Valkyrae’s RFLCT Skincare Line: Skin Protector or Scam?

Image Courtesy: Glossy

As you read this article, your skin suffers damage from the blue light emanating from your device’s screen. At least, that’s what gaming influencer Valkyrae would have you believe.

Valkyrae, real name Rachell Hofstetter, is a YouTuber and streamer who rose to popularity while everyone was stuck in their houses throughout quarantine. Valkyrae’s streams, and most notably her “Among Us” gameplay videos, provided moments of laughter for viewers and attracted many supportive fans. Over the past two years, Valkyrae applied her gaming experience and prominence to another industry: skincare.

Valkyrae recently launched her own (now defunct) skincare line, being the first major influencer in the gaming sphere to do so. Titled RFLCT, the product specialized in protecting skin from the harmful effects of blue light. Valkyrae was the co-founder and face of the brand, with products sold in Ulta stores and online.

On the surface, this seemed like an unexpected yet fitting business venture for someone like Valkyrae, a gaming influencer who spends hours at a time in front of bright screens. With an audience of primarily gamers, screen-protecting skincare is the perfect product to sell to her fans, other gamers, and anyone who uses digital screens for long amounts of time.

The only problem resided in the product’s central function: blue light protection.

The blue light protection feature would be a great sell, if it was a problem at all. While natural blue light from the sun can damage skin, artificial blue light, the blue light emitted from electronic devices, has little effect on the skin. The amount of blue light absorbed from staring at computer screens or smartphones for hours is nothing compared to an hour in the sun. Furthermore, there are already practical methods of reducing blue light absorption, such as the iPhone’s Night Shift feature.

Naturally, social media users realized the inconsistency with RFLCT’s products and berated Valkyrae. Her fellow gaming influencers followed suit, and, within a day, her reputation shifted from YouTube’s greatest female gamer to scammer and snake oil salesman.

In a YouTube live stream addressing backlash to the product, Valkyrae claimed that the team working on RFLCT conducted studies on the harmful effects of blue light on the skin. She believed that these studies would be published alongside the announcement of her skincare line. But on announcement day, the studies were not listed on the website.

The website listing RFLCT’s sources were then updated with studies, but none of them are studies conducted by the company. To top it all off, a disclaimer at the bottom of the resources page read, “We are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete, or current. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions.”

Since the company refuses to publish their studies, Valkyrae stated on her YouTube stream that she no longer wished to be involved in the skincare line and was searching for a way to exit her contract.

Days later, despite belief in their studies and products, RFLCT shut down. All promotional material and other resources were removed from the website. The only remnant of RFLCT on their website is a message “effectively terminating the RFLCT brand” and thanking the team for their research efforts.

Image Courtesy: Win.gg

So, were Valkyrae’s RFLCT blue light protection products a scam? Given the lack of scientific consensus regarding artificial blue light’s effects on the skin, they sure did seem like one. While the validity of these claims and the efficacy of her products have not been proven, it’s hard to trust the marketing tactics of RFLCT and other brands that claim to protect from blue light.

Valkyrae isn’t the first public figure to introduce a blue light skincare line, and she won’t be the last. As science progresses, we will discover more about the effects of blue light on our bodies, including our skin. But for now, it’s best to reflect on purchasing influencer-spearheaded products like RFLCT.

Strike Out,

Writer: Nyan Clarke

Editors: Noelle Knowlton & Lexi Fernandez

Graphics: Olivia Glatzer

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