The Outset, a clean and ethical skincare brand recently launched by Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, is not just a speck amidst the unending sight of celebrity beauty brands. As complex routines and product choices crowd the beauty world, Johansson’s line encourages people to return to the essentials and celebrate their authenticity.


She tells Allure: "I created this brand to elevate clean, essential skin care, this will be a brand for everyone who wants their skin to look its best with minimal effort." She also describes The Outset to be the ‘white t-shirt’ of skincare. “I want The Outset to be universal, approachable, and as reliable as your favorite white tee—a classic staple.”



After being the face of many beauty brands, the Oscar Nominee decided to reset and created a whole beauty line that was reflective of her authentic self. The brand’s philosophy took inspiration from the simplicity of her three-step routine.

Preserving this authenticity also meant building the brand from the ground up. Johansson partnered with Kate Foster Lengnyel, a beauty and fashion executive whom she found having a similar kind of ethos. Both spent 5 years conducting their own field research, learning everything they could about non-toxic and fair-trade ingredients. 


The line focuses on five essential products: cleanser, prep serum, moisturizer, fine line serum, and night cream. All of them are formulated using clean, plant-based ingredients such as antioxidant fruit blends, vegan collagen, squalane, and bakuchiol. Their signature ingredient, Hyaluroset Complex, is said to act as a botanical alternative to hyaluronic acid, a hero ingredient blend providing plumping benefits to the skin.

The line successfully crafted a formula that eliminates thousands of potentially harmful ingredients, while also excluding fragrances, allergens, nuts, and animal ingredients. What’s more, they are packed in elegant white and blue bio-resin glass jars made of post-consumer recycled materials.


As a purpose-driven brand that gives back to both the people and the planet, The Outset doesn’t stop at clean formulation and sustainable packaging. Johansson tells W magazine: “We’ve been so mindful every step of the way of creating products that are sustainable—we’ve eliminated 2,700 harmful ingredients and really wanted to make something transparent. We’ve been able to partner with such wonderful organizations, like Dress for Success and One Tree Planted. and we’re a 1% for the Planet company. Yes, there’s a lot of fatigue, for sure, I see it too. But if there’s a way that you can create a line that feels like it’s contributing to a positive change within the industry, if you can create something that can hopefully shift the standard—then I think there’s room for that.”


The Tony winner star plans to branch out The Outset into make-up products, fragrance, and even home-goods, baby care, and apparel. Products are now available to purchase at their website and will launch at Sephora on April 26.