After weeks of backlash, apologies, DM leaks, and controversy, Co-owner of 100 Thieves and Twitch streamer Rachell "Valkyrae" Hofstetter confirmed on Tuesday that she is no longer part of RFLCT, the skincare company she co-founded. Further, RFLCT has officially pulled all of its products from 400 stores.
The company came under fire almost immediately upon its reveal for claiming its products would protect you from the "dangers" of blue light without providing any credible research to back up their claims.
"RFLCT is no longer, we officially separated, without a lawsuit!" the streamer stated on a stream. "They pulled all the products out of 400 stores. So that happened, it was a clean break! Took a long time, with lawyers and stuff, but we did it! I will never forget, and we got really lucky that there wasn't a lawsuit."
Rae somewhat jokingly said that she thinks she has "mental damage" and trauma following the whole ordeal, speaking to the mental health toll the backlash has had on her.
According to Rae, RFLCT was developed over 2 years and had investment from the makeup store ULTA. However, the company was beset with criticisms from many, including skincare experts, for its claims that blue light is highly dangerous to the skin and that the products would protect you. When people demanded to see the research, Valkyrae explained that she had seen the research but that she couldn't make it public, a fact that she was unaware of going into this endeavor.
Valkyrae's involvement in the product was primarily as a tester and a brand ambassador, but she nonetheless became the focal point of many people's backlash and anger toward RFLCT and its many marketing claims. Over the past week, Valkyrae made it clear in both her public statements and in a leaked private DM between her and Ludwig that she wanted out of the project, and it seems she has accomplished that goal today.
RFLCT products disappeared from store pages across the internet earlier this week in an apparent shutdown last week. With Valkyrae confirming that the company has shut down and that she is no longer involved, it looks like this is finally the end of the RFLCT controversy.
-
Aaron is an esports reporter with a background in media, technology, and communication education.
Sort by:
Comments :0