Are Rhode Dupes Worth It? Peptide Lip Tint vs the $8 Versions

Updated 30 October 2026 · about 4 min read

Rhode's peptide lip tint costs about $18, and the dupes people recommend cost $6 to $10. For the lip products, the dupes get you most of the way there, and one of the best-known comes from e.l.f., which bought Rhode in 2025. For the skincare, the cheaper versions are less of a match, and the price gap is smaller than it looks once you compare sizes. Here's what each Rhode product costs, what the popular dupes are, and when paying for the real one makes sense.

What Rhode costs

Hailey Bieber's brand keeps a small range, and most of it sits in a narrow price band:

  • Peptide lip tint / peptide lip treatment: about $18
  • Pocket blush: about $24
  • Glazing milk: about $30
  • Barrier restore cream: about $30
  • Peptide glazing fluid: about $30
  • Lip case (the phone case with a lip-product slot): about $38

The prices aren't outrageous by prestige-beauty standards. What makes people search for dupes is that the products are simple formulas in good packaging, and the packaging is a big part of what you pay for.

The dupes that get recommended

For the peptide lip tint and lip treatment:

  • e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil (about $8). The most-cited dupe: similar sheer tint, similar glossy finish, in a squeeze tube. Slightly thinner texture.
  • e.l.f. Buttery Smooth tinted balm (about $9). Closer to the lip treatment's balm feel.
  • Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm (about $24). Not a dupe on price, but often compared because Rhode's lip treatment was itself compared to it.
  • Drugstore tinted balms from brands like NYX and Maybelline, $5 to $10, which do the sheer-tint job without the peptide marketing.

For the pocket blush:

  • e.l.f. Halo Glow Blush and NYX Buttermelt (about $8 to $10) are the usual cream-blush swaps.

For glazing milk and the barrier cream:

  • BYOMA products (about $14 to $17), CeraVe and Cetaphil barrier creams ($12 to $20). These do the same job, hydration and barrier support, but the texture and finish differ more here than with the lip products, and Rhode's are bigger tubes than people assume. Check the millilitres before deciding the dupe is cheaper per use.

The e.l.f. connection is the strange part. e.l.f. Beauty agreed to buy Rhode in 2025 for about $1 billion, so the brand making the most popular Rhode dupe now owns Rhode. Nothing about the formulas changed because of that, but it tells you e.l.f. doesn't think the dupes hurt the original.

When the real thing is worth it

  • You want the exact shade. Rhode's tints are a specific range of sheer pinks, browns and reds, and the dupes approximate rather than match.
  • The packaging matters to you. The lip case and the squeeze tubes are a lot of the appeal, and no dupe gives you that.
  • It's a gift. Dupes make bad gifts.
  • You've tried the dupe and it isn't it. $18 isn't much to settle the question.

Otherwise, for a daily tinted balm, the $8 version is fine. Our guide to whether dupes are worth it goes through how to judge any dupe, not just these.

Watch out for fake Rhode

Because Rhode sells only through its own site, Sephora and a few retailers, "Rhode" at a big discount on marketplaces and TikTok Shop is usually counterfeit. Fakes of skincare and lip products are a safety problem, not just a waste of money. If a listing is far below the prices above, treat it as fake. See is TikTok Shop legit for the checks.

Checking the price

Rhode's prices are the same everywhere it's sold, so the saving is in choosing the dupe, not the store. For the dupes, prices vary by retailer and sale. Scanning a product in Priced shows what it's selling for elsewhere, which is useful on the e.l.f. and NYX products that go on sale often.

Common questions

What is the best dupe for the Rhode peptide lip tint?

The e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil, at about $8, is the most recommended. It gives a similar sheer tint and glossy finish. For a balm feel closer to the lip treatment, e.l.f.'s tinted balms and NYX tinted balms are the usual picks.

Is Rhode owned by e.l.f.?

Yes. e.l.f. Beauty agreed to acquire Rhode in 2025. The brands are still sold separately with their own products and prices.

Is Rhode worth the price?

The lip products are good but simple, and you're paying partly for packaging and the brand. If you like the look and the exact shades, $18 is reasonable. If you just want a tinted balm, the dupes do the job for half the price.

Where can I buy real Rhode?

Rhode's own site, Sephora, and a small number of authorised retailers. Marketplace listings well below retail are usually fakes.