In high school, a lip product is never out of reach. You can ask the person next to you in class and nine times out of ten, they will pull out some type of gloss, balm, liner, or tint. Among the most popular products in the past few months of 2024 and 2025 is Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment—but every trending product eventually faces a downfall.
Social media, mainly TikTok, has been the downfall of Rhode’s most popular item, the Peptide Lip Treatment and Tint. These items have been bashed on TikTok for their “grainy texture” and “low quality” over time. I have had the Watermelon Slice Peptide Lip Treatment for around 3 months, and over the past few weeks the TikTok critics have been proven right; the formula has gotten increasingly grainy and less flattering when put on. Of course, several things could go into the texture issues, like formula issues, faulty batches, sedimentation over time, or issues with layering on top of other products. Still, the number of people having the same issue seems to be something Rhode should follow up on.
The TikTok reviewers have provided a solution in the absence of Rhodes’s acknowledgment. A common short-term solution to the graininess is to put the lip treatment in boiling water to release the formula and let it melt back into the smooth texture it once was. Although this is an at-home solution, I do feel as though Rhode has a responsibility to acknowledge and provide some type of long-term solution, or replacement to this product dysfunction.
The graininess doesn’t make the fan-favorite product unusable, but it does make it unenjoyable and takes away the smooth and sheer look Bieber herself is known for. While Rhode has made waves in the cosmetic products industry, the problems users are having with their Lip Treatment could be an underlying issue for the future of the business. Quality control and transparency are crucial and the user experience has proven to be displeased. What will Rhode do to address this?
