What Happens When A Trend Outpaces its Creator?
Trends can make or break a product or business. The beauty and fashion community has seen a considerable uptick in social media marketing since TikTok shot to popularity a few years back. Easily digestible videos that are naturally distributed by TikTok’s algorithm make them safer and simpler than ads on Instagram or X. Combine that with a trending sound or influencer, and you get a one-way ticket to a viral product. What could go wrong?
Many things could go wrong. Poor reviews, lack of execution, and low-quality products can knock any trend out of the sky. Take Shein for example. While some would argue it is still quite popular, and it is, it certainly isn’t as worshipped as it was during quarantine. When consumers realized the clothes they bought would fall apart in less time than it took to ship, the clothing hauls became less fun. It’s almost like the clothes were cheap for a reason…
The truth is almost every trend can be expected to die. That’s the whole point, they come and they go. So when a brand successfully pulls off a marketing ploy and has attracted a whole new plethora of customers, it’s worth it to convert them into loyal consumers. When Summer Fridays lip butter balm went viral, the company immediately worked on new scents and tints to capitalize on the consumers who are easily influenced. Now we have cherry, pink sugar, sweet mint, and iced coffee.
An inevitable question then must be asked. Ethically, what can a business do to fully capitalize on its fortune? Can they change the formulation to make it easier to produce? Can they increase prices? Even better can they increase prices only to put that item on “sale” back to its original price? Happens more often than you think.
Recently this conversation has surrounded Hailey Beiber’s skincare company Rhode. When it first launched, the company offered just three products: the glazing fluid, the peptide lip treatment, and the barrier repair cream. Since then, they’ve only added one more, the glazing milk. Rhode smashed the company’s expectations, accumulating a 700,000-person waitlist for the three central products upon launch.
The ace up Beiber’s sleeve turned out to be the peptide lip treatment. I remember discovering the lip treatment for myself. I had been on Accutane for a few months and my lips were begging for moisture. I had seen several videos claiming the treatment had changed their lips, and I decided to give it a chance. I have since fallen in love with it, and I’ve tried every single flavor that Rhode has offered since, limited time or permanent. I even purchased the at the time limited edition vanilla cake in celebration of Beiber’s birthday. Before then I didn’t know there was a checkout line online.
There are now 4 flavored (vanilla, salted caramel, watermelon, and unscented), and 4 tinted (ribbon, raspberry jelly, toast, and espresso) lip peptide treatments.
Rhode has since shifted itself to prioritize this viral product. The company now offers four flavors, and four different tints, a total of eight unique peptide products. You can buy them individually for $16 or as sets of four for $58. You can only buy them on Rhode’s website, a factor of exclusivity that aids in the company’s financials.
I’d say I’m impressed that the lip treatment has stayed in the spotlight for so long, constantly evolving to remain a must-buy for loyal consumers. However, one could argue that the discussion around Hailey and Justin Bieber’s relationship keeps Rhode popular by proximity.
A new problem is now plaguing the internet. When using their Rhode lip treatments, consumers have noticed a gritty texture and separation inside the tubes themselves. I can’t lie, I’ve noticed it too, and it is beginning to feel like rubbing wet sandpaper against my lips. It would be one thing if I was trying to exfoliate them, but alas I did not buy it for this reason.
TikTok users are beginning to wonder if Rhode began cutting corners to keep the products in stock. When they first started selling the lip treatments, they would sell out in less than an hour each and every restock. Now, they are consistently available, no longer exclusive to those with quick fingers and quicker wifi. There is no proof to these claims, and they could in all honesty be false. Another user offered up the tubes as the source of the problem, but these problems weren’t present in the first few years of the company’s sales. And now that the company has neared 1 million peptide treatments sold as of August, fixing this issue could be the difference between life and death. If the product holds on to life support for too long, who knows how long it’ll take for another company to pull the plug?
So back we are to the age-old question. All is far in love and war, but is the same true for business? What if Rhode is cutting corners? They would never admit to it. And the problem is consumers have almost no way to stop them. So what can consumers do? Leaving reviews, offering feedback, and spreading the word is all. If this is an honest mistake, then Bieber and her company will work to fix it. But if they are cutting corners, then larger action is needed.
Boycotting a brand isn’t a new topic. People around the nation are boycotting Starbucks for their political views. It is proving to be an effective strategy, as Starbucks baristas have leaked the company’s planned promotions which seem to be almost every other day.
That’s the thing about money, it speaks so much louder than words ever could. If a company is cutting corners, using illegal labor practices or cheap ingredients, and raising prices for no reason, then boycotting them can show them they need to change their ways. But as effective as boycotting is, it’s harder to pull off than one would think. You have to coordinate with the masses and come to a consensus. When Shein was accused of child labor, some people declared to abstain from purchasing from the company, while others made jokes about the development.
So that’s the thing about trends eclipsing their creators. A choice has to be made, and that choice can impact the entire reputation of the company. If they grow healthily, it might be slower, but it’ll be safer. If they choose to cut corners, then consumers have the ability to become both checks and balances. What is important is that they accept that responsibility and wield it justly.
