How Cosmetic Chemist Ron Robinson Played A Role In Rhode’s Rise And The Beauty Brand’s Billion-Dollar Acquisition

Cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson is part of the team at recently acquired beauty brand Rhode.

According to Beauty Matter, Robinson has been creating top-selling skincare products for over 30 years, despite not being very familiar with the beauty industry while growing up. Initially, he aspired to become a doctor and studied biology and chemistry at Adelphi University.

His plans took a pivot after he completed one year of medical school when he joined Estée Lauder as a product development manager in the Clinique division. He held that role for eight years starting in 1990, his LinkedIn mentions.

“My mom was disappointed about me dropping out of med school, but she forgave me because I was a cosmetic chemist gifting her products that I made,” Robinson told Beauty Matter. “The delight and joy that she saw in getting those products and using them has been fuel for me to keep me constantly looking to develop new and exciting products that really delight consumers.”

Robinson would go on to work at companies such as Lancome as its product development director. He quickly transitioned to Revlon as its vice president of global product development, leading its global skincare and hair color products. Robinson then went to Avon to serve as its director of global product innovation – skincare, and today his expertise has positioned him to become a founder and CEO of his own company, BeautyStat — a “result driven skincare for all skin types” that he started as a beauty blog in 2008. The award-winning cosmetic chemist is also a key advisor to Rhode, a multi-category lifestyle beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber that was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion, a news release confirms.

“Proud day for science. Hailey, Michael @ratty Lauren @laurenratner and the entire @rhode team – Thank you for bringing us on as partners from the very beginning,” Robinson wrote on Instagram. “While some may have experts just for marketing, you truly leaned into the science and allowed us to be part of the team. Because of you, brands have taken notice and now value the need for science-led formulations. This has been the journey of a lifetime and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Bieber also took to Instagram to commemorate the acquisition and thank her team: “Thank you to the amazing rhode team who have helped me build over the years. I couldn’t have done it without all of you. And to our rhode community, thank you for being the most supportive and for being on this journey, this next chapter is going to be even more incredible together,” Bieber expressed.