Scarlett Johansson on The Outset, Her Skin-Care Brand
Scarlett Johansson's Skin-Care Brand, The Outset, Is Here
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Scarlett Johansson has been working on The Outset, her new skin-care brand, for almost five years now. "It's surreal," she tells POPSUGAR of its long-awaited launch.
To be clear, Johansson isn't a new face in the beauty industry — on the contrary, she's been "fortunate enough," as she puts it, to work with quite a few luxury brands as an ambassador over the years. But she wanted something more: "In my late 20s, I was coming into my own as an actor, as an artist, as a woman, and just felt increasingly that my experience of being the face of these other brands was inauthentic to my own experience, to my own story, and what I was looking for as a consumer."
Still, even Johansson — Black Widow herself — didn't think that dream could become a reality at first. After stepping away from her ambassador roles, she began exploring parts of the industry behind the scenes that she wasn't initially familiar with. "[I] met with a lot of the big houses that were building brands for other celebrities, and then just kept coming back to the principle that I really wanted to do my own thing."
Then she met Kate Foster Lengyel, her now cofounder, and magic started to happen. Johansson wanted to create a brand that's simple and effective. "I have had acne-prone skin — struggled with that through my 20s — and I've tried every acne peel, mask, and skin resurfacing polish," she says. "Whenever my skin is breaking out, I have always returned to this three-step process of cleansing, and priming, and moisturizing." That's what inspired the three hero launches: a gentle cleanser, a firming collagen serum, and a daily moisturizer. To round out the line, The Outset also carries a night cream, an eye cream (her husband Colin Jost's favorite — more on that later), and a lip treatment (Johansson's "baby").
Ahead, learn more about each of the skin-care products and why Johansson loves them.
The Outset by Scarlett Johansson
The Outset's Lip Lotion Rescue Treatment (not pictured here) is delayed due to supply-chain shortages, but it's Johansson's personal favorite. "I have the world's driest lips — I know everybody says that, but I really do," she says. "I really wanted something that had a matte finish that felt like it immediately delivered." It contains lactic acid in the formula to exfoliate dry, dead skin cells to make your lips soft. "This is my baby."
The Outset Gentle Micellar Antioxidant Cleanser
The Outset Gentle Micellar Antioxidant Cleanser ($32) cleans the skin of dirt, oil, and makeup without stripping it of essential moisture.
The Outset Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum
The Outset Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum ($46) is a firming serum that includes vegan collagen to plump and hydrate the skin. It's designed to be used both morning and night, and it prepares skin for your moisturizer.
The Outset Nourishing Squalane Daily Moisturizer
The Outset Nourishing Squalane Daily Moisturizer ($44) is a simple face cream that hydrates with squalane oil from olives while also helping calm irritated skin.
The Outset The Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream
The Outset Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream ($54) features the skin-care powerhouse niacinamide, which brightens, evens tone, and reduces the appearance of blemishes. "We went back and forth a lot on this because a lot of night creams can sit on your skin, and we wanted something that felt like it was really going to be absorbed but still had a little bit of residue the next day," Johansson says.
The Outset Vitamin C Eye + Expression Lines Cream
The Outset Vitamin C Eye + Expression Lines Cream ($42) is "one of [Colin Jost's] favorites," Johansson says. You use it under your eyes to hydrate and plump the skin, and the formula contains vitamin C to brighten and provide antioxidant protection.
The Outset launches on March 1 at TheOutset.com.
