SA Questions Mall of Africa’s Integrity After Hailey Bieber’s Fake Rhode Skin Pop-Up Store
- At the start of the past weekend, South Africans were amazed to see Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Skin pop-up store in Mall of Africa, Johannesburg
- Customers were puzzled by the new shop since the official social media pages and the founder of the brand never mentioned it
- Several TikTokkers called out the scam on social media and alerted more people about the shady dealings
- A PR representative of the mall reached to Briefly News and explained the matter
Many celebrities have started their own brands outside of their professions, and many of their fans support this new hustle.
Source: Instagram
Model and daughter of a famous American actor, Hailey Bieber launched her skincare brand, Rhode Skin in 2022 and eventually explored beauty products.
SA stunned by fake Rhode Skin pop-up store
At the start of this past weekend, South African beauty lovers were stunned to see Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Skin pop-up store in Mall of Africa. Fans of Bieber and her products visited the store and soon spotted shady dealings.
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A TikTokker, Mi’chal Naidoo emailed the beauty brand before making a purchase:
“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 Rhode Skin. Your speedy response would be appreciated. Thanks so much.”
Rhode Skin responded to the creator assuring her that the store was not legit:
“Hi. Thanks so much for reaching out. We can confirm that Rhode is not connected or affiliated with this shop in any way.
"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.”
In just 24 hours, the pop-up shop was gone. The space that it occupied for less than a day was spotless, with no sign of any beauty product.
Another TikTokker and recipient of the 2024 Glamour Woman of the Year award, Zethu Gqola took a deep dive into the matter and exposed the scandalous behaviour:
“I did a little digging and I found that the company that has also since vanished that brought this on is called Beautessa SA. Their Instagram is gone, their Facebook is gone and their website has been shut down.”
Gqola also found some reviews about the scammers on Hellopeter from people who bought counterfeit products since 2023. Some people could tell that the products were fake while some unfortunately did not spot the difference.
The creator did some more digging and found that the scammers had a small booth pop-up at the ANEW Convention Centre in Benoni in February:
“It was on a small scale before they pulled the grand thievery.”
There are more Beautessa SA social media accounts that have been wiped since the scandal broke out. The scammers paid close attention to detail, but could not fool hardcore Rhode Skin fans who did their research properly. A big brand will always announce its next move to its consumers.
Watch the TikTok video below:
Mall of Africa PR representative reaches out to Briefly News
Jenny Griesel reached out to Briefly News to explain the Rhode Skin pop-up store:
“Mall of Africa is dedicated to offering a trusted retail experience and has stringent policies and procedures in place with all retailers.
“While the Beutessa pop-up was an exciting opportunity for shoppers to experience greater access to international beauty products, when due diligence documentation was questioned and found inadequate, Mall of Africa shut down the pop-up at SOOK with immediate effect.
“Mall of Africa supports retailers that legally source their products and remains committed to transparency. The trust of shoppers is of the utmost importance, and Mall of Africa will continue to review procedures in place to ensure a positive shopping experience for all.”
Mzansi amazed by Rhode Skin pop-up at Mall of Africa
Social media users were stunned by the scandal and shared their thoughts in a thread of comments:
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Source: Instagram
@Skhumbuzo pointed out:
“This proves that people have money for international brands just not local brands.”
@Rethabile. chuckled:
“They popped up and popped out.”
@Raising_Onthatile highlighted:
“The biggest and cleanest heist. Are they going to get their refunds though?”
@kemahlatsi trolled:
“This has Thabo Bester written all of it. I am joking.”
@Thee_Blue_Beary was puzzled:
“My question Is how did Mall Of Africa management let this happen? Someone must have answers for this PR nightmare.”
@Rohangwelwa_ commented:
“I passed the store and I saw people buying and I said to my friends South Africans have money.”
@shannon06589 wrote:
“People don't do their research. It’s not even in the Sephora stores in the USA.”
@Nana 🎀 asked:
“No but, does the mall not have any details about these people?”
@Anything But Paint. shared:
“If you looked at the store layout or presentation, it looked so basic, it didn't speak to the brand. That was the red flag for me. They go all out when it comes to their pop-ups.”
3 other scam stories by Briefly News
- Mzansi was worried about an American lady who was scammed in Cape Town after booking a home.
- One disappointed chap shared with Mzansi how his dad was scammed by a catfish posing to be a hot influencer.
- A South African lady was heartbroken after she discovered that Honda sold her a written-off car, SA advised her.
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Source: Briefly News
