawberry Glaze Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve Sundae from Erewhon on the way?
I don’t mean to bash Hailey’s brand, Lip Case, or any sort of lengthily-titled sweet treat she endorses, I would just like to remind everyone that materialism can get the best of us.
The Rhode Lip Case is assuredly going to develop a fast following, but before you welcome it into your life, I implore you to consider your priorities. Maybe things are okay the way they are.