Hyram Yarbro

Yarbro was born in Paulden, Arizona, and grew up on a cattle ranch.^[4][5] He is one of five children and has stated that his family were "strict" followers of Mormonism.^[6] As a teenager, Yarbro was forced to leave his family's home after coming out as gay.^[2][7] Yarbro has quoted that throughout his teens and early twenties, he suffered from depression and eating disorders, engaged in self-harm and attempted suicide.^[8]

In 2014, Yarbro moved from Arizona to Honolulu, Hawaii, to study at Brigham Young University–Hawaii.^[4] He later dropped out for financial reasons.^[8] According to Yarbro, while in college, he noticed premature aging of his skin and became interested in skincare products.^[9][7] He went on to work as a makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue.^[4] Yarbro has described his motivation for starting his YouTube channel as a response to what he saw as the widespread practice of skin-care companies misinforming consumers about dermatology in order to increase the prices of their products.^[9][4][10]

Yarbro began his YouTube channel in 2017.^[9][11] His subscriber count grew from 50,000 to 500,000 in under two weeks in 2019,^[4] and reached one million before the end of the year.^[5] He joined TikTok in 2020 and quickly gained a large following during the COVID-19 lockdown, accumulating nearly six million followers during his first six months on the platform.^[12][13]

Between March and October 2020, Yarbro released videos about the L'Oréal sub-brand CeraVe. These videos have been said to have contributed to increased popularity and sales of the brand.^[14][15][16] During this period, his videos generated $3.2 million in media impact value for the brand,^[14] and reportedly led to an 89% increase in its global sales in 2020.^[15] This subsequently resulted in a paid partnership with L'Oréal for Yarbro 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, with a portion of the profits donated to Lonely Whale, a charity focused on removing plastic from oceans.^[20] In 2022, he launched the podcast Justaposition, focusing on mental health journeys, including his own and other influencers'.^[5][8] That year, he also began posting on Flip, a shopping-focused social media app. As of August 2022, he had a small following on the platform according to Glossy.^[21]

In June 2021, Yarbro launched his skincare product line, Selfless by Hyram, in collaboration with Colette Laxton and Mark Curry, co-founders of The Inkey List. The line, consisting of five products priced between $20 and $30, was released exclusively in Sephora stores across 29 countries and online on June 24.^[17][22] For the launch, Yarbro partnered with non-profits Rainforest Trust, Youth, and Thirst.^[23] The line launched in the UK in March 2022.^[24]

Yarbro is among a group of social media influencers known as "skinfluencers" for their focus on skincare products.^[2][17][25] GQ Australia described him as being "at the forefront of the men's skincare movement".^[26] His content includes reviews and recommendations of beauty products, skincare tutorials, and reaction videos responding to the skincare routines of fans and other online influencers.^[12][18][19] Yarbro utilizes the duet feature on TikTok to create reaction videos.^[25] Elle has noted that he also uses the duet feature to address skincare myths propagated by other users.^[27] He is known for recommending lower-priced products,^[18][28][29] generally under $50^[4] and often under $10.^[10]

According to The Washington Post, Yarbro's brand focuses on promoting "clean beauty," emphasizing products with safe, organic ingredients.^[30] The Independent reported that he tends to avoid products containing fragrances and essential oils and prefers brands with sustainable manufacturing practices.^[10] In his content, Yarbro states that he is not a licensed dermatologist or aesthetician, referring to himself as a "skin care specialist",^[11] and advising that his content is not medical advice, but rather like "shopping with a best friend".^[25]

Yarbro's content generates revenue through affiliate links, YouTube ads, and brand sponsorships.^[4][12][30] He has stated that he declines 90 to 95% of offered brand deals based on product ingredients, price, and maintaining audience trust.^[4]