Valkyrae responds to backlash over new RFLCT skincare product for being a \u201cscam\u201d RFLCTYouTube sensation Rachell \u2018Valkyrae\u2019 Hofstetter launched her \u2018RFLCT\u2019 skincare line on October 19 with one key purpose: to \u201cprotect\u201d users from \u201cblue light pollution\u201d emitted from screens. The announcement was met with a surge of backlash, with many labeling the products a \u201cscam,\u201d forcing out an early response. After \u201ctwo years\u201d in the pipeline, Valkyrae finally announced her very own skincare range on October 19. Known as RFLCT, her unique products hit the market as a \u201cnew kind of screen protection\u201d. Designed to \u201cbenefit everyone who uses a screen,\u201d the five skincare items on offer intend to \u201cboost your skin\u2019s defense against blue light.\u201d There is a problem though: Social media users were quick to point out there\u2019s a lack of conclusive evidence that supports the notion blue light has any damaging effects on our skin. Before long, the announcement was washed up in a wave of controversy, with many criticizing the products themselves and the very foundation of Valkyrae\u2019s new company. It wasn\u2019t long before the social media star broke her silence to address the concern. The purpose of Valkyrae\u2019s new RFLCT skincare collection https:\/\/twitter.com\/Valkyrae\/status\/1450498051013943297 From your mobile phones to your televisions at home, all screens emit blue light. At its core, the RFLCT company has one goal in mind, to \u201cprotect\u201d its users from this \u201cpotentially harmful\u201d blue light. \u201cIt\u2019s the skincare collection for everyone who uses a screen,\u201d Valkyrae says herself in the RFLCT announcement video. \u201cIt\u2019s designed to protect your skin from blue light that is emitted from all digital screens.\u201d With products varying from a Screen Shield Defense Face Moisturizer to a Lip Guard Moisture Balm, the range intends to not just provide \u201cprotection\u201d from blue light, but also \u201crepair\u201d damage already done. The company created its own custom mix of ingredients referred to as the \u201cBlue Light Prevention Factor\u201d in order to \u201cboost your skin\u2019s defenses.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s like SPF, but for the screen,\u201d the official RFLCT store explains. \u201cPacked with vitamins and polyphenols, BLPF combats cell damage caused by blue light and other free radicals.\u201d https:\/\/twitter.com\/RFLCT_skin\/status\/1450589993693368321 While the initial announcement was limited just to skincare products, numerous trademarks indicate expansion plans. One filing covers \u201cphone cases\u201d while another touches on \u201ccosmetic cases\u201d such as handbags and purses. The New York-based company behind RFLCT, Blue Mistral, LLC, also has various trademarks filed for similar skincare brands ranging from \u201cPollution Defender\u201d to \u201cBARRAER.\u201d However, the company itself admits its very purpose may be for naught. Product descriptions specifically state that blue light is \u201cpotentially harmful,\u201d not that blue light is indisputably harmful. Multiple studies in recent years have shown that artificial blue light has no significant impact on human skin. \u201cCompared to the emissions of the sun\u2019s natural blue light, those of artificial blue light are virtually undetectable,\u201d photobiologist Dr. Ludger Kolbe explained in a 2021 report. \u201cWe do not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable,\u201d RFLCT\u2019s terms of service mentions. Moreover, the company is \u201cnot responsible\u201d if certain information on its website happens to be \u201cinaccurate.\u201d Backlash to Valkyrae\u2019s RFLCT announcement Rachel, there is no, peer reviewed literature, clinically assessing the damaging effects of blue light on the skin, and certainly none presented by rflct.Your company designs trademarks aimed to fool the average consumer into believing that the product is based on genuine science \u2014 bruce u (@OFFICIAL_BRUCEU) October 19, 2021 While many of Valkyrae\u2019s coworkers and contemporaries were quick to respond with their congratulations and praise for her new company, others weren\u2019t so pleased by the products on offer. \u201cYour company designs trademarks aimed to fool the average consumer into believing that the product is based on genuine science,\u201d one follower said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s worse,\u201d another Twitter user considered. \u201cThis scam product based on pseudoscience being sold to a bunch of impressionable 12-year-olds, or all of the other huge streamers joining in on the scam. \u201cWhoever convinced you that this was a problem is a very good conman.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t believe a blue light is destroying your skin in the way the RFLCT product presents itself,\u201d fellow Twitch streamer HasanAbi chimed in. \u201cIt\u2019s just f**king soap. \u201cThis blue light sh*t is bullsh*t.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve watched some of Valkyrae\u2019s streams, what does she know about skincare? True,\u201d xQc said during his own broadcast on October 19. Valkyrae quietly responds to RFLCT controversy Mere hours after the RFLCT announcement \u2014 and its subsequent backlash \u2014 spread across social media, Valkyrae herself issued a response. \u201cI was told to wait until tomorrow to speak,\u201d Valkyrae shared on her private Twitter account \u2018itsraechill.\u2019 \u201cI\u2019m also very confused,\u201d her message ended. This post was shortly removed within the hour. Valkyrae\u2019s confusion itself is a point of contention. In previous comments, the 100 Thieves streamer was more than eager to delve into her involvement with RFLCT\u2019s formation and the effort that went into its first batch of skincare products. \u201cI can\u2019t stop crying, this has been a long journey with my team,\u201d Valkyrae explained at the time of the announcement. The YouTube star confirmed she was directly involved in the entire creation process. From the foundational days of the company, \u201ctesting samples\u201d with those on her team, meetings with chemists, to being taken under the wing of beauty industry veteran Claudia Poccia, Valkyrae appears to have been as hands-on as possible. https:\/\/twitter.com\/Valkyrae\/status\/1450519698181787649 The online RFLCT store has also been subtly updated since the announcement. At first, the site confidently asserted that \u201cblue light emitted from digital screens can damage your skin.\u201d A few hours later, this wording was updated with further quotes from various studies. \u201cThere is mounting evidence that supports [blue light\u2019s] contribution to photo-aging,\u201d one referenced study outlined. For the time being, no further response has been provided by either Valkyrae or those on the RFLCT team. As it currently stands, the entire RFLCT skincare range is still available to purchase both online and in brick and mortar stores across the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Valkyrae responds to backlash over new RFLCT skincare product for being a \u201cscam\u201d RFLCTYouTube sensation Rachell \u2018Valkyrae\u2019 Hofstetter launched her \u2018RFLCT\u2019 skincare line on October 19 with one key purpose: to \u201cprotect\u201d users from \u201cblue light pollution\u201d emitted from screens. The announcement was met with a surge of backlash, with many labeling the products a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}