Hailey Bieber is no stranger to building successful ventures. From her thriving Rhode Skincare line to setting fashion and beauty trends, she’s proven her entrepreneurial prowess. Her reign extends to the food world, most notably with the Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie at Erewhon. This smoothie has become a phenomenon, with an estimated 40,000 sold every month, according to Erewhon’s Executive Vice President, Tony Antoci. The collaboration began organically when Hailey shared her regular Erewhon smoothie on Instagram, leading fans to flock to Erewhon requesting the same drink.
Years before this viral Erewhon partnership, Hailey was frequently seen enjoying smoothies from Earthbar in West Hollywood. Her love for smoothies, much like her passion for skincare, has been long-standing. One might wonder if Earthbar regrets missing the opportunity to collaborate with Hailey earlier, given the free publicity she was giving them. Fast forward a few years, and she has undeniably become the smoothie queen of Los Angeles.
Hailey Bieber frequently photographed enjoying smoothies, showcasing her long-time appreciation for smoothie culture
In 2022, Hailey launched Rhode, her skincare brand. What better way to promote a skincare line than by launching a smoothie designed to enhance skin health? It was a stroke of genius. Since then, numerous celebrities and influencers have jumped on the Erewhon smoothie collaboration bandwagon. However, none have reached the same level of success and profitability as the $18 Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie.
A collage showing Hailey Bieber enjoying smoothies and promoting her collaboration with Erewhon
Hailey Bieber pictured during a juice run, highlighting her association with healthy beverages
To further expand on this successful collaboration, Erewhon introduced soft serve versions of the viral smoothie on February 14, 2024. Hailey and her husband Justin Bieber made a surprise appearance at Erewhon Beverly Hills for the launch. Lucky customers had the chance to receive sundaes made by Hailey herself and scratch-off cards offering a chance to win Rhode Beauty products.
Image capturing Hailey Bieber sharing the Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie on her Instagram story upon its initial release in 2022
Promotional photo featuring the Erewhon x Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie
The Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie boasts skin-enhancing ingredients, primarily strawberries, coconut whipped cream, and strawberry glaze. For the soft serve collaboration, Erewhon presented two sundae options. The first is the Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve, priced at $10. This sundae is designed as a soft serve ode to the original Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie. For an additional $2, customers could opt for Hailey’s Way Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve, which includes keto chocolate chips and a generous peanut butter drizzle. The latter is reportedly Hailey’s personal favorite and was available for a limited time.
Image showcasing the Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve sundae
Image displaying the Hailey’s Way Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve sundae option
While still expensive, the prices are considered reasonable within the Erewhon context. It’s conceivable that these could have been priced even higher, perhaps at $30, and still found buyers given the hype and celebrity association.
Curious about the new offering, I visited the Erewhon in Venice on a Saturday to try the Hailey’s Way sundae. I was somewhat surprised to notice that it didn’t seem to be a popular order at the time. Instead, a row of about ten cups for the strawberry smoothie were lined up, ready to be filled.
While waiting for my order, I observed the employee preparing the sundae. The process began with spreading coconut cream and peanut butter inside the cup. Then, the employee used the soft serve machine. Upon returning, more peanut butter was added, followed by a generous drizzle of strawberry glaze. The soft serve itself is a coconut strawberry flavor from Cosmic Bliss, a brand specializing in coconut milk-based products.
Image capturing the Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber's surprise appearance at Erewhon for the soft serve launch event
Image showing Hailey Bieber interacting with customers and preparing soft serve sundaes at Erewhon
Image depicting customers at Erewhon enjoying the Hailey Bieber soft serve launch event
Image from the Erewhon soft serve launch, showcasing the event's atmosphere and product
Promotional image highlighting the Hailey Bieber Erewhon soft serve collaboration event
But did the sundae live up to the considerable hype?
Image of the Hailey's Way Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve sundae, ready to be tasted and reviewed
In my opinion, it was overwhelmingly sweet, and the coconut strawberry soft serve flavor was underwhelming. The coconut flavor in the soft serve was very dominant, almost overpowering. The strawberry flavor was so subtle that it was barely detectable.
If I were advising Hailey, I would have suggested a strawberry soft serve flavor with a different dairy-free base, perhaps oat, cashew, or soy. While the sundae is intended to be a deconstructed version of the Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie, the strawberries were significantly overshadowed by the strong coconut taste.
The choice of coconut soft serve base is questionable, especially given the generous swirls of thick coconut cream already in the cup. It feels like coconut overload.
Another aspect that detracted from the experience was the texture of the soft serve, which was quite dense and heavy.
It seemed as though the excess of strawberry glaze was intended to compensate for the lack of strawberry flavor in the soft serve itself. As I ate the sundae, I found myself trying to avoid the strawberry glaze as much as possible due to its intense sweetness. I even considered discarding it halfway through, it was that overwhelmingly sweet. The melting soft serve made it slightly easier to eat, but I ultimately stopped before finishing it because of the intense sweetness from the glaze. A much smaller amount of glaze would have been sufficient. However, in Instagram videos, Hailey is shown drizzling a very generous amount, which appears to be part of the intended experience. On a positive note, the chocolate chips and peanut butter components were enjoyable.
Close-up image of the Hailey's Way soft serve sundae, highlighting the toppings and textures
While the Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie is already sweet, this sundae reached a level of sweetness overload. In the smoothie, the sweetness is more balanced by the strawberries, maple syrup, milk, dates, and other ingredients.
Two images showcasing different angles and presentation of the Hailey's Way Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve sundae
Another view of the Hailey's Way soft serve, emphasizing its visual appeal and toppings
The Hailey’s Way Cosmic Bliss Soft Serve sundae is designed to evoke feelings of childhood nostalgia, particularly for those who grew up in the US where peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a quintessential childhood staple.
While I was somewhat disappointed to pay $13 for a sundae that appeared to be styled in a deliberately messy, childlike way, that seemed to be the intended aesthetic. Hailey’s Youtube series, Who’s in My Bathroom?, often features her enjoying the process of assembling messy sandwiches and ice cream sundaes, suggesting this is part of her personal style and brand.
Images from Hailey Bieber's social media or promotional content, showing her assembling and enjoying messy food creations
Image of Hailey Bieber potentially enjoying a messy ice cream sundae, aligning with the intended aesthetic of the Erewhon collaboration
Ultimately, this sundae left me feeling quite disappointed. For superior soft serve, I would recommend The Bigg Chill in West LA. Their frozen yogurt is exceptionally good. Whenever I visit, I tend to order minimal toppings because the yogurt itself is so fresh, flavorful, and has such a smooth texture that it’s easy to forget it’s yogurt and not ice cream. They also offer several dairy-free flavors. Hailey has been spotted at The Bigg Chill on occasion. A partnership with them for a strawberry yogurt flavor would have been a perfect collaboration. However, The Bigg Chill is a smaller, family-run business, a stark contrast to the health food giant that is Erewhon. It’s also worth considering that these Erewhon collaborations are likely paid promotions, raising questions about Hailey’s monthly earnings from these ventures.
Will this soft serve sundae achieve the same lasting popularity as the Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie? I am doubtful, but only time will tell.
