"How did they pull that off?" — Internet reacts as Rhode Skin pop-up in Mall of Africa drama leaves netizens in splits 

Last week, Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Skin pop-up store in a South African mall sparked conversations among social media users and influencers, with many questioning its authenticity. Concerns arose after it was noted that neither the founder/owner nor the brand ever announced such an outlet opening in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Local TikToker Mi’chal Naidoo went a step ahead and emailed Rhode Skin before buying from the mall store. She shared the information in a post on the platform on March 15, 2025.

“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.

Rhode Skin replied that the store in Mall of Africa was not legit, saying, “Nope, not us. That ain’t our store.”

They thanked the influencer for “reaching out” and confirmed that the brand 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,” the reply added.

Less than 24 hours after Naidoo’s email and Rhode Skin's response went viral, the pop-up outlet in the South African mall abruptly shut down. By the next morning, the place appeared to be scrubbed, and no beauty/cosmetic product was in sight.

In the wake of the scam, social media users reacted with amusement and disbelief. For instance, one X user @Nolwazii_K, posted:

“That Rhode scam in Mall of Africa is making me laugh because how did they pull that off?”

Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the platform.

“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 person asked.

“What a clean heist,” one person wrote.

“What a classic well executed knockoff and I feel bad for the girlies who bought there and and had to come back and make exchanges,” wrote another.

Others continued to chime in with hilarious reactions and made comparisons to other similar scams over the years.

“Kinda reminds me of that CRUMBL cookie scam in Australia! I just can’t help but laugh…” a netizen wrote.

“Scamming on such a grand scale is crazy…” another netizen wrote.

“When they said ‘pop up store’ they meant it,” an individual wrote.

“Gone in 60seconds vibes,” wrote another.

Hailey Bieber, who founded Rhode Skin in 2022, hasn’t commented on the matter yet.

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Other influencers also exposed the Rhode Skin scam

TikToker and 2024 Glamour Woman of the Year award recipient Zethu Gqola also exposed the scam on social media. She claimed that after a “little digging,” she found out that the company responsible for the fraud was called Beautessa SA, and they have also “since vanished.”

“Their Instagram is gone, their Facebook is gone and their website has been shut down,” Gqola noted.

She added how upon more investigation, she discovered that the company had been scamming people since 2023, a few of whom left reviews on Hellopeter. Not only that, but Zethu claimed that Beautessa SA appeared in a small booth pop-up at the ANEW Convention Centre in Benoni, South Africa, in February. However, that was on a “small scale” as compared to the recent “grand thievery.”

Another influencer named Kiara-Lee Pombo was among the first to put forward the Rhode Skin scam alert, as did TikTok user @noya.noy. The latter's warning post amassed over 1.5 million views, as per IOL.