Hyram Yarbro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hyram
Yarbro in 2022
Personal information
Born
Hyram Yarbro

(1996-04-20) April 20, 1996 (age 28)
EducationBrigham Young University
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2017–present
GenreBeauty
Subscribers4.6 million[1]
Total views499.2 million[1]
TikTok information
Page
Followers6.1 million
Likes295.8 million

Last updated: June 21, 2023

Hyram Yarbro is an American skin care influencer known for his videos on YouTube and TikTok. His videos consist primarily of product reviews, skin care advice, and reactions to celebrity skin care routine videos.[2] In 2021, he launched his skin care product line, Selfless by Hyram, with Sephora.

Early life and education[edit]

Hyram's hometown of Paulden, Arizona

Yarbo was born in Paulden, Arizona and grew up on a cattle ranch. [3][4][5] He is one of five children and was raised in a deeply Mormon household. As a teenager, he was kicked out of his family's home when he came out as gay.[6][7] According to Yarbro, throughout his teen years and early twenties, he suffered from depression and eating disorders. During this period, he self-harmed and attempted suicide.[8]

In 2014, Yarbro moved from Arizona to Honolulu, Hawaii to study at Brigham Young University–Hawaii,[4][6][9]. He later dropped out for financial reasons.[8] According to Yarbro, while in college, he noticed premature aging of his skin, and became passionate about skin care products after being pleased with their effectivity when he began using them.[10][7] He went on to work as a make-up artist at Saks Fifth Avenue.[4][11] Yarbro has described his motivation for starting his YouTube channel as being borne out of a realization while working at this job, that there is a widespread phenomenon of companies misinforming consumers about the facts of dermatology in order to sell their products as expensively as possible.[10][4][11]

Career[edit]

Yarbro began his YouTube channel in 2017.[10][12] In 2019, his number of subscribers increased from 50,000 to 500,000 in under two weeks,[4] reaching a million before the end of the year.[5] He joined TikTok in 2020 and experienced significant growth during the COVID-19 lockdown, going from 100,000 followers on TikTok in March to over 6 million by September.[9][13] Between March and October 2020, Yarbro released videos about the L'Oréal sub-brand Cerave that were credited with contributing to increased popularity and sales of the brand.[14][15][16] During this period, his videos contributed $3.2 million in media impact value for the brand[14] and reportedly led to a 89% increase in its global sales in 2020.[15] This led to Yarbro receiving a paid partnership from L'Oréal to create branded content on TikTok and YouTube.[17] In October 2020, Yarbro signed with United Talent Agency.[18][19] That December, he announced his first product collaboration, the Hyram x Kinship Sea the Good collection. A portion of the collection's profits were donated to Lonely Whale, a charity devoted to removing plastic from oceans.[20] In 2022, he started a podcast called Justaposition, a play on the word juxtaposition,[5] which is centered around exploring his and other influencers' mental health journeys.[8] That year he also began posting to Flip, a shopping-focused social media app with a similar interface to TikTok; although according to Glossy, he had only a small following on the app as of that August.[21]

Selfless by Hyram[edit]

In June 2021, Yarbro launched his line of skin care products called Selfless by Hyram consisting of five products priced between $20 and $30. The line was created in collaboration with Colette Laxton and Mark Curry, co-founders of skin care brand The Inkey List, and released exclusively to Sephora stores in 29 countries and online on June 24.[17][22] Yarbro teamed up with non-profits Rainforest Trust, Youth, and Thirst for the release of the line to protect over 2,500 acres from deforestation, restoring over 370,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and funding clean water projects in over 60 African communities in the first year after release.[23][24][25] The line was released in the UK in March 2022.[26]

In a review of the line for The Independent, Louise Whitbread praised the choice of ingredients in the products, which she says are "proven to make a difference to skin" and gave special praise to Centella & Green Tea Hydrating Gel Cleanser. She also found the provided information about the social impact of the products "informative and useful".[27] Marriska Fernandes of Yahoo! Canada Style praised the consistency and effectiveness of the products, and called the Niacinamide & Maracuja Daily Barrier Support Moisturizer "one of [her] favorite products in the line".[28]

Content[edit]

Yarbro is amongst a wave of social media influencers on platforms such as TikTok referred to as "skinfluencers" for their focus on skin care products.[6][17][29] He has also been described as "at the forefront of the men's skin care movement" by GQ Australia.[30] His content consists of reviews and recommendations of beauty products, skin care tutorials, and reaction videos in which he reacts to the skin care regimes of his fans and online influencers.[9][18][19] On TikTok, Yarbro utilizes the duet feature to make such reaction videos, often responding to users posting under the hashtag #skincarebyhyram.[29] According to lifestyle magazine Elle, he also uses the feature to debunk skin care myths propagated by other users.[31] He is known for recommending products which are at a lower price point,[18][27][32] generally at a price under $50[4] and regularly under $10.[11]

Yarbro's reviews have been described as taking an ingredients-first approach and he has become known for his catchphrase "the ingredients don't lie" which has appeared in his merchandising.[6][9][11][33] According to The Washington Post, Yarbro's brand focuses on promoting "clean beauty" consisting of products with safe, organic ingredients.[34] According to The Independent, he disapproves of products containing fragrances and essential oils whilst praising brands that utilize sustainable practices to make their products.[11] Yarbro states in his content that he is not a licensed dermatologist or aesthetician, instead calling himself as "skin care specialist",[12] and has claimed that his content should not be taken as medical advice but as "shopping with a best friend".[29] Yarbro's audience is primarily made up of generation Z and is 90% women.[35]

Yarbro makes money from his content via affiliate links, YouTube ads, and brand sponsorships.[4][9][34] He has stated that he refuses 90 to 95% of brand deals offered to him based on product ingredients and price, and a desire to retain the trust of his audience.[4][6] Yarbro also avoids working with luxury brands due to his focus on recommending more affordable products.[29]

Criticism[edit]

Yarbro has been criticized along these lines for promoting a trend called "slugging" in which Vaseline is applied thickly to the face and left overnight which dermatologists say can worsen acne.[36] Nylon included excessive slugging on their list of the 10 worst beauty trends on TikTok of 2021, naming Yarbro as one of the influencers that promoted the trend.[37] Doctors have stated that consumers should not take skin care advice from influencers on TikTok.

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2020 10th Streamy Awards Beauty Nominated [38]
2021 11th Streamy Awards Nominated [39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "About Hyram". YouTube.
  2. ^ "Hyram Yarbro, Gen Z's skincare saviour: 'YouTube gave me a reason to live'". the Guardian. June 6, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Brown, Rachel (September 27, 2019). "Skincare Expert Hyram Yarbro Put Drunk Elephant On Blast To Urge It And Other Brands To Respect Customers And Influencers". Beauty Independent. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Simonetti, Isabella (February 5, 2022). "Hyram and the Everyday People's Skincare Revolution". Observer. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Segal, Lindy (July 27, 2022). "How Hyram Yarbro Became TikTok's Biggest Skin Care Star". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e Fetto, Funmi (June 6, 2021). "Hyram Yarbro, Gen Z's skincare saviour: 'YouTube gave me a reason to live'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Vischer, Annie (April 8, 2022). "Everything You Need To Know About Hyram Yarbro And His Skincare Line". Grazia. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Attwood, Naomi (July 26, 2022). "Hyram opens up about his journey with eating disorders and self harm". Dazed. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e Strugatz, Rachel (September 8, 2020). "The Content Creator Who Can Make or Break a Skin Care Brand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Weinstock, Tish (June 22, 2021). "How TikTok's Hyram Yarbro Found Self-Acceptance Through Skin Care". Vogue. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e Connor, Liz (May 31, 2021). "Who is Hyram Yarbro? Everything you need to know about TikTok's biggest skinfluencer". The Independent. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Krause, Amanda (November 24, 2020). "YouTube made influencers like Jeffree Star millionaires, but TikTok is making room for drama-free beauty stars". Insider. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Fisher, Alice (October 25, 2020). "How TikTok is proving beauty is more than skin deep". The Guardian. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Weil, Jennifer; Repaci, Fabiana (December 7, 2020). "The Story Behind CeraVe's Success". WWD. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Ozuem, Wilson; Willis, Michelle (2022). "Influencer Marketing". Digital Marketing Strategies for Value Co-creation. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 209–242. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-94444-5_10. ISBN 978-3-030-94444-5.
  16. ^ Sundaravelu, Anugraha (August 3, 2020). "TikTok is making this budget skincare brand sell out everywhere". i-D. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Strugatz, Rachel (June 3, 2021). "How Hyram Yarbro Turned His TikTok Fame Into a Skin-Care Line". Allure. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Collins, Allison (October 29, 2020). "Skin-care Content Creator Hyram Yarbro Signs With UTA". WWD. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Weiss, Geoff (October 28, 2020). "YouTube's De Facto Skin Care Guru, Hyram Yarbro, Signs With UTA (Exclusive)". Tubefilter. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  20. ^ Rearick, Lauren (December 1, 2020). "TikTok's Hyram Debuted First Product Collaboration With Skincare Brand Kinship". Nylon. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  21. ^ Flora, Liz (August 4, 2022). "From Addison Rae to Hyram, TikTok stars head to short video app Flip". Glossy. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  22. ^ Kavilanz, Parija (June 15, 2021). "He has 7 million TikTok followers. Now he's launching his skincare line". CNN. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  23. ^ Frey, Kaitlyn (June 24, 2021). "Beauty Guru Hyram Yarbro's Debut Skincare Line Gives Back in a Big Way". People. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  24. ^ Weiss, Geoff (June 8, 2021). "Skincare Vlogger Hyram Yarbro Is Launching His Own 'Selfless' Brand At Sephora Stores Globally". Tubefilter. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  25. ^ Cummings, Moriba (June 24, 2021). "Skin care influencer Hyram Yarbro's first-ever product line launches at Sephora — all $30 and under". Yahoo! News. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  26. ^ Mamona, Sheilla (March 7, 2022). "Hyram answers some of the internet's biggest skincare questions". Glamour UK. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Whitbread, Louise (June 24, 2021). "Are Hyram's new sustainable skincare products as good as his TikToks?". The Independent. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  28. ^ Fernandes, Marriska (August 11, 2021). "Does the Selfless by Hyram skincare line live up to the hype? I put it to the test to find out". Yahoo! Canada Style. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c d Flora, Liz (July 20, 2020). "TikTok's skinfluencers emerge as Gen Z's go-to source". Glossy. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  30. ^ Xidias, Angelica (August 24, 2021). "6 of your most-asked skincare questions, answered". GQ Australia. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  31. ^ Penrose, Nerisha (November 10, 2021). "TikTok Beauty University: The Who's Who of Makeup, Skincare, and Hair". ELLE. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  32. ^ Frey, Kaitlyn (December 22, 2020). "How the Internet's Most Popular Skincare Expert Hyram Yarbro Is Shaking Up the Beauty Industry". People. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Rodgers, Daniel (January 19, 2021). "How Hyram Yarbro and TikTok Skinfluencers Are Impacting the Beauty Industry". Vogue. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  34. ^ a b Ferguson, Amber; Decaille, Nia (June 18, 2020). "The creative ways beauty pros are facing the pandemic". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  35. ^ Chikhoune, Ryma (March 13, 2021). "Gen Z Skin Care Guru Hyram Yarbro on What Matters Most to Today's Young Beauty Consumers". WWD. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  36. ^ Schiffer, Jessica (June 15, 2021). "You May Not Want to Get Your Beauty Tips From TikTok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  37. ^ Pitcher, Laura (December 9, 2021). "10 TikTok Beauty Trends We Should Definitely Leave In 2021". Nylon. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  38. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 21, 2020). "YouTube Streamy Awards Nominations Unveiled With David Dobrik, Emma Chamberlain And James Charles Leading The Pack". Deadline. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  39. ^ Complex, Valerie (October 20, 2021). "Streamy Awards Nominations Announced; Names Include MrBeast, Lil Nas X, Ryan Reynolds". Deadline. Retrieved April 23, 2022.