“I wasn’t necessarily sure what I could introduce to the industry that was new. It wasn’t until I realized that my brand could be a catalyst for social change, where we could combine social good and direct, measurable social impact efforts, with a skincare product purchase that I was like, ‘Okay wait, this could be awesome’.”
Skinfluencer Hyram Yarbro is best known for his YouTube and TikTok videos providing honest skincare product reviews for his Gen Z audience (he’s got almost 11.5 million followers across both platforms). He’s built his massive online presence by simplifying the often complex and confusing ingredients found in our (often also complex and confusing) skincare routines. And on any given video, he receives tons of comments from his adoring young fans asking when he’ll be launching a skincare line of his own. Luckily for them, that day is today. Well, okay not today, but Yarbro did just announce his new beauty brand today, and promised more info soon! Colour us intrigued…
Selfless by Hyram was created in collaboration with The Inkey List, the U.K.-based skincare brand founded by Colette Newberry and Mark Curry that’s focused on sharing skincare knowledge and producing affordable products with simple ingredients. Appropriately named Selfless, the brand’s mission is to use gentle skincare as a vehicle for social change. The three founders chatted with FASHION about the creation of the line and its philosophy.
The social impact vision behind Selfless by Hyram
With the vision of merging humanitarianism with skincare, Selfless by Hyram holds itself accountable and contributes to the betterment of the planet. The line will support various organizations across four key areas: the environment, health, education and empowerment. With every purchase, customers contribute to these organizations’ initiatives, like providing a year’s worth of clean drinking water, or protecting tropical forests from deforestation through land purchase. The brand has also established partnerships with organizations addressing the climate and water crisis, such as Rainforest Trust and youth-activated water charity Thirst Project.
Ensuring every ingredient is ethically sourced was no small feat. When developing the formulas, Yarbro came to Newberry and Curry with the ingredients that he wanted to work with. His vision, coupled with the duo’s knowledge and access to innovative ingredients, resulted in unique, custom formulas. Once they were clear on their vision, they made sure every step in producing the product was one that would contribute to their goal of social change. The Inkey List founders sent their manufacturers hundreds of questions about every ingredient’s origin, a gruelling process they say is part of their “Selfless standard,” an ever-evolving set of self-imposed guidelines to hold them accountable to creating the best products possible.
“Having that set of standards from the conception of the brand was amazing, because you’ve got a blank slate, and you can really drive change through the manufacturers and the processes that we’ve used,” says Newberry. “But what’s really important to note is those standards are not going to stand still. That excites us, because we want to disrupt the industry.”
The power of collaboration
Since the beginning of his channel, Yarbro has been getting questions about if and when he would launch a skincare line. At first, he was hesitant to do so. “I wasn’t necessarily sure what I could introduce to the industry that was new,” says Yarbro. “It wasn’t until I realized that my brand could be a catalyst for social change, where we could combine social good and direct, measurable social impact efforts, with a skincare product purchase that I was like, ‘Okay wait, this could be awesome.’”
Coincidentally, Yarbro had been working on his own skincare line for a few months, and was originally planning on launching independently. But when he connected with Newberry and Curry, he saw how their visions aligned, and their partnership has been cohesive ever since.
So what exactly is in the Selfless by Hyram line?
Details are still under wraps, but what we know is that the line is launching with five products, which will all be ringing in under $30. “We intentionally priced everything to be as affordable as possible while still fairly compensating for the sustainable ingredients, the sustainable packaging and the sourcing standards of quality,” says Yarbro.
How Selfless by Hyram will translate to Yarbro’s social media channels
Known for his honest skincare reviews, transparency is a crucial part of Yarbro’s online presence. As a founder of Selfless, he wants to be open about his inevitable bias towards his line when doing deep dives into different elements of the brand on his channel. “Obviously I created what I would define as the perfect brand,” he laughs. “I want that bias to be visible.”
With this new endeavour, the social media star says his content may shift. “When I started my channel, it was all about pushing for brands to create formulas that are better for sensitive skin [and] that are accessible to all people. That was the primary mission,” he reflects. Now, he says the skincare community on social media has gotten so huge, and there are so many other creators doing deep dives into brand and product reviews, that he feels he can pass on the torch and focus on Selfless by Hyram. “I feel like my work has been done in that sense. This gives me an opportunity to show a new side of myself and a side of the brand that people wouldn’t otherwise be able to see.”
Yarbro says humanitarian work has always been his primary passion, and he’s excited to have that be the pillar of this brand. “For me, it’s all about what small, daily changes people [can] make to be able to leave a positive impact on the world,” he explains. “More than anything, [I want to explore] how can that leave an impact on the most pressing issues facing the planet.”
Selfless by Hyram products will be rolling out at Sephora soon. Watch this space for more details!