Another rich post, per usual. I cracked up at the Merit x Brandon Maxwell collab because as I was reading I was like "oh my gosh!" ... "wait" ..."wait" definitely had me excited. I'm so surprised Rhode is just now dropping eye patches too; they're cute though
I’ve written about Rhode twice from an R&D perspective, so I found this post especially interesting!
I actually see Rhode’s timing with the peptide eye patches as quite strategic rather than late. From an R&D lens, they’re leaning into preservation rather than correction which feels aligned with the broader Gen Z shift toward longevity and “long game wellness.”
Topicals does an incredible job owning the corrective, problem-solution space but Rhode’s approach is more about nurturing the unconscious and conscious desire for prevention. In that sense, their launch isn’t about being first but more so deepening behavior that already exists while differentiating through peptide-driven positioning.
Oohh, this adds an interesting perspective! I have to check out your work.
Although--I don’t think the peptides are evidence of strategic timing as much as they are compensation for late timing. Even if we take away Topicals (which, I agree, we associate with as more corrective-but by nature aren’t all eye patches preventative??), much more akin to Rhode we still have Dieux who has also been crushing that lane for at LEAST 2 years now. The peptides are rhode’s differentiator because they HAVE to differentiate by now. Which by the way, I think they read the room well on--frankly it was the only thing that got my attention. But eye patches have felt like SUCH an obvious / natural move for this brand, it’s hard for me to get behind the idea that then being this late to the party was strategic lol.
I think the way you’ve framed it tells a genius product marketing story. Overall, I don’t see any of this as a hindrance to the brand—the eye patches are cute and it’s rhode and they’ll do well nonetheless.
I totally hear you on Dieux paving the way for the category and you’re right that peptides aren’t new! When I say “strategic timing,” I’m not talking about being first to launch instead I’m referring to when you shift the focus of your ingredient story based on behavioral readiness. Rhode initially built early equity around the appearance of skin with terms like glazedthat resonated emotionally with Gen Z before the audience had deep ingredient literacy.
Now that the conversation around skin has matured and Gen Z is leaning into “preservation” over “correction” (thanks to the convergence of Korean skincare philosophy and aesthetic medicine culture), peptides become the perfect bridge between emotional and functional value to be a signal of longevity and low-intervention anti-aging.
I also think being late isn’t inherently a weakness. First movers like Dieux or Topicals often carry the educational burden to validate the behavior. But brands like Rhode can then enter the early-adopter-to-mainstream stage with strong timing, equity, and clearer consumer understanding essentially meeting the market at the exact right emotional moment without all the investment and work.
From an R&D lens, that’s what I find brilliant that while they seem like they’re reacting to trends, they’re actually sequencing them ensuring their audience ages with them emotionally, behaviorally, and eventually physiologically as peptides become core to their anti-aging (preservation) routines.
Another thing they’re doing well is ensuring appeal with Gen alpha with the same formula. I expect they’ll eventually integrate the same with that audience as they continue to get older.
You bring up some really thought provoking angles..
I think part of where I'm coming from is that I see eye patches as glorified merch lol. They're not a serious skincare product that requires heavy lifting or education. Even as you mentioned, they've been a K-beauty staple forever and mainstream in skincare for years, (just not specifically viral with American Gen Z until recently). Dieux and Topicals made them cool and social for this generation, but even with them I'm not sure there was really an educational burden to carry or consumer readiness to wait for.
Eye patches fit so naturally into Rhode's world since day 1-they're visual, giftable, social. So the idea that there was some strategic wait for consumer readiness doesn't really land for me when the product itself is so low-barrier and straightforward. The category and understanding has long existed.
Also to clarify - I actually don't think of the timing on this product as reactive per se.
I think timing has less to do with audience maturity and more to do with AOV strategy and creating an accessible entry point, especially now that they're expanding into retail.
Another rich post, per usual. I cracked up at the Merit x Brandon Maxwell collab because as I was reading I was like "oh my gosh!" ... "wait" ..."wait" definitely had me excited. I'm so surprised Rhode is just now dropping eye patches too; they're cute though
The Brandon Maxwell is still sending me 😂😂😭. Ditto on Rhode.
I liked, but didn't love the Refy tagine. The visuals were there, but the language feels a bit heavy handed.
I couldn't agree more! Heavy handed is the perfect word. I think the language ultimately does more harm than good, even if the intention was there.
I’ve written about Rhode twice from an R&D perspective, so I found this post especially interesting!
I actually see Rhode’s timing with the peptide eye patches as quite strategic rather than late. From an R&D lens, they’re leaning into preservation rather than correction which feels aligned with the broader Gen Z shift toward longevity and “long game wellness.”
Topicals does an incredible job owning the corrective, problem-solution space but Rhode’s approach is more about nurturing the unconscious and conscious desire for prevention. In that sense, their launch isn’t about being first but more so deepening behavior that already exists while differentiating through peptide-driven positioning.
Oohh, this adds an interesting perspective! I have to check out your work.
Although--I don’t think the peptides are evidence of strategic timing as much as they are compensation for late timing. Even if we take away Topicals (which, I agree, we associate with as more corrective-but by nature aren’t all eye patches preventative??), much more akin to Rhode we still have Dieux who has also been crushing that lane for at LEAST 2 years now. The peptides are rhode’s differentiator because they HAVE to differentiate by now. Which by the way, I think they read the room well on--frankly it was the only thing that got my attention. But eye patches have felt like SUCH an obvious / natural move for this brand, it’s hard for me to get behind the idea that then being this late to the party was strategic lol.
I think the way you’ve framed it tells a genius product marketing story. Overall, I don’t see any of this as a hindrance to the brand—the eye patches are cute and it’s rhode and they’ll do well nonetheless.
I totally hear you on Dieux paving the way for the category and you’re right that peptides aren’t new! When I say “strategic timing,” I’m not talking about being first to launch instead I’m referring to when you shift the focus of your ingredient story based on behavioral readiness. Rhode initially built early equity around the appearance of skin with terms like glazedthat resonated emotionally with Gen Z before the audience had deep ingredient literacy.
Now that the conversation around skin has matured and Gen Z is leaning into “preservation” over “correction” (thanks to the convergence of Korean skincare philosophy and aesthetic medicine culture), peptides become the perfect bridge between emotional and functional value to be a signal of longevity and low-intervention anti-aging.
I also think being late isn’t inherently a weakness. First movers like Dieux or Topicals often carry the educational burden to validate the behavior. But brands like Rhode can then enter the early-adopter-to-mainstream stage with strong timing, equity, and clearer consumer understanding essentially meeting the market at the exact right emotional moment without all the investment and work.
From an R&D lens, that’s what I find brilliant that while they seem like they’re reacting to trends, they’re actually sequencing them ensuring their audience ages with them emotionally, behaviorally, and eventually physiologically as peptides become core to their anti-aging (preservation) routines.
Another thing they’re doing well is ensuring appeal with Gen alpha with the same formula. I expect they’ll eventually integrate the same with that audience as they continue to get older.
You bring up some really thought provoking angles..
I think part of where I'm coming from is that I see eye patches as glorified merch lol. They're not a serious skincare product that requires heavy lifting or education. Even as you mentioned, they've been a K-beauty staple forever and mainstream in skincare for years, (just not specifically viral with American Gen Z until recently). Dieux and Topicals made them cool and social for this generation, but even with them I'm not sure there was really an educational burden to carry or consumer readiness to wait for.
Eye patches fit so naturally into Rhode's world since day 1-they're visual, giftable, social. So the idea that there was some strategic wait for consumer readiness doesn't really land for me when the product itself is so low-barrier and straightforward. The category and understanding has long existed.
Also to clarify - I actually don't think of the timing on this product as reactive per se.
I think timing has less to do with audience maturity and more to do with AOV strategy and creating an accessible entry point, especially now that they're expanding into retail.