While we were busy scrolling through TikTok for hours all quarantine, on the other side of our screen skin-care guru and TikTok influencer Hyram Yarbro—his handle is skincarebyhyram—was cooking up a skin-care line with The Inkey List, and it just launched yesterday at Sephora.
Introducing Selfless by Hyram, a line of five hard-hitting yet good-for-all-skin-types products that are not only naturally and ethically sourced, but are particularly made to fit the wants and needs of all 6.8 million of his tight-knit followers, from treating acne and lightening dark spots to calming irritation. Included in the lineup: Selfless by Hyram Centella & Green Tea Hydrating Gel Cleanser ($20), Salicylic Acid & Sea Kelp Pore Clearing & Oil Control Serum ($24), Mandelic Acid & Rice Bran Gentle Exfoliating Serum ($24), Niacinamide & Maracuja Daily Support Moisturizer ($26) and Retinol & Rainbow Algae Repair Serum ($30).
Ahead, Hyram breaks down his inspiration behind the brand, how he uses the products in his morning routine and how he’s on a mission to make the world a better place.
How did you get started in the skin-care industry?
“I grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona, so I had no concept of skin care and cosmetics when I was younger. When I got to be about 18 years old, I started really struggling with premature aging pretty bad. I had deep lines in my forehead and under-eye area and my skin was really struggling. My close friends—one of them is actually here in New York with me today—actually told me I should start taking care of my skin, so I started getting interested in it. At first, I thought it was just creams for fancy people, but as I started getting into it, I realized that there are actual results to be gained from using skin care. That’s when my passion really started and I just wanted to keep on spreading the information I was learning. I wanted to be a resource for simplified skin-care information online so that people didn’t have to go sifting through the marketing to find out what the formula really does and so they didn’t have to do a deep dive into chemistry to learn about product formulation.”
Why did you choose TikTok to launch your platform?
“I actually started with YouTube in 2017, but I was really inconsistent with uploading and it really wasn’t something that I thought was going to be a full-time thing. I came on to TikTok when it was really booming in May of 2020 and from that first day forward, I was posting all the time. After a few random videos, I posted one and within the first twelve hours it had about a million views. Immediately, I was like ‘what is going on!’ That’s when my career turned into something I had never anticipated.”
Do you think these views were the push you needed to start your career in skin care?
“One of the things that I love about working within the social media space is that it’s just elusive enough to not quite feel like reality. So, when you see these numbers going up on the screen and you’re just kind of sitting there in your room, it doesn’t really feel super real, so you don’t feel that additional pressure—at least I didn’t. I didn’t feel those typical fears or anxieties you often get when a bunch of people are looking at your content, I was more just like ‘wow, this is amazing. Let’s see where this goes.’ It wasn’t until much after where I really realized, ‘wow, this is this is going to be a career thing, this is going to be life-long in some capacity, or the things that are going to come out of these few years are going to last for the rest of my life.’ That’s when I had the wake up call. Being that so much of my growth was experienced during quarantine, where you’re slowly becoming popular online but in your normal life you’re just doing your day-to-day routine, it helped me focus solely on content creation and not get distracted by so many of the other elements.”
What would you say has been the most rewarding part of your career?
“One of the reasons I love TikTok so much is because it’s the platform where I was first able to see the results of people who took my recommendations. Just to see their confidence and happiness radiate was so rewarding. I remember the first time I got a video from a girl who was thanking me—I think I had like 10,000 followers at the time—and she told me she was able to walk outside without foundation for the first time thanks to my videos. That’s what makes me so happy. Also, meaning subscribers in public is awesome, although it doesn’t happen too often due to the pandemic. But, as things have opened up more, it’s literally my favorite thing in the world. In building a brand, the most fulfilling thing has been keeping the vision of social change and social impact in the forefront of everything that we’ve done and seeing The Inkey List and Sephora believe in that vision, it feels like I’m finally able to do something that really creates substantial, meaningful change that provides people with access to basic human rights and that’s really important to me, so I’m really proud of that.”
Can you tell me more about your vision for Selfless by Hyram?
“It is a mindfully and sustainably sourced brand where every single ingredient has been questioned and studied. We faced our suppliers with a set list of questions and standards and asked them to inform us on the sourcing process, the ethics regarding the communities that are impacted and the natural regions and if there’s any over-exploitation or anything to know. We wanted to leave a positive impact instead of just a neutral or negative one. There’s definitely standards that we’ve set in place to make sure our packaging is sustainable and we’re removing carbon from the environment, but I’d say the biggest thing is the social impact that’s generated from every purchase. For a few of our products, we partnered with the Rainforest Trust to protect from deforestation all around the world, so every product purchase helps them fund the purchase of rainforests so they will never be eliminated in the future. For the others, we’ve partnered with Thirst Project, which ensures one person has been provided with clean drinking water per every product purchased. We’re leading with something that has nothing to do with skin care, but I know these efforts resonate deeper with people and it’s already incredible to see the response.”
What inspired you to start your own line?
“From the start of my TikTok channel, I was asked if I was going to release a brand. For me, it was always a question mark because I did not know what unique thing I could offer to the industry. I didn’t just want to create a brand because it was a smart business move or because that’s what you should do. I knew if I was going to release something into the world, it really had to be completely different on so many different fronts, and not just from a formulation standpoint. Once I realized that skin care could be a catalyst for social change and could essentially be the vehicle for so many bigger things to happen around the world, I realized that, by small, simple actions, you can have a major impact.”
What are the main ingredients in the line and where are they sourced from?
“They’re all sourced from different locations. Whether it’s centella asiatica or green tea, which are pulled from different regions, maracuja from Brazil, or rice bran from Peru, all of our ingredients go through different eco-friendly extraction processes. For example, maracuja is passion fruit seeds that have been extracted from the fruit and, instead of throwing away all the other parts of the fruit, we press the entire fruit, so it’s getting rid of a waste problem and creating something usable. Also, the packaging itself is sourced from Brazil and is made out of sugarcane bioplastic. The process of growing it actually removes carbon from the environment. The way that we shaped the bottles has the highest chance of recyclability.”
Do you use these products in your morning skin-care routine?
“Yes! In the morning, I go with the cleanser—it’s the only one I can use twice a day—before using the salicylic acid serum, which helps reduce excess sebum and oil. I also apply this on my dry areas because it hydrates the skin as well. I wanted anyone who is struggling with breakouts and oiliness to be able to use this. Then, I follow up with the moisturizer, which is lightweight enough to last through the day, and apply my favorite First Aid Beauty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream ($36).”
