I've always been a lip balm fanatic. It's the one beauty product I cannot ever be without. I'm never more than 5 feet away from one; having one in every bag and coat pocket, on my desk and by my nightstand. In fact, my first entry into beauty was aged 10, where I started building my collection of Lip Smackers with each visit to Claire's Accessories, with the aim of collecting every flavour out there. Perhaps then, this is why I've become totally obsessed with Rhode's Peptide Lip Treatment. With different flavours like watermelon and salted caramel, they are practically the grown-up version of the fun flavours I'd grown up with. And who doesn't love a bit of nostalgia? I can only thank Hailey Bieber and her brand Rhode for bringing back the Y2K-inspired flavours.
Having tried almost all of the flavours, tints and limited edition shades now, I'd thought it was high-time I shared my honest review of the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatments and Lip Tints. Scroll on ahead as I try on the shades, rate each formula and most importantly: evaluate how delicious each flavour is.
Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment Review
The Formula
Bieber first brought out the first Peptide Lip Treatments in three varieties: Unscented, Salted Caramel and Watermelon Slice, which are are clear and without a tint. However, the flavoured ones pack in both a fun flavour and scent. Since then, we've seen some limited edition flavours drop, such as Strawberry Glaze and Jelly Bean, complete with a nostalgic sparkle in the formula. Since then we've also seen the launch of the Lip Tints—more on those in a moment.
Each Lip Treatment contains a whole host of hydrating, nourishing and plumping ingredients, including peptides, shea butter, babassu and cupuaçu, which help to replenish moisture and soften the lips. I'd compare the formulas to that of a lip gloss. They feel luxuriously thick and leave your lips with a glossy lacquer after applying. If you used to love the iconic Lancôme Juicy Tubes, these have a similar consistency.
I've been using these on rotation since they launched, and I can really attest to their hydrating and plumping qualities. After wearing these, by lips feel deeply nourished, and they last forever on the lips too. As someone with constantly dry lips, the cocooning layer of these lip balms have been a life saver, acting as a shield in cold weather and aggressive office air condition alike. You can wear them as a regular lip balm, or even as a flash lip mask by applying a thick layer and wiping off after ten minutes, making them great prep for lip products too. In fact, we often see Hailey Bieber pairing these with her favourite lip liners, which she shared exclusively with Who What Wear UK.
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1. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Watermelon Slice
The Scent/Flavour: Smells and tastes like watermelon gummy sweets
If you're a fruity kind of gal, you'll like the watermelon slice flavour. There is no tint here, but you get the whole tutti fruitti experience with this one. The scent and taste is sweet yet subtle, and like all the Peptide Lip Treatment formulas, it leaves lips with a sheer glassy and hydrating sheen. Because these formulas quite thick, a little goes a long way, and I've been surprised at how long a tube has lasted me, even when I reapply multiple times a day.
2. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Salted Caramel
The Scent/Flavour: Smells and tastes like warm, salted caramel sauce
If you have more of a sweet tooth, allow me to acquaint you with Salted Caramel. True to it's name, this tastes of warm, salted caramel sauce you'd drizzle over a dessert. The flavour and scent are a bit stronger with this one, but as someone who craves sweet treats, I've been enjoying applying this on repeat as I enjoy the scent and flavour so much.
3. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment: Vanilla
The Scent/Flavour: Smells and tastes like vanilla cupcake frosting
This limited edition version was so popular, Rhode brought it back into the permanent collection. I'm I'm pleased that it did. Apparently, this is Hailey's favourite flavour, and I have to agree, it's totally delicious and addictive. The vanilla flavour is like velvetty buttercream frosting on a fluffy birthday cake. Like the other Peptide Lip Treatments, this one is clear too.
4. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Unscented
The Scent/Flavour: Unscented with no flavour
While I do love the fun flavours, I really like that Rhode brought out an unscented and flavourless version. Not just because some of don't want the fuss of a flavour, but because this is fragrance-free, it's a great option for those with sensitive skin or lips that don't get on well with heavily fragranced products. I keep this one on my bedside table to apply as an overnight mask when I don't want an overpowering flavour before going to bed.
Rhode Peptide Lip Tints
Next, we have the Peptide Lip Tints, which each have a a sheer yet buildable hue. There are four shades available, Espresso, a sheer brown, Rasberry Jelly, a jammy pink, Ribbon, a soft baby pink and toast, a rosy taupe.
These are all unscented and unflavoured, although I'd say there is a subtle plastic-y scent to the tints, but it's not noticeable or off-putting when one the lips. The tints have the same ingredients as the clear Peptide Lip Treatments, so you get all the benefits of the nourishment coupled with a wash of colour. They apply sheer, but you can layer them up for more impact and a glossier opaque effect. We often see Bieber pairing these with a lip liner to create a bolder look.
5. Rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Espresso
The Shade: Sheer, buildable mocha brown
Espresso is a deep brown that gives all the '90s vibes. It looks dark from the tube but applies sheer to give a hint of brown. Depending on your natural lip colour and what effect you're going for, you could layer this over a brown lip liner for a deeper hue or wear alone for a hint of subtle colour. This is the perfect neutral for those with deep complexions, or a moodier hue for those with lighter skin tones. I'm usually a bit scared of brown on my complexion, but I actually ended up really liking this flattering shade of brown.
6. Rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Raspberry Jelly
The Shade: A jammy raspberry pink
A shade like raspberry jelly isn't usually my jam (no pun intended) but if berry tones are your thing, then this is such a fun shade when you want to inject some colour into your look. Th berry hue is really pigmented, and I find that even after this has worn off, it leaves a subtle stain of colour which is really pretty. I can see myself wearing this more in the summer months.
7. Rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Ribbon
The Shade: A delicate baby pink
Fun fact: Hailey used to be a ballet dancer, so this shade is a nod to her ballerina days, and it feels right on cue with ballerina core dominating right now. It's a soft, very wearable pink that Hailey often wears with a matching pink blush for a tonal look. I'm finding myself reach for this one during the day for a pretty flush of colour.
8. Rhode Peptide Tint in Toast
The Shade: A rosy taupe
The only shade I've not yet got my hands on is Toast (Hailey, if you're reading this, please hit me up). This hue is inspired by French toast with a buttery, rosy taupe hue. If you're someone who likes your neutral hues when it comes to lip products, this could be the one for you if you want something easy to throw on throughout the day.
The Limited-Edition Flavours
There are a couple of limited edition shades that have launched in the UK that are no longer available, however, we hope that one day they might come back into stock again.
9. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Jelly Bean
The Scent/Flavour: Sweet and sugary jelly bean with a sparkle finish
Jelly Bean was launched in the lead up to party season and has a super fun sparkle in the formula. Rhode really captured the jelly bean flavour and scent with this one—it's like tucking into a bag of pic 'n' mix. It might just be me, but I find the glitter particles a little irritating on my lips. But, it's so pretty worn alone or layered over other lip products for touch of glam.
10. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Strawberry Glaze
The Scent/Flavour: Smells and tastes like strawberry laces
Another limited edition flavour we've seen is Strawberry Glaze, which was inspired by Krispy Kreme's strawberry glazed doughnuts. Alongside the nourishing formula is a sweet and fruity strawberry flavour, which reminds me of strawberry ice cream sauce or strawberry laces—delicious.
Shop Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment Sets:
Get the Unscented, Salted Caramel and Watermelon Slice flavours in this trio kit.
Get your hands on all four of the tinted shades.
For those who can never be without their phone or their lip balm, this phone case allows you to slot a Peptide Lip Treatment into it—genius.
