Last week, a Rhode Skin pop-up store linked to Hailey Bieber sparked significant discussion on social media, particularly among influencers and users, who raised concerns about its legitimacy. The situation became contentious after it was revealed that neither the founder nor the brand had announced an outlet opening in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Local TikTok content creator Mi’chal Naidoo took the initiative to email Rhode Skin prior to making a purchase from the pop-up shop. On March 15, 2025, she shared her inquiry on TikTok, which detailed her concerns regarding the authenticity of the products sold at the Mall of Africa.
“I’d like to query a pop-up that’s currently happening at Mall of Africa in South Africa. Before I make any purchases, I just want to verify that the products are original and from Rhodesia. Your speedy response would be appreciated. Thanks so much,” the email read.
In response, Rhode Skin debunked the legitimacy of the store, asserting, “Nope, not us. That ain’t our store.” They graciously thanked Naidoo for her inquiry and clarified that they had no affiliation with the suspect outlet.
“Our only sales channels are rhodeskin.com and our verified Instagram Shop + TikTok Shop. If you purchase Rhode from any other source, we can’t guarantee that you’re buying genuine products and can’t vouch for their authenticity, quality, or condition. These products may not meet our standards – and in some cases, may be counterfeit,” their response outlined.
The news of Naidoo’s email and Rhode Skin’s subsequent clarification quickly went viral, resulting in the abrupt closure of the pop-up store within 24 hours. By the following morning, the location was cleared out entirely, with no beauty products in sight.
In the aftermath of the episode, social media users displayed a mixture of amusement and disbelief. One X user, @Nolwazii_K, commented:
“That Rhode scam in Mall of Africa is making me laugh because how did they pull that off?”
The conversation quickly grew, with many users sharing similar sentiments and reactions to the surprising scam.
“Having TikTokers do their research and investigate and even pull out authenticity certificates is so wild bc how tf did an entire mall not do this?” a user remarked.
“What a clean heist,” another user observed.
“What a classic well executed knockoff, and I feel sympathy for those who purchased products and had to return them,” one user added.
Others continued to chime in, drawing parallels to earlier instances of scams and laughing off the bizarre situation.
“Kinda reminds me of that CRUMBL cookie scam in Australia! I just can’t help but laugh…” noted a netizen.
“Scamming on such a grand scale is crazy…” another commented.
“When they said ‘pop up store’ they meant it,” wrote an individual.
“Gone in 60 seconds vibes,” another user chimed in.
Despite the commotion, Hailey Bieber, who launched Rhode Skin in 2022, has not publicly commented on the incident.
Influencers Take Action Against the Rhode Skin Scam
Prominent TikTok influencer and 2024 Glamour Woman of the Year award recipient Zethu Gqola also shed light on the scandal. She investigated and uncovered that the company orchestrating the fraud was called Beautessa SA, which has since disappeared.
“Their Instagram is gone, their Facebook is gone, and their website has been shut down,” Gqola revealed.
Through her investigation, Gqola discovered that Beautessa SA had a history of scamming individuals since 2023, with several complaints posted on Hellopeter. This company previously operated a smaller pop-up booth at the ANEW Convention Centre in Benoni, South Africa, in February, but this recent incident represented a much larger scam operation.
Influencer Kiara-Lee Pombo was among the first to sound the alarm regarding the Rhode Skin scam, as did TikTok user @noya.noy, whose warning garnered over 1.5 million views, according to reports from IOL.