Rhode Spring 2026: Sarah Pidgeon, 'Candy Apple' Blush, and the Evolution of the Hailey Bieber Era
Rhode drops its first major face, Love Story's Sarah Pidgeon, to front a Spring collection that leans into 90s minimalism and the return of the viral red flush.
At The Beauty Ed®, it will come as little surprise that we closely watch every move from Rhode, the skincare-focused beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber and best known for popularising the now-ubiquitous “glazed skin” aesthetic.
Today, March 9th 2026, at 9AM PT, the brand unveiled its Spring 2026 collection via rhodeskin.com, and within minutes, beauty social media was already dissecting the campaign imagery teased earlier this week.
The Sarah Pidgeon Shift: A Strategic Move
What made this launch particularly notable is that it marks Rhode’s first major campaign not fronted by Bieber herself. Instead, the brand has tapped actress Sarah Pidgeon, a choice that feels extremely considered.
Pidgeon has quickly emerged as something of an It-girl following her portrayal of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in Ryan Murphy’s series Love Story. The association is astute: Bessette-Kennedy remains the embodiment of American minimalism - effortlessly chic and perpetually ‘unretouched.’
It is precisely that aesthetic Rhode has built its identity around. Beauty marketing rarely happens in isolation, and the timing feels deliberate. As fashion audiences continue revisiting 1990s minimalism and ‘no-makeup makeup’, aligning the brand with the woman most associated with that aesthetic (even indirectly) feels like a strategic move.
What’s New in the Rhode Spring 2026 Collection?
1.Rhode Pocket Blush: The ‘Viral Red’ Returns
The launch introduces two new shades of Rhode’s Pocket Blush, a cream formula designed to melt into the skin while delivering a softly diffused flush.
The formula contains tamanu oil and peptides, ingredients intended to keep the texture hydrating and skin-softening.
The new shades include:
Teacup - a delicate raspberry-mauve.
Candy Apple- a glossy, rosy red that taps directly into the renewed appetite for bright, flushed cheeks.
The Margot Robbie Effect: The Candy Appole shade feels especially timely. We’ve seen a massive appetite for flushed red blush recently, reminiscent of Margot Robbie in ‘Wuthering Heights’, wearing the viral Chanel N°1 Lip and Cheek Balm in ‘Berry Boost’. This shade sparked a wider return to apple-toned blushes across beauty TikTok.
2. Rhode Peptide Lip Tint: Spring Exclusives
The cult-favourite Peptide Lip Tint receives two spring-exclusive shades, both with a subtly luminous finish.
Sweet Pea- a pearlescent warm pink.
Pretzel- a softly shimmering mauve.
Both lean into Rhode’s signature approach: sheer colour with skincare benefits, rather than opaque pigment.
3. The Limited-Edition Rhode Lip Phone Case
Rhode’s recognisable lip phone case returns in updated colours for the season. For the spring launch, the brand has released limited edition cases designed to pair specifically with the Sweet Pea and Pretzel shades.
The new snap-on lip case, attaches effortlessly to compatible iPhone models, allowing space to slot in a Peptide Lip Treatment or Tint, essentially turning the product into a small accessory on-the-go.
Final Thoughts
What makes this launch interesting is not simply the new shades but the broader brand storytelling around it.
By introducing a new campaign face while leaning further into soft, skin-first colour, Rhode appears to be expanding its identity beyond founder-centric branding. The result still feels unmistakably Rhode: minimal, chic, and designed to enhance rather than transform the skin.
And if early reactions online are anything to go by, the Candy Apple blush may well be the standout of the collection.
Of the launch, the new Pocket Blush shades are the ones I’m most curious to try first, particularly Candy Apple, which feels perfectly aligned with the renewed appetite for fresh, flushed colour on the cheeks. It’s certainly one I’d love to test properly for The Beauty Ed®!
-Gia
