rhode launched on 15 June 2022 with just three products, and one of them was the Peptide Lip Treatment. Hailey Bieber told Allure how she wore it: lip liner first, then the treatment on top as a gloss. That one habit explains a lot about why people still reach for a rhode lip gloss.

What I like about the brand is how narrow the point of view is. The treatment is called a treatment, not a balm, because it is thick and mask-like with a glossy finish, and Allure noted Bieber actually uses it as a gloss. Vogue says peptide lip products helped catapult rhode to a very big brand within three years, and in 2025 e.l.f. Beauty agreed to acquire it. So a rhode lip gloss, in practice, is a peptide treatment that happens to shine.

The tints are where I would begin. Sweet Pea is a pearly pink and Jelly Bean is a shimmery, sheer baby pink, both made for bare-faced days. Salty Tan is a soft mauve, and Toast is a rose taupe that suits anyone who likes a neutral that still looks like lips. For evenings, PB&J is a warm berry brown, Espresso is a deep brown, and Raspberry Jelly is a crushed berry that reads bold without feeling heavy.

Here is my tip: swipe the tint on the center of your lips only, press them together, and stop. If you want more color, build it in thin layers instead of one thick coat, and keep Ribbon in your bag as the sheer pink that works over everything else.

Every rhode treatment is a clear, glossy peptide tube that hydrates and replenishes while leaving a high-shine finish. The launch trio came in fragrance-free, salted caramel and watermelon slice, and all three are in this edit.

Salted Caramel and Watermelon Slice are the originals, and Unscented is the one I would hand to anyone sensitive to fragrance. Vanilla is the quiet, bakery-warm option. Strawberry Glaze arrived in August 2023, inspired by a Krispy Kreme donut, and The Cut compared the finish to a gloss with the moisture of an overnight lip mask.

The two Lip Boosts are different. Sugarmint and the Unscented boost are plumping lip masks with a thick, balmy texture and a tingly-yet-comfy feel, so they are a night step more than a gloss. The Pretzel tint sits at the end of this group: a shimmery warm mauve with a caramel-glazed pretzel scent, and unlike the limited shades it is a permanent one.

Test it on the back of your hand first: a good gloss should look wet, not sticky, and the boost should feel warm rather than stinging. What I would skip: layering a boost under a gloss right before an event, since the tingle can make you fiddle with your mouth all night.

Bieber's gloss routine started with a liner, so it makes sense that rhode makes its own. The Peptide Lip Shape pencils are creamier than a traditional lip liner and glide on for a contoured effect, in a twist-up bullet, so there is no sharpener to lose.

Squeeze is a cool taupe and Push is a soft neutral beige, the two I would pick for a nude lip. Bend is a soft peachy beige that warms up a pale mouth. Balance is a caramel brown, Lean is a warm medium brown, and Flex is a rich neutral brown. Move is a deep cool brown, and Spin is a rich plum brown that looks wonderful under a berry tint.

Do the Bieber version: outline just outside your natural lip edge, fill in the center lightly, then press a clear treatment over everything. Check the color on your jawline in daylight, since a liner looks darker in the tube than on the lip.

What I would skip: a liner two shades darker than your lips if you plan to wear only a sheer gloss, because the edge will show and the look will turn heavy.

Plenty of brands now make a glossy treatment, and none of them copy rhode exactly. The rhode finish is thick and cushiony with a mask-like feel, so I judge every other tube against that.

LANEIGE is the closest in spirit. The Glaze Craze serum in Sugar Glaze and Rose Jam is a tinted polypeptide serum, lighter and more wet-looking than rhode, with a cool muted pink in Rose Jam. The Lip Glowy Balm in Gummy Bear and Berry is a shea butter treatment that feels softer and more balmy, so it suits dry lips better than a high-shine day.

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Pink Sugar and Vanilla Beige is the easy sheer one, with a nourishing shine more like a satin than a glass. Glow Recipe Glass Balm in Strawberry Bingsoo and Ice Bingsoo gives the closest clear, glassy look, though it sits slimmer on the lip than rhode.

Swatch two on the back of each hand: the one that still feels cushioned after ten minutes is the keeper. What I would skip: a heavy balm under matte lipstick, because it will slide.

A gloss and a lip oil are not the same, and the difference shows in how long they stay. rhode leans thick, so oils feel lighter and a bit more slippery by comparison.

Dior Lip Glow Oil in 001 Pink and 012 Rosewood is a hydrating high-shine gloss with a cherry-oil feel, and it looks the most polished of the group. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow is a shimmering rose-nude and Glass Slipper is a clear iridescent one, both with the doe-foot applicator that lays down shine in one swipe. This is the closest to a classic gloss.

Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly in Magic and Cashew is a non-sticky jelly oil in a slim tube, which is the one I would try if stickiness bothers you. MERIT Shade Slick in Taupe and Pink Beet is a tinted lip oil with a glossy finish, and Taupe gives a soft neutral with more color than a clear treatment.

Do the hair test: if a strand sticks to the gloss in a light breeze, it is too tacky for windy days. What I would skip: a stacked gloss over a thick treatment, since the two will fight and pill.

I would go in order. Pick one tint, Ribbon or Toast, and wear it for a week before adding anything else. Then add a liner in your shade, and finally one treatment you like the smell of.

Everything else in this edit is a comparison, and it helps to have a clear idea of what you want. If you want cushioned shine, stay with rhode. If you want a lighter slip, try an oil.

It all started with a liner and a gloss on a June day in 2022, and honestly, that is still the best way to wear it. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together LAWLESS Lip Gloss and The 90s Lip Is Back.