'This $6 peptide lip treatment is better than the viral Rhode one you can't buy in Australia.'

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Other than some words of affirmation and an iced latte to start the day, I really don't want for much in this life.

But my God, I've never wanted a beauty brand to hurry up and get to Australia more than I want Rhode.

Watch: You Beauty host Leigh Campbell has found the best foundation for summer. Post continues below.

Currently, the only ways to get your hands on Rhode beauty products in Australia are to ask someone overseas to buy and ship or bring them home for you, or mess around with exorbitant and convoluted US mail forwarding services.

Given the wildly successful Hailey Bieber-founded brand recently launched into Sephora US and Canada, hopefully Rhode will land at Sephora Australia in the foreseeable future. But we could be waiting a while.

As is the case with any buzzy, hard-to-get-your-hands-on beauty product, the market is flooded with alternatives to their best-sellers, like the Rhode Glazing Milk (cc: TBH Skincare Rebound Skin Milk and BUBBLE Hydrating Milky Toner).

Then, there are 'Rhode dupes' that, from the outside, look near identical to the original viral products. Take MCo Beauty's Blush & Go Cream Sticks or these 'inspired by Rhode' DB Cosmetics blushes. I couldn't tell you if they're comparable to the Rhode Pocket Blush, but I'll admit, they look super cute.

The product I want to tell you about today sits in this latter category. Would I have purchased it without the Rhode-eqsue packaging? Probably not.

But I did, and I actually think it's better than the original Rhode Peptide Lip Tint.

Allow me to explain…

OXX Cosmetics Lip Tint Peptide Treatment, $6.

Tada! Image: Supplied.

I first tried the Rhode peptide lip formulas while doing 'competitor analysis' in a previous role at a beauty brand. An American colleague shipped them to our Australian office in the name of research.

Here's the thing about the Rhode lip treatments and tints: they are thiiiiiick.

The kind of thick that looks stunning on camera, but sits on top of the lips in real life; it's practically asking for your hair to get stuck in it with even the slightest breeze.

You can't deny, Hailey and the Rhode team are genius marketers. Image: Rhode.

I don't mind a thick, nourishing lip treatment before bed — and Rhode's original un-tinted Peptide Lip Treatment is perfect for that — but the tinted versions felt overly heavy, gluggy and sticky for everyday wear.

Some people will love that, but as someone who spends all day talking, eating and sipping, they just aren't for me.

Since buying the Rhode lip dupe, OXX Cosmetics Lip Tint Peptide Treatment, I've been wearing it non-stop. The Berry shade is a dead ringer for Rhode's Raspberry Jelly lip tint.

Same same, but different. Image: Rhode (L) and Supplied (R).

I've tried and disliked some of the other OXX dupe lip oils and 'butter balms', but this lip product is a winner.

Aside from the small, pokey doe-foot applicator (I wouldn't expect much more from a $6 product), I can't fault it.

It's glossy, not sticky. Thick, but not gluggy. Hydrating enough that you don't need to reapply it 12,456 times a day.

Unlike some affordable lip products, there's no yucky aftertaste or sickly fragrance. And the perfectly-pigmented wash of colour leaves my lips look as juicy as a ripe plum.

This is about an hour after application and my morning iced latte. Image: Supplied.

Formula-wise, there's about a 50 per cent overlap between the two. Both contain the peptide Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, and forms of vitamin E and Shea Butter.

The biggest differences are the ingredients used to modify the products' textures; the Rhode lip tint is formulated to have a thicker, mask-like consistency, while the OXX version is similar to a traditional gloss.

Finally, the last thing you need to know is this product also comes in a bunch of other colours, from Pink, Chocolate, Taupe and Cinnamon, to a Peppermint clear gloss and a holiday gifting 4-pack.

For more tried and tested beauty recommendations, listen to the You Beauty podcast below or watch You Beauty on YouTube.

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Feature image: Supplied.