After streamer Valkyrae's RFLCT skin care products' controversial claims of protecting against skin damage from blue light, the brand has shut down.

Not long after launch, YouTube streamer Valkyrae's RFLCT skincare line has shut down following debate over its controversial blue-light claims. Rachell Hoftstetter (better known as Valkyrae) gained popularity streaming on Twitch, but Valkyrae signed an exclusive YouTube Gaming deal in January 2020. In October, she promoted a new cosmetics brand called RFLCT to her large YouTube audience. The products were advertised as offering skin protection from damaging blue light, which is emitted by LED screens (among other sources). However, Valkyrae and RFLCT faced extensive backlash immediately after the brand was unveiled.

The credibility of RFLCT was called into question due to insufficient evidence supporting its claim that blue light emitted from screens causes skin damage. Critics pointed out that blue light's negative effects on skin hasn't been fully proven and argued a skincare product with a formula protecting against this damage seemed unlikely. Valkyrae responded to RFLCT criticisms in a now-deleted voice recording uploaded to Twitter. In the recording, she explained her sympathies with fans concerned by claims about the brand being a scam and expressed surprise that the RFLCT website did not cite scientific studies to back its blue light claims. She ended her recording by promising to go into more detail on this topic in the future.

Following this public backlash, Valkyrae's RFLCT skincare line has shut down. On October 30, the official RFLCT official Twitter account (which has since been deleted) announced the discontinuation of its products, stating, "While we believe in the formulations created, after further reflection, have decided to move forward on new paths, effectively terminating the RFLCT brand." Visiting RFLCT's official website provides the same message, and a search for the brand on Ulta Beauty's website results in "No products found."

Valkyrae was announced as co-owner of the 100 Thieves esports brand in April, so this isn't her first entrepreneurial venture. With the RFLCT brand's collapse, Valkyrae's online reputation has likely taken a hit. Throughout the cosmetics controversy, both the brand and Valkyrae did not admit RFLCT's claim of blue light skin protection was unproven. Valkyrae has since deleted her tweets of support for the product, but RFLCT has not walked back its claims.

Time will tell whether Valkyrae will directly address the discontinuation of RFLCT in coming days. It hasn't been long since the brand's official cancellation, so it's possible official statements by either or both parties could be forthcoming. As a public figure, online comments previously pressured Valkyrae to play less GTA RP, and she and her team have likely been receiving an influx of negative engagement since the RFLCT controversy began.

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Sources: RFLCT/Twitter, RFLCT