Influencer Beauty Brands: rhode at Sephora, from Website to Shelf

On 30 September 2026, rhode, the skincare and makeup brand founded by Hailey Bieber, launched at Sephora online and in more than 500 stores across Europe. According to the press release issued that day, it marks the brand’s first in-store presence in 19 new markets, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The date had been announced on 31 August. For a content creator, an influencer or any public figure thinking about launching a beauty brand, the episode raises a question that an audience alone cannot answer: how do you go from a community that buys online to a retailer that sells on the shelf?

What rhode announced to European markets

The two press releases, issued by the brand and by its owner e.l.f. Beauty, set out a clear framework. The one dated 31 August 2026 announces that rhode will be sold at Sephora, online and in most European stores, from 30 September. The one dated 30 September confirms availability online and in more than 500 stores, in 19 countries that join the three markets where the brand is already sold at Sephora: the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The range includes skincare, blush and the new Pocket Bronze and Highlight Milk collections, with limited editions returning for the occasion.

One detail in the release deserves attention: the displays were redesigned for European stores. This signals that arriving in retail is not a matter of placing products on a shelf, but of designing a full point of sale, with its own visual codes and space constraints. The sequence is telling too. In a matter of months, the brand moved from online sales to an in-store presence in three markets, then to an expansion across 19 countries, under the stewardship of a group that has owned it since 2025. This is no coincidence of timing: it is an organised scale-up that few creators can replicate on their own.

For a creator starting from a community, the lesson is less about the size of the operation than about its order: shelf presence comes after proof that the products sell, not before. This sequence still holds on a smaller scale, with a regional retailer or a designer boutique before a major international chain. It makes it possible to test the organisation, the logistics and the relationship with a distributor without committing volumes out of proportion with the demand actually observed.

Selling direct or in store: what really changes

Two notions shed light on the subject. Direct-to-consumer means selling products directly to the consumer, most often on the brand’s own website, without an intermediary. Sell-out measures the sales made by the retailer to the end customer, as opposed to sell-in, which refers to the brand’s sales to the retailer. The difference is essential: a retailer reorders the products that sell, and it is sell-out that decides whether a brand stays on the shelf, far more than the size of the first order.

In direct sales, the brand keeps control over pricing, customer relationships and purchase data. In store, it shares some of these levers with the retailer, which chooses the assortment, the space allocated and the timing of promotions. In return, the brand gains visibility, the chance for customers to try its products and a credibility that the online channel alone does not always provide. Here are the main points to weigh before taking the step:

• Visibility and trial: stores reach a public that does not follow the brand online.
• Stock and forecasting: products must be manufactured in advance and volumes spread across many points of sale.
• Displays and training: in-store space and beauty advisors have to be prepared and funded.
• Control over price and image: the retailer has a say in presentation and promotions.

These trade-offs explain why many digitally native brands choose to approach retail only once their demand has been proven. The shelf does not create demand on its own: it amplifies demand when it already exists, and it exposes it when it is not there.

Three misconceptions about moving into retail

First misconception: a large community is enough. Fame opens a retailer’s door, but it is sales made outside the social network that keep it open. An audience that loves a personality’s content is not necessarily ready to buy a skincare product again and again, and repeat purchase is what interests a distributor. For a creator, the right reflex is to measure customers’ repurchase rate very early on, rather than just the number of followers or initial orders.

Second misconception: the store replaces the website. Nothing in rhode’s press releases announces that the direct channel is being dropped: the retailer is added to existing channels rather than replacing them. Each feeds the other, with the website used to test, build loyalty and launch new products, and the store used to recruit new customers. Third misconception: moving into retail is above all a question of logistics. Logistics matter, but they assume that the product is already compliant in every target country, with a protected trademark, compliant labelling and a complete product file. This is precisely where creator projects fall furthest behind when they have anticipated it too late.

You have an audience and a brand idea?

If you are considering turning an audience into a beauty brand, these compliance points are the ones that determine when you reach the shelf. Clear, an EU / UK / US cosmetic regulatory compliance firm, handles them every day alongside cosmetic brands, and knows that retailers generally ask for documentary guarantees before agreeing to list a brand. It is therefore better to prepare these elements while the brand is being built, rather than in a rush when a retailer makes an offer.

Rules vary from country to country. In the European Union, every cosmetic product placed on the market must have a designated Responsible Person, a PIF (Product Information File) including a safety assessment, and a prior notification. The regulatory framework for cosmetics is different in the United Kingdom, and the non-EU countries on rhode’s list, such as Switzerland, Serbia or Turkey, have their own requirements to check. The trademark, for its part, is registered territory by territory: brand protection must therefore be prepared before launch. Here are five steps to follow in order:

1. Register the trademark in the target countries before any large-scale communication.
2. Appoint the Responsible Person and build the PIF before placing the product on the market.
3. Prove demand online: sales, repeat purchases and reviews, which will serve as arguments with the retailer.
4. Cost out the shelf: stock, displays, training, promotions.
5. Prepare the retailer pitch: positioning, price, expected sell-through and launch schedule.

None of these steps depends on the size of the audience. They depend on how the project is organised, and this is where a creator can get ahead of other personalities who have an even larger community.

Frequently asked questions

Should you sell online before targeting a store?

In most cases, yes. Selling online proves that the products sell and are bought again, which is what retailers look at first. It also helps adjust formulas, prices and image before committing to larger stock volumes. Nothing prevents you from talking to a retailer earlier, but having sales figures makes the discussion much stronger.

Does a retailer like Sephora ask for compliance documents?

Distributors generally ask their brands to prove that their products comply with the regulations of the country of sale, for example by confirming that a Responsible Person and a product file exist. The precise requirements depend on each retailer and each country: they can be checked in the listing specifications. It is better to build this file before the first meeting rather than after.

Can you sell in several countries with the same label?

Not always. Some mentions must be written in the language or languages required by each country, and the rules differ outside the European Union. A multi-country launch therefore requires planning adapted label versions from the outset. This needs to be built into the budget and the schedule, as it determines the delivery date of the first stock.

In short: rhode’s arrival at Sephora in Europe shows that a personality-led brand moves from the direct channel to retail in stages, with products compliant in every country and sales already proven online. For a creator who wants to launch a beauty brand, the audience opens the door, but compliance, brand protection and sell-through on the shelf decide what comes next.

Are you thinking about launching your own beauty brand from an audience, or preparing a retail listing? The challenges of the cosmetics industry are best prepared upstream: contact us to frame the compliance points before launch.