Hailey Bieber is the uncontested queen of foodie beauty trends, from glazed donut skin to blueberry and butter yellow manicures. Her latest Rhode skincare launch—finally on-sale today, Oct. 28, at noon E.T.—may be her yummiest creation yet. Meet Barrier Butter, a rich, but not greasy, moisture balm meant to seal in the rest of your nighttime skincare.
Just like you’ve seen Bieber hinting at the eventual launch via pastel dresses and nails all summer, you've likely caught her tacking this hydrating step on to the end of her skincare routine. “I have talked numerous times in past 'Get Ready' videos and skincare videos about how I like to really lock things in with a rich balm," Bieber reminds me over a Zoom interview.
In some circles, the Bieber-approved technique is known as "slugging," or applying petrolatum-based ointment to your face before bedtime. But if the mere thought of putting Aquaphor on your cheeks makes your flare-up-prone skin prickle, Barrier Butter could be the product that lets you try slugging safely.
Perfect for the chilly fall and winter months ahead, Barrier Butter—which was teased in a campaign starring '90s supermodel Claudia Schiffer—derives its skin-plumping powers from a blend of hyaluronic acid to hydrate skin above and below the surface. It also contains a humectant known as polyglutamic acid to lock in moisture; a nourishing emollient called murumuru butter to decrease transepidermal water loss; and ceramide NP, a skin barrier-reinforcing lipid concentrate.
The kicker? In addition to smearing it on your face, neck, and chest, you can use it all over the body to nurture habitually dry spots like hands, elbows, and knees. Available in a smaller travel size as well as a larger at-home tube, the balm marks Rhode’s first foray into head-to-toe hydration, joining Rhode fan-favorites like the Pineapple Refresh cleanser and Glazing Milk essence.
"It's really, really good going into these next few months of fall and winter, especially as our skin starts to get more dry and I start to get cracked in certain areas," Bieber explains. She’s been toting a mini version in her Goyard diaper bag for hand, face, chest, and elbow hydration on the go. At home, she keeps the full-size version. “I really wanted to make sure that people had the option to be able to use it in a multi-purpose way,” she says. “That's why we have the big version of it and the small version of it.”
Bieber always envisioned a product like Barrier Butter in Rhode’s lineup, alongside its fan-favorite lip peptides and pocket blushes. "The product development team hates to see me coming because I am genuinely so meticulous and crazy about all of our products, but with good reason," she says. "I just want everything to be as perfect as we can possibly make it.”
Dermatologist-tested, non-comedogenic, and stamped with the National Eczema Association's Seal of Acceptance, I jumped at the chance to try Barrier Butter before I spoke about it with its mastermind. The morning after applying it, my face was exceedingly dewy yet clear of any new acne or dermatitis breakouts—high praise given my notoriously fussy skin. I'm taking a break from Botox at the moment and have been curious about slugging as a stopgap measure for filling in the fine lines across my forehead. Unlike other slugging products on the market, Barrier Balm sunk into my picky skin without feeling even the slightest bit cloying.
"That's the thing—when you do have sensitive skin and you do have potentially acne-prone skin, it is hard to find really rich products that can work for you," agrees Bieber, who has spoken openly about her struggles with perioral dermatitis online. "So that was something that I really wanted to try to address with this product as well, that it could be rich and it could be balmy without feeling super greasy or super heavy on the skin."
Barrier Balm isn't the only product Bieber is preparing to launch. On the heels of June's Pocket Blush rollout, she’s teased a few new additions to her everyday makeup routine. Wouldn't it be fitting, I ask, if the slim brown tube with a cameo in Rhode's Instagram last week turned out to be a lip liner or a freckle pen?
While she admits that another color-hybrid is coming eventually, she tells me she can’t share much else for now. As for the fans tracking every container she carries: "I think that all the little sleuths, they're very smart.”
But they’re not always on track. Followers interpreted Rhode’s mini Barrier Butter hints as signs of an upcoming SPF—“which it’s not, obviously,” Bieber says. “But SPF is something that I'm really passionate about. It is being worked on. I just really wanted to take our time with it and make it great, because SPF for me is something that breaks me out more than any product that I try.”
Bieber also plans to double down on the unexpected smash-hit success of Rhode's Lip Case, which allows you to proudly carry a tube of Peptide Lip Treatment on the back of your phone. Over the summer, the brand released four limited-edition Summer Lip Case color ways to match the juicy hues of their seasonal Lip Tint lineup. And now, if teasers from the likes of influencer Matilda Djerf can be believed, a few of the brand's core Lip Tint colors are being turned into coordinating espresso brown and ribbon pink phone cases.
"You never know what's going to land with people—what's going to stick, what's not, what's going to resonate, what's what's not," Bieber continues of the Lip Case. "But I'm always down to take a risk and try things. And this has really just been the most amazing surprise."
Although you'll have to wait a little longer to get your hands on Rhode's winter launches Bieber didn't hesitate to drop hints about the fall beauty and nail trends she’s trying. She’s already swapped her deep blackberry manicure out for a “glaze-y latte color.” As for makeup, Bieber says it's "cinnamon everything and anything" for her.
"I see a lot of people talking about cinnamon makeup, and I love that vibe," she says. "I will definitely be participating in all the cinnamon vibes this fall.”
Before we hang up, Bieber tells me her “insane” cinnamon buns are a hit with her friends. “I've literally been the biggest gatekeeper of my recipe of all time, but I think it's getting to the point where I'm gonna have to share.” If she doesn’t, at least we’ll have her secret to buttery, moisturized skin.
