Sustainable brand stories: Selfless by Hyram

By Tilly Hayes

Meet Hyram Yarbro, the Hawaiian ‘skinfluencer’ at the forefront of the skincare industry. After amassing a large social media following on YouTube and TikTok, Hyram began to build his very own skincare range. In June this year, in collaboration with one the world’s skincare giants, The Inkey List, Hyram’s self-titled company, ‘Selfless by Hyram’ was born out of his long-term advocacy of sustainable beauty. Although initially sceptical about whether creating his own skincare line would provide something unique in an already vast industry, the brand has fast proven to be nothing short of revolutionary.

You may be wondering why this brand stands out for us? The brand’s primary goal is simple: 

‘'to help people by not only creating high quality skincare with incredible formulations, but to also give people an opportunity to empower others around the world who are impacted by some of the biggest global issues known to our generation’

The Selfless Standard

Indeed, the brand is exceptional when it comes to sustainability, outlining three key pillars of ‘The Selfless Standard’ which make up its strategy. 

• Firstly, is the ‘transparent, sustainable sourcing’ of ingredients, in a pledge to offset the widespread unethical sourcing which continues to plague the beauty industry as a whole. Selfless by Hyram ensure that all ingredients are sourced as mindfully as possible; the website openly provides statistics on how their range of products meet the given sustainability criteria. Though the brand’s long-term aim is for 100% of their ingredients to be of natural origin, currently, 94.5% of the brand’s ingredients are natural or contain natural origin components. Additionally, 81.2% of all ingredients meet level 1, 2 or 3 pf the criteria, which include factors such as production via the upcycling of a product or by being carbon neutral. You can read more about this sustainability standard here.
• Being ‘climate conscious’ is the second critical part of ‘The Selfless Standard.’ More specifically, the brand aims to reduce emissions by monitoring the areas in which they are generating the most carbon, in order to establish reduction targets as they continue and expand their operations.
• ‘Reducing Packaging Impact’ provides the final component. The tubes used to package the products are manufactured from sugarcane, a renewable product which is sourced from sustainable farms in Brazil. Further, the outside packaging is 100% recyclable, whilst vegetable based inks are also used. These inks are easier to remove during the recycling process, thus use less energy and provide a more sustainable option. Their website provides a step-by-step guide on how to recycle your skincare tubes correctly here.

Products

Though the brand’s ethos is undeniably impressive, we also love their range of products. Currently, there are 5 products available to buy, which have all quickly become cult favourites without compromising affordability or the planet. All products in the range are vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free and palm-free. The latter is critical in protecting rain forests, which are destroyed in order to make way for the expansion of palm-oil plantations. We’ve included our top 2 picks here:

Centella & Green Tea Hydrating Gel Cleanser 

This cleanser works to wash away dirt and makeup leaving the skin clean and fresh. Often, cleansers have an overly stripping effect on the skin, yet this fragrance-free option (as are all the brand’s products), containing 14.5% glycerin works to hydrate and nourish the face. 

Sourcing: True to their word, the brand sources its green tea using renewable energy, whilst ensuring that waste products used during production are recycled. You can shop here for £18 (150ml).

Mandelic Acid % Rice Bran Gentle Exfoliating Serum

This product combines Mandelic acid, PHA (phytic acid) and rice bran, creating a gentle exfoliant which removes dirt from pores, and provides a brighter more even skin tone and texture.

Sourcing: Selfless by Hyram work with the food industry to source the rice bran used in this product. Following the rice polishing process, whereby rice enters a machine to remove the husk, bran and germ parts of the rice crop, the bran is extracted by the company as an ingredient for this exfoliant. In this way, the brand do not waste rice that would not otherwise be used for food purposes which in turn conserves energy and resources. You can buy this here at just £22 for 30ml (standard size for most serums).

Social Impact 

Whilst Selfless by Hyram adheres rigorously to sustainable practices, we at Erda are also impressed by how the brand goes one step further to ensure that by purchasing their products, you are contributing to work which tackles the most pressing needs of today. Hyram believes that simply by doing daily skincare, you can become involved in enacting meaningful change. Every product purchased via the website helps to provide either clean drinking water by collaborating with the Thirst Project, or to protect tropical forests from deforestation through their partnership with the Rainforest Trust. The products are marked with a symbol indicating which cause each purchase supports.

The Thirst Project

Committed to providing access to clean water in eSwatini, Africa

Over 780 million people around the world still do not have access to safe clean drinking water, with climate change predicted to put further stress on regions where water is scarce. Through youth activation, the Thirst Project aim to provide access to clean water the Kingdom of eSwatini. They do so by building facilities to enable this, such as water wells, whilst giving locals the necessary skills to be able to maintain them. Given that many children often spend their days searching for water to take back to their families, the creation of water wells will allow children to have an education and the opportunity for a brighter future. You can watch Hyram’s statement on their collaboration with the Thirst Project here. By purchasing the Mandelic Acid and Rice Bran Serum, or the Niacinamide & Maracuja Daily Barrier Support Moisturiser (£24/50ml) you would be directly contributing towards funding the provision of clean water via the Thirst Project partnership. We think this is pretty amazing!

Protecting tropical forests against deforestation in Bolivia

The protection of the world’s tropical rainforests is becoming increasingly urgent given that they store around a quarter of the world’s carbon- crucial for reducing the effects of climate change. Selfless by Hyram’s partnership with the Rainforest Trust, a charity which has been working for over three decades to protect these forests, means that by simply purchasing the remaining three products in the range, you are directly funding this protection. Hyram’s statement on this collaboration is available here. If you want to get involved in the protection of these forests, you can purchase the Centella & Green Tea Cleanser, the Salicylic Acid & Sea Kelp Pore Clearing and Oil Control Serum (£22/30ml) or the Retinol & Rainbow Algae Repair Serum (£28/ 30ml). The brand has proven that change really can come from the little things that we can all do in making more ethical swaps in our daily lives.