Scarlett Johansson launches minimalist skincare line The Outset

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has debuted beauty label The Outset, which launched in Sephora stores this week.

The minimalist brand offers an uncomplicated approach to beauty routines with a clean skincare line based around five core products, priced from 32 dollars to 54 dollars.

Founded together with Kate Foster, an entrepreneur and former beauty executive, the range includes a micellar cleanser, collagen serum, squalene moisturizer, niacinamide night cream and vitamin C eye cream.

Plant-based ingredients are the backbone of the consciously clean skincare brand, which is fragrance free and clinically tested. In a statement the company said there is no FDA standard for clean skincare, but that it eliminated over 2,700 ingredients of concern from its formulas.

In the U.S., celebrity beauty lines saw 533 million dollars of sales in 2021, up 41 percent over 2020, according to research from NDP Group. The global beauty industry is set to grow to 511 billion dollars last year, with celebrities including Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria Beckham Beauty examples of very successful brands. Recently Jennifer Anniston debuted a hair line, Harry Styles a lacquer business, in addition to Ariana Grande and Addison Rae also entering the beauty market.

Successful celebrities with a huge following on social media platforms don’t need traditional advertising to launch brands, already having a direct connection to millions of consumers.

Kylie Jenner sold a majority stake in Kylie Cosmetics to Coty Inc. for a reported 600 million dollars, proving that celebrity-backed skincare has an audience and customer and can be a lucrative earnings channel for celebrities. Whether or not these companies are borne out of an authentic desire to launch genuine products that benefit mankind, is of course another matter.