At 28, Hailey Bieber has mastered the modern art of balance - between fame and normalcy, privacy and influence, motherhood and billion-dollar business. In a year defined by bold reinvention, the model-turned-entrepreneur made headlines not for a runway appearance or viral outfit, but for selling her skincare brand Rhode in a deal valued at $1 billion.

The sale capped a whirlwind period that also saw Bieber embrace motherhood for the first time, celebrate five years of marriage with Justin Bieber, and emerge as one of the most successful female founders in beauty.

“Everything about my life shifted,” Bieber told GQ in her Men of the Year feature. “But it feels like it shifted into focus.”

From Influencer to Industry Player

When Bieber launched Rhode in 2022, the celebrity beauty market was already overcrowded. Yet where others leaned on glamour and hype, she built her brand around simplicity, science, and skin barrier health. The minimalist aesthetic — chrome packaging, translucent glosses, clean formulations — struck a nerve with Gen Z and millennial consumers seeking “quiet luxury” in skincare form.

By 2025, Rhode had expanded into Europe and Asia, launched a clinical line in partnership with dermatologists, and was generating over $250 million in annual sales. The acquisition, reportedly by Estée Lauder Companies, cements Bieber as one of the youngest founders to sell a beauty brand at that valuation.

“Hailey understood something the industry missed — that wellness and skincare are the new status symbols,” said Annie Jackson, CEO of Credo Beauty. “She built Rhode as an aesthetic, not just a product line.”

Marriage, Motherhood, and Mental Health

The GQ profile is as much about Hailey the businesswoman as it is about Hailey the person — one navigating the public’s obsession with her marriage and identity.

Bieber speaks openly about the birth of her daughter earlier this year, describing it as “transformative and grounding.” She also acknowledges the ongoing scrutiny surrounding her relationship with Justin Bieber, which she says has “only made them closer.”

“People have their opinions,” she said. “But when you strip away the noise, what’s left is love and partnership. That’s the real story.”

In moments of reflection, Bieber credits therapy, faith, and family for helping her stay centered in an industry built on visibility. “I’ve learned to separate what’s public from what’s precious,” she said.

The Rhode Revolution

Rhode’s influence goes beyond skincare — it’s cultural shorthand for a new kind of beauty ethos. The brand’s viral “glazed donut” aesthetic turned dewy skin into a digital movement, inspiring an entire wave of minimalist products and lookalike branding.

From TikTok influencers to dermatologists, Rhode became a benchmark for authenticity in a market often accused of artifice. Its acquisition marks not the end, but the next chapter: Bieber will stay on as Chief Creative Officer, overseeing new category expansions in body care and fragrance.

“I never wanted to build something for the moment,” she told GQ. “I wanted to build something that would outlast me.”

A Modern Blueprint for Reinvention

Hailey Bieber’s evolution — from model to mogul, wife to mother — mirrors a broader cultural shift in how women redefine success in the public eye. She’s not stepping away from the spotlight; she’s reengineering it to fit her life.

“In a world that measures women by what they give up,” Bieber said, “I want to be measured by what I build.”

The Takeaway

Hailey Bieber’s story isn’t just about a billion-dollar deal — it’s about control, clarity, and the quiet power of authenticity in an image-obsessed world.

She’s not the influencer who followed the trend. She’s the entrepreneur who set it.

“I’m grateful,” she told GQ, “but I’m not done.”