Rhode Commits $5 Million to Women's Health Research

Rhode will put $5 million into women's health research over three years, the brand's largest philanthropic investment to date. The partnership with the Foundation for Women's Health, announced with an exclusive Hailey Bieber interview in WWD, funds medical research, education and care in historically underfunded areas including pregnancy, postpartum health and autoimmune conditions. Grantees will be announced in 2027, after U.S. research institutions submitted proposals.

What does the money fund?

One million dollars of the total will establish the Foundation for Women's Health Evergreen Fund. This venture philanthropy vehicle will invest in companies developing women's health diagnostics and therapeutics, reinvesting proceeds into future research. The foundation's founder and executive director, Katy Brodsky Falco, framed the gift as a signal as much as a sum.

"This $5 million gift to Foundation for Women's Health messages very strongly to young women, who are the next generation of leaders, mothers, athletes, change makers, that the long-standing gender equity gap is not acceptable," Falco said. "The visibility that Rhode brings is perhaps unparalleled."

Falco also noted research gaps in endometriosis, maternal health and PMOS, the new term for PCOS. "We want the research findings that we are supporting to be translated into therapeutics and diagnostics and brought to market quickly," she said of the Evergreen Fund's purpose.

Why is the cause personal for Bieber?

Bieber tied the commitment to her own history and that of women close to her. She named PCOS, endometriosis and PMDD, a condition she said she experienced after the 2024 birth of her son, Jack Blues.

"I feel really drawn to women's health," Bieber said. "I have a sister who struggles with PCOS. I have lots of friends that struggle with it, with endometriosis, with a lot of different, very specific women's health issues. As a woman, I feel frustrated by the lack of research, the lack of awareness, the lack of certain conversation around it."

She added: "Conversation, for me personally, makes me feel less alone."

How is Rhode performing?

The philanthropy rides on strong financials. E.l.f. Beauty acquired Rhode in 2025 in a deal valued at up to $1 billion. In May, E.l.f. reported Rhode generated more than $500 million in annualized global retail sales and approximately $390 million in net sales in fiscal 2026, up more than 80 percent year-over-year. Those figures reportedly surpassed E.l.f.'s own expectations. The acquisition expanded Bieber's duties; she now holds a strategic advisory role at E.l.f. alongside her Rhode work.

"I could have never predicted where we were going to be today, even a year ago," Bieber told WWD. "Rhode has completely exceeded everything that I had ever hoped that it was going to be."

The new commitment builds on existing programs. The Rhode Futures Fund's Support for Moms Fund committed $2 million to 10 organizations serving mothers and caregivers between 2025 and 2026. Rhode also committed $1 million toward relief for families affected by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Under E.l.f., the collective giving pledge stands at 2 percent of net profits.

What comes next for the brand?

Retail remains deliberate. Rhode launched at Sephora in the U.S. and Canada before expanding to the U.K. "We've been really pacing it and spacing it out," Bieber said. "That's something that's important to me because I really want to do it well and do it right in each territory that we expand into."

Asia is not yet on the map, but Bieber returned from South Korea optimistic. There she discovered Pyderin's Hydrovuster PDRN SOS Hyal Soothing Mask at a facial clinic. "I was like, 'How do I order a box of literally 20 million of these?'" she said.

On product, Rhode will launch a more targeted serum in January under what Bieber calls "smart aging" rather than anti-aging, ahead of her 30th birthday in November. Her five-year goal: "I really want Rhode to be completely global. I want it to be everywhere," she said, naming South America and Brazil, her mother's home country, as markets in the pipeline.