Seeing the words ‘Scarlett Johansson interview’ in my diary wasn’t something I had on my 2023 bingo card, but last week, it was added and then ticked off.

“My girlfriend just messaged me and asked if I have a long black dress she can borrow for a ‘black tie optional’ wedding. I’m like, a long black dress? Do YOU have a long black dress?” she asks me as soon as I join the call. I don’t think I do, I say, and as it turns out, neither does she.

The interview is happening over Zoom. I’m sitting in my south London bedroom; in near darkness, except for a bright white ring light I’ve turned on especially for the occasion; ScarJo’s in her office in New York. Before the call, I naively assumed there would be a whole host of her people joining us, which is usually the case with big celebrity interviews, but I was wrong. Instead, it’s just me, Johansson and the UK PR for The Outset, which is the skincare brand she co-founded last year and the reason I’m talking to her. 

If you haven’t heard of The Outset, let me fill you in: its mission is to create gentle, effective skincare that focuses on supporting and strengthening the skin barrier, instead of stripping it with harsh ingredients. It’s clever, really, since it seems the majority of us spent lockdown (remember that?) experimenting with strong acids – and, as a result, ended up causing accidental irritation.

Now, though, the term ‘skin barrier’ is much more commonplace and the education around it is better than ever, and as far as I’m concerned, any brand that works to soothe and hydrate skin while promising results is right up my street. Two of my favourite products from the brand are the Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum, £39, and the Exfoliating Caffeine Micro Polish, £29.

During our chat, Johansson speaks openly and honestly about her skin journey, why she launched the brand in the first place and the products we’ll find in her day-to-day make-up bag. Here’s what she had to say…

How did the idea for The Outset come about?

I struggled with acne forever. My brother actually just showed me photos of myself at a family thing when I was probably 19 or 20, and my skin quality is completely different. When I saw that photo it just, you know, it brought everything back. All those painful memories. I just struggled with my skin for such a long time. I used to wear concealer to work in the morning, even though somebody was about to put make-up on my face. But that was when I was younger and the messaging around acne back then was that your skin was grimy and dirty, and you’d get rid of the blemishes by washing it. It was all so negative – and also incorrect. At that point, I was using every product I was prescribed and that I saw in the media. I would go through these cycles of drying out the acne and then having all this redness and irritation. It was a non-stop cycle. Then, when I was in my mid-to-late 20s, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I started using gentle products consistently, I began moisturising, and within a week my skin was completely different.

And is that when things clicked into place?

Yeah, I thought, you know, there’s something in this; people are dealing with this too and I’m solving it by being consistent and using very gentle skincare. That was around six years ago, and it’s been an incredible challenge and an amazing process, but the result of my own skin quality, of my friends and our customers, it’s amazing. That’s what keeps us going here.

Is creating a skincare line something you always thought you’d be doing?

It’s funny, because when I told my friends I was starting a skincare line they were like, ‘Finally!’ So for them, it was [always on the cards for me] but I just never could have imagined entering into the start-up world. The b2b [business to business] space is a completely different industry for me, and it’s been challenging but also really rewarding

Would you call The Outset a celebrity beauty brand or do you think that’s almost doing it a disservice?

I don’t know. I mean, my goal was for these products to live on without me and for them to stand on their own. It was never supposed to be about, oh you know, if you want to look like me then use these products. The idea is to be the best version of yourself, and I know that’s a very overused concept, but when you’re talking about skin, that means different things to different people. Feeling like you’re waking up in the morning and your skin is glowing, that’s what you want people to be focusing on. We have such a positive customer return rate, and people are seeing that if they’re consistent then they’re getting compliments, and that’s awesome.

Love that. A skincare compliment is up there with the best type of compliment. OK so, can you talk me through your typical morning routine?

Right! So, I wake up pretty early because I have two children and my daughter is in school. I have a baby, too, who’s in a sleep regression and is waking me up at all hours. So I get up around 6.45am and, unfortunately, I look at my phone immediately. I should not be doing that. I brush my teeth, wash my face with our cleanser and then use our serum, and if I’m going to work out after the school run then I don’t use moisturiser until that’s done. Then I’ll wake my daughter. I’ll have an oat milk coffee and get her out the door.

And if I was to rummage through your everyday make-up bag, what would I find in there?

What about wellness, what does that mean to you and how does it look in your life?

For me, wellness is a huge part of my mental wellbeing. I try and do some sort of exercise around four days a week if I can. I’ve been doing pilates for the last eight years or so, and I’ve found it to be amazing. I used to mostly just lift weights, but at some point, my recovery wasn’t what it used to be, you know. I think it’s just getting older and having my body change – but pilates really helped me feel better in all ways. I do classes with a couple of different instructors, and I’ve been incorporating some weightlifting a little bit more again. I think I’m better at it now because of pilates.

What do you love most about living in New York?

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with New York. It’s sort of an impossible place to be all the time in a lot of ways, but I also miss it when I’m not here. I miss the flexibility of it – sometimes it’s such an easy place to live; everything is constantly accessible, and you get very spoiled that way. It’s also incredibly inspiring. Everywhere you go there are people doing interesting things, and wearing interesting things.

This is a random one, but I just got back from LA and became obsessed with Erewhon [an incredibly overpriced health food shop] and I’d love to know if you ever shop there and, if so, what do you buy?

You know, I’ve never actually been. I’m more of a Gelson’s type, which in my experience is the greatest supermarket of all time. But I know people love Erewhon, they love the crunchy granola-y ness of it. What do you like in there?

Well, I bought a $18 jar of almond butter, and I spent $60 on three Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze smoothies

Erewhon has some fine real estate; they have to keep their prices high!

I’m sad you haven’t been, I feel like you should go…

You’re trying to empty my wallet, I guess? [laughs] Listen, I’ve spent time out in the Hamptons in Long Island, so I know what it’s like to spend $16 on a single tomato. That has happened to me. You can’t go back though. You pay for it and then you realise you got hoodwinked into buying it. Like, you’re at the cash register and you put the tomato in a plastic bag and you have to go through with it…

Yes! Exactly. I think that’s all we have time for, but thank you so much for speaking to me

Thank you, it was a pleasure.

The Outset is available to buy online now

Images: Getty