Hailey Bieber Opens Up About Motherhood, Fame and Her $1 Billion Brand

Couldn't pay me to go back to being 20 for a day. It does feel hard sometimes having every single thing be looked at and picked apart. It has to be this number. I will not go for less. Okay, Haley, 2025 was a huge, huge year for you. It was your first full year of motherhood. You sold your company. Some people really thrive in moments of big change. Some people really struggle. How is a big change period for you? I think it's a lot of different things. I don't think it's all sunshine and rainbows, and I don't think it's all bad. I just think you experience so many different emotions and so many different things. Selling my company in the first year of also having a child, it's like there's a lot of change happening at once. Becoming a mom is so far in my life the biggest change I've ever been through. I feel like a lot of women would probably agree that the biggest identity shift that you go through in your life is becoming a parent, becoming a mom, and to be going through that while also going through this insane business process is just, it was really interesting for those two things to be going on in parallel. I felt really stretched in a lot of ways. I just felt like this last year was a really big growth and learning year for me, and when I look back on it now being 29, turning 30 this year I'm like, wouldn't have changed a thing as many ups and downs as there was, as hard as it was for me to do all these major things at one time, I really feel like it strengthened me in a lot of ways. Let's talk about the acquisition for a second. Rode was only out for three years. You had 10 products, which for a beauty brand is not a lot of products for this small, big acquisition moment, and the deal was for up to a billion dollars. That was the number that you had in your mind, why? I'm somebody who really believes in what you say out loud is very important, our words are important, the manifestations we put out there into the world are very important, so from a very early on conversation when we were just like, hey, what would it look like, what would we want the number to be, I was like, it has to be this number, I will not go for less, that is just, it was a goal, so that was the line I drew in the sand and the goal that I set. Your potential customers in the EU have really been clamoring, I've seen the Reddit threads, when is Rode coming to Sephora EU? Can we make some news today? So we are launching in Sephora EU in the fall. Okay. I'm allowed to say the fall. Okay, amazing. We're taking it a territory at a time. Yeah, but that's a big one, EU is huge. Yeah, the EU is huge and I am eager, South America is another really important one to me, my mom's from Brazil. Yeah, so being able to do that will be another, it's another big goal of mine, speaking of goals, to be able to be in all these places. I was reading a story in Vogue, it said when Rode launched the product was better than anyone expected, which just sort of struck me because, okay, so you're saying that the expectations were low. Did you feel like you had an uphill battle to climb in proving that you could really deliver? So I understood that there was definitely a lot of side-eyeing of, oh, here we go again, there's another brand. Why should people buy my skincare? Why should people trust it? So I went into it knowing that that was, there was a lot of that question mark around it and that's why I brought people so in on the process, I documented everything, I am such a skincare fanatic and nerd, I wanted to show people that so that they understood that I'm really about it and I'm not somebody who's just gonna sit here and try to peddle you a product because I don't think that's necessary. We focus on inviting you into this whole entire world that really fits into your lifestyle and I think that goes so far beyond skincare. I think, how does it make you feel? I wanted to invoke feeling around the brand. I think that's such a good point and young consumers, I think they don't just wanna buy a product, they wanna buy into or opt into a world, they really wanna support brands that I think align with their own values and their worldview. What would you say are RODE's values in 2026 and how do they overlap with your own? I do think that the accessibility and the inclusivity were two things that were really, really important to me because I want RODE to be for everyone. I never want it to feel like it's not for somebody because I really believe that skincare is for everyone and listen, I know when brands kind of, when they get really hyped, it can feel kind of like, it's this club that you don't get to be a part of and that's never been intentional with RODE, like when we've sold out of things and stuff, it's not to make it inaccessible. That's actually always panicked me because I'm like, I always want people to be able to have access to it. I want to continue to take feedback and make the brand better. That's what I think having a great brand is, is you listen to your customer and you listen to your consumer and say, okay, maybe this is not, maybe it works for me, but I need it to work for everyone, I need it to work for you. Can you share an example of some feedback that you received and you thought that's actually really smart and we should make that change? We had a formulation issue with our peptide lip treatment and it had like this grainy texture, you know, and when that happened, I was like, I was distraught. I was like, this happened right when we, it was in the beginning of the brand too and our lip treatments were our hero in the start. There was so much feedback of that and then people being like, I'm putting my RODE in hot water to like melt the graininess. I'm like, this is ridiculous. You cannot have people, because I think what makes me the most upset is I would never want somebody to spend their own hard-earned money on something that becomes not worth it for them. To your point about inclusivity, I think price point is obviously relevant to that topic and RODE, like on the scale of skincare, is pretty inexpensive. What's your philosophy on pricing and do you feel like there's an upper limit, a dollar amount that you would say, like I would never want to make a product and sell it for more than X amount? It really doesn't take much for a great skincare product to be great. It doesn't have to be $200. I end up reaching for the less expensive thing a lot of the time more than I would reach for, you know, I tried it all. I was like, I'm gonna get the $150 serum and like I let them find the most expensive thing that I can find and see if it really is like that much more crazy of a product and I will say there are products out there that I've tried where I'm like, yeah, I see why this is like name one. I think that the company Plated is very innovative with their technology with the exosomes I think is very interesting but that is like very scientific and very different than, you know, what we're doing at RODE. We're trying to make solid, everyday staple skincare products but I'm also really inspired by the really scientific brands too because it makes me wanna push ourselves while doing something that is that innovative and scientific and still making it accessible because I believe you can. I really do believe you can. I wanna talk about what it's like to have your appearance be connected to your profession. You're a skincare brand founder, you have famously nice skin. What is it like if you wake up one day on a big event day and you have like a rash or a breakout or something like that? I think people find that really refreshing. I've always been really open about like I get perioral dermatitis pretty bad. My appearance being tied to it, it kind of forces you to have to be like just embrace every part of it, you know what I mean? And that's something, look, like genetically I've not really ever struggled with acne so I'm not gonna sit there and try to pretend like I know what it's like for somebody who's struggled with cystic acne because that was never my experience. Sure, I can speak to when I have like a pimple here or there and how I might treat it and what I might do but that might not make somebody feel good who's dealt with cystic hormonal acne their entire life. Right. But I always, when people ask me, hey, what do you think about, what do you do for breakouts or what would you recommend to somebody who has really bad acne? The first person to say, you should probably see a dermatologist or like talk to your doctor because a lot of the time, what you're putting on it topically can only do so much and what it can really do. Growing up, were there women that you saw and compared yourself to? Yeah, all the time. I think being young and like entering into the modeling industry, you're constantly looking at other women and comparing your body, comparing your looks. I always see those quotes that say something along the lines of like comparison is like the thief of like joy. Yeah, and I really do resonate with that because I do think individuality is so sexy and so cool and so important. As I've gotten older, I feel so much more settled in who I am and I know what I bring to the table and my confidence has changed a lot and a lot more too after becoming a mom. Some days are better than others and we might have a day where we feel like nobody can touch me today and then the next day be like, I feel literally miserable and this person seems like they have their ---- to get, sorry, can I say that? This person seems like they have their ---- together and today it feels like I don't have anything figured out and together. So I just think it's a constant journey having sunken into myself a lot more. Like I really have enjoyed getting older. Like I'm so excited to be in my 30s. I'm excited to turn 30. I think when you're younger, that sounds old and it sounds daunting. Like when I was 19, I was like 30, that's embarrassing. And now I'm 29 and I'm like 19 was so embarrassing. It's not even funny. Couldn't pay me to go back to being 20 for a day. There's nothing there for me, not interested. Can't wait to turn 30 and continue to see what's in store because it really only has gotten more enjoyable and just felt so much better. But of course when I was young, there was other women that I would see that I was like, man, if I just had her size waist or if I just looked a little bit more like that or if I talked a little bit more like that, I think we all go through that though. I hear you talk about the inclusivity piece and I hear you being very thoughtful about this. It's also like you're Hailey Bieber, you know, and you're selling this skincare line and you're using your image and I'm sure that there are young people out there who look at it and they're like, I want that. Like they're comparing themselves to you. What do you say to those young people who might be kind of having that bad day feeling because they're looking at an image of you? What I say is that I go through it too. You know, it may not be for the same reason or under the same circumstances, but it's something that I can definitely relate to and I can definitely understand. And it's why I talk so much about embracing individuality because I think you're the only you that is on this entire planet and that's valuable. Being yourself is cool and being an individual is cool and I think women have just like this beautiful intuition and knowing and understanding and I think that continues to become deeper as you get older and you know yourself more and you find yourself more. And that's something that I would tell young people and I would go back also and tell myself that if you continue to listen to that and continue to hone in on that and follow it, even when it maybe doesn't feel right, it's going to get you exactly where you were always supposed to go. You've been famous for a long time. You have been famous for, you know, the family that you came from, the person that you married now, as a founder and a businesswoman in your own right. Like, I'm curious if it ever feels harmful or beneficial, like both sides of the coin, to have all of that history kind of be out there and have to have people know your story in that way. I just think being in this position in general, there's a lot of judgment, you know? And I think that when you're trying to figure out who you are on such a big scale in front of so many different people, it feels really restricting to be able to like, make really normal mistakes or like do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing and not be able to just naturally grow out of things and like grow in front of people and have that constantly be looked at in a microscope. I'm really uncomfortable a lot of the time in interviews because I find that my words get twisted or, you know, things get totally misconstrued and then it makes me want to like close off and not be open with people. And I obviously am in a position where I want to share my life and I want to be able to be myself and be open and be exactly who I am. It just, I think it does feel hard sometimes having every single thing be looked at and picked apart and people kind of like, they create a story for you and it can feel really uncomfortable and bizarre sometimes because I'm like, it's just not even real when people have made up their mind about something and about you. They don't care what the truth is. They just enjoy believing what they believe. So trying to, you know, I'm like, I want to defend myself and I want to tell the truth because that's not really what happened and this is what really happened. Everybody's like, okay, we don't care. That's not the dramatic version. Like we want this version. So there's only so much I think you can do and say to a point where you have to just kind of be like, I need to live my life and continue to move forward regardless of, people have something to say every single day, like it does not ever change and it doesn't, it'll just be something new or different that they're saying. How do I want to like move in this life and tell my story in a way that really just feels like comfortable for me? Looking back on your 20s, what are the most important lessons that you learned about life? I'm always somebody who's actually been really blunt and really honest, but like not super confrontational and not very good at like setting boundaries. You identified as a people pleaser for a long time. Still do, still do, like still struggle with people pleasing, not sure that I'll ever just be able to, you know, flip a switch and it'd be done, you know? The last 10 years of my life has really taught me how important it is to be vocal about what you want, what you don't want, what's comfortable for you, what's not. And then being a mom really like really just sent it over the edge for me because when I had my son, it became crucial to me to be able to have him see both of his parents say, no, we're not okay with this. I spent so much time with people asking like, oh, look, how are you doing? Yeah, I'm good, I'm fine. And not really being good and not really being fine. I realized getting older, I became so much more connected to people that I cared about and loved by just being like, you know what? Actually having a really hard time with this. And I was like, oh, whoa, vulnerability is really cool because it actually really connects you to people. And it really has only changed all my relationships for the better. It has made me a better business woman. It has made me a better communicator. It has made me a better friend, a better mom, a better partner, all of the above. When do you feel most seen and understood? When I feel like somebody is genuinely relating to my pain, obviously I'll use my partner as an example, my husband. When we both can identify that something hurts in the same way and be like, man, I really understand that because I've been through that and I know how that feels and I know how hurtful that can be. And to just, again, connection, be connected over that. I think that makes me feel really seen. Understanding makes me feel really seen. Like, hey, I really feel you on that and I really understand. And I'm sorry that that's the way that that feels. I'm sorry that you went through that today. To be understood, I think it's like to be known. And I think why that's so important to me is because I feel so misunderstood so much. From an outside perspective, I get very misunderstood so often. So then being understood makes me feel very seen. Do you think Justin understands you the most of anybody? I would say so, yeah. That means you married the right person. Yeah, I think so. Do you think you're gonna start another business? I think I'd like to eventually, yeah. I'm not going anywhere with Rode. I am here and here to stay. And that was another thing that was really important to me with being with Elf is that you hear a lot of stories that founders, they sell their business and they get pushed out or they leave or they kind of just get a payday and they decide to move on. And I was like, that's absolutely not what I want. I wanna be here forever. I'm so ingrained in this brand. I could never imagine not being so intricately woven into it. But I definitely have other aspirations and things that I'm inspired by and that I'm thinking of. Do you wanna tease anything? There's nothing to tease yet. And that's me being super honest. Like I'm tinkering with ideas and I have thoughts and inspirations and things that I would love to see come to life. I don't have anything really yet. There's no secret file in the office that we can dig out somewhere. There's no secret file in the office. It's just kind of like little brain ideas that I'm thinking about. I'm an entrepreneur at the end of the day. I wanna expand in business and I wanna be able to do more things, but I'm definitely not in a rush. If I was giving you a short answer, like yes, there is some more that I'd like to do outside of road. I'm excited to see what it is eventually. Thank you.