Hola Sugarcups, say hi to Lemontini!

It’s summer, summer, summer time and Hailey Beiber just gives us the most perfect summer lip tint of summer, Lemontini. Your new citrus, shimmer and star quality of gloss yellow is in house!

Hydrated? Check. All those Vitamin C feels? Check. It’s giving cocktail on the lips, SPF on the cheeks and no room for dullness. So here it is: the new Rhode Lip Peptide Tint, Hailey Bieber’s newest home-ised goods – you know it, Lemontini, who smells like a Lemon Drop Martini (look, the only way some of us will get to go on a beach holiday this summer). But behind that stunning yellow shiny box and that bold towel-draped campaign image are far more than a lip-balm and I’ve been doing this for ten years as a commercial strategy and brand partnership consultant.

Say Hello to Rhode’s New Lemontini Lip Tint, THE Future of Beauty Space

Rhode’s New Lemontini Lip Tint Is The Future of Beauty Space

Rhode who brought us one of the already actually iconic and most successful lip tint -, well, back when you took that specific glazed donut selfie again (rsrs, we miss you, people) – and simply flipped it upside down with a new little addition: Lemontini. It seems you really need salted caramel and watermelon in the mix.

With a huge post-campaign debrief to flaunt it, the Product Play:

- PACKAGING: Glossy yellow tube. Poolside aperol spritz. But cranked to the max in Gen Z.
- Costing: peptide-fatigue barrister’s luncheon with five amino acids, vitamin E, shea butter, served up with a side of polish. The problem? The whole ‘cruise ship, one way ticket from Mykonos’ shine. (Even if you’re in Brighton).
- Price: 20 dollars. Rhomblination. All the luxury without all the stigma.

And the punch line… they’re releasing six original tints and four peptide treatments to go in August. So there you go. Strategic genius right here. But it’s scarcity, meets refresh play. The SKUs are scarce, the time is near and the consumers are hitting click “add to cart” like a robot.

Quick Takeaways: Whether you’re in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, or even AI; here’s what you should be clocking from this launch:

Insight	Why It Matters
Product as Persona	Rhode’s products aren’t just functional but they’re extensions of identity. Think beyond utility.
Post-Acquisition Agility	E.l.f. didn’t slow Rhode down, in-fact they turbocharged it. Keep your brand nimble, even at scale.
Community-Driven Innovation	The formula upgrade came from user feedback. Build feedback loops into your product lifecycle.
Aesthetic Ecosystems	Navigating belly chains to blushes, Rhode is building a world. Don’t sell products; sell a universe.
Social-First Storytelling	Every campaign is a meme waiting to happen. If your content isn’t shareable, it’s forgettable.

NOW,if I’m to go on being creative. This would have been a similar ‘picture’ if I must say. Hailey just got off the beach, sand stormed up in a little hen do and still able to walk off, watching it still on top of her head, still popping her hips and look like she just have been in a vogue shoot (lip gloss still in her hand, sand touched all over the tanned towel tied around her waist, roll up eye balls every five minutes) but only a very ‘twig’ and a little attitude of’ at least I am looking hot’. It wasn’t just a product launching but rather a lifestyle item and madame has a point.

Lemontini as a Signal And yes, this is all happening just about when E.l.f. Beauty is acquiring his other line, Rhode, for a billion dollars – so, naturally, some disposable income and market share to gobble. The Lemontini launch is less about the tint than the mojo. Some of that graininess folks have talked about was lightly tamed in the switch from a solid to a liquid-she’s butter.

Acq. In 1 second. We released May 2025. Hotter than scorching. E.l.f. Beauty acquired Rhode – wait, 1 billion? Why? Because it was underperforming on $212 million in net sales and had quadrupled its customer base and was their top Earned Media Value winning brand at +367% YoY – being zero for 1 billion in 2 seconds.

E.l.f. didn’t acquire just a brand. They purchased:

> A hyper-engaged Gen Z audience
> A minimalist, high-performance product line
> See how this founder is turning Tik tok’s viral me into culture capital into money
And now? They’re scaling it. Fast.

Here’s another reason to buy the Accessory Play And they’re not just selling skin care, they’re selling you a lifestyle. The infamous belly chain that doubles as a lip gloss accessory. Is it practical? I have an opinion for both. Is it delicate? We will let the comments decide. But will it fly off the shelves? Without a doubt. Here’s Rhode creating a universe-where your gloss belongs, where your mist can be magnetized, and where every last bit of your look is topped off with the finishing piece of jewelry. It’s Y2K vs. simplicity and it’s paying off.

Trend Watch: We’re on board with “skinwear” – here’s what the data is telling us:
The next product you should be trying is skin care + makeup hybrid products.
Best ingredients to seek out with Gen Z customers
“Slow beauty,” or fewer, better products.
All three of Rhode’s peptide, lip tint, blush and mist products are on the future of beauty – and I’ll be doing my part to help them, whatever that means.

For starters, in the fashion & beauty world, lifestyle person and even AI.

Why It Matters Product as Persona Roll me an episode Rhode’s isn’t just a product or purchase, it’s your story. Move past the product. Post Acquisition AgilityE.l.f. Handed Rhode the keys and Rhode was in the driver’s seat Grow up with resilience. Experiential Ecosystem Rhode couldn’t tell you her belly chains from her catwalk days and she was only a little bit worried her old school glamour product would be her last, final look. Create a universe, not a list of things. Build Product Ecosystems Social-First Content Every campaign is just a meme waiting to happen. Build campaigns people want to share. Rhode’s Lemontini’s Playbook

Rhode leads the way: “We’re not just playing in the skincare sandbox. We’re actually constructing the whole beach.” And whereas Hailey has been busy throwing down martinis and bringing out a ‘just-add-water’ face mist with Harris Dickinson, theirs is a bright, fun, funny campaign; his is a monochke, moody, smoky one. They’re a ‘weird’ and ‘bizarre’ yin-and-yang, two-audiences-one-brand sort of deal.

Final Take From a brand partnerships, hack these strategies:

> Seasonal (summer cocktail, summer drop -check

Products and Services (Old- Sunset, New – Spotlight)

> Visual storytelling (cheeky, aspirational, and on-brand)
> Diversification deliberate (skincare, lip care and now mists, building a full stack of beauty ecosystem with Rhode)

For anyone who is into creating sustainable brands or just loves a lip tint that smells like vacation and tastes like water – Lemontini. And for the rest of you, you now know what to say to blow everyone away in your next pitch meeting.

Cheers to that!

Until next post, 
Love
Jasmin