YouTube streaming star Valkyrae launches skin care line to controversy, ethical questions

“New technologies often produce minor moral panics about health (radiation from cell towers, microwaves cause cancer, etc.),” said Hobbes, “and it’s easy for companies to capitalize on those by selling ‘cures.’ ” Skin care, he added, is especially susceptible to wellness grifts because aging happens no matter what, and it’s influenced by numerous difficult-to-measure factors. “It’s the same reason multivitamins are scammy,” he said. “How can you really tell if they’re working?”