Beauty

Scarlett Johansson on acne, lymphatic drainage and arguing with Adam Driver

As Scarlett Johansson launches her beauty range The Outset, she tells Vogue all about her beauty secrets and skincare routine.
Scarlett Johansson au Festival de Cannes 2023
Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

From Lost in Translation to Avengers Assemble, you’ll know Scarlett Johansson for her roles in a roster of blockbuster movies. Now, she adds founder to her CV, as she launches her skincare brand The Outset in the UK. Here she speaks to Vogue about acne, lymphatic drainage and arguing with Adam Driver.

Scarlett Johansson on her beauty secrets and skincare routine:

On how she wakes up in the morning

“I wish I wasn’t the person that immediately checks my phone, but I do. I wake up early – I have to get up early because I have two kids. My baby sleeps longer than my daughter and I have to get my daughter ready for school. I can’t function without coffee – I have to have a cup. I love the routine and smell of it. That’s the bit of my morning I look forward to.”

On social media

“I think there are responsible ways of using it. For me, personally, the FOMO aspect of it is problematic. I’m not saying that other people can’t use it in a way where they don’t have an issue. I just do and I don’t like feeling like that. I already have enough triggers in life that make me feel that way. Even just being a busy mum with two kids and, you know, friends with no children being like, “I’m going to Miami for four days!” I’m going to four birthday parties, wanna trade?! I don’t need reminders of that on my phone.”

On how she coped with acne-prone skin while in the public eye

“I relied a lot on really incredible make-up artists to conceal my teenage and adult acne. I had struggled with acne as a teenager and then in my early twenties it was all about stripping it away and attempting to clear it with toners, retinol, drying creams and scrubs. When I was growing up, the messaging in the beauty world was that acne was ugly – there was not a lot of acceptance or support around these perceived “problems”. It was all about how you could basically resurface your entire face. I had this horrible cycle of drying out my skin and then it would get more irritated. Back then we didn’t have the information about skin barriers [that we do now], and I was terrified of putting moisturiser on my face.

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“[One day] I instinctively turned to moisturiser because I had nowhere else to go. My skin started healing itself and then I stopped picking at my face and staring into my pores, and just let my skin really reset itself. I used some hero products, some drugstore products, some more luxury brands, but I wanted to create a streamlined, transparent programme that the majority of us can use. That’s how we started The Outset.”

On the character she’d return to for a day

“Oh man, that’s really tough! I’d probably have one last argument with Adam Driver [her co-star in Marriage Story]. I’d maybe have a few things left that I’d want to tell him, just to “follow up”. [Laughs].”

On wellness

“Exercise is a huge part of my mental wellness. I try to exercise at least four days a week. That might be a recovery day where I do classic Pilates, which I love, or something more aggressive. There are other forms of Pilates that are more of a workout – that’s what I do for my overall health.”

On the secret to a really good shower or bath

“I have two young kids who follow each other (and me) around the house incessantly, so the key to either is a lock on the bathroom door!”

On her evening skincare routine

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“I only use The Outset products. I cleanse my face with our cleanser and then at night I use the Night Cream on my face, and I also put it on my feet. Sometimes I put the Boosting Oil in the Night Cream if I’m really, really dry. I also test some other things we have going on, whether that’s an overnight treatment or a new mask. I put a lot of moisture on my face at night – like, a tonne! I like having that residue there in the morning.”

On her favourite beauty treatment

“My make-up artist, Frankie Boyd, has a wonderful assistant named Mika who gives the best lymphatic facial massages. She will treat me to one before a photoshoot or premiere night, and it always makes such a difference in reducing puffiness.”

On what’s in her beach bag

“We have been working on our SPF formulation, which is coming out next year. I have a tube of that, and a good book is also a must. Just Kids by Patti Smith is so great.”

On rituals that help her to relax and switch off

“If I can find time to nap… any time of day. I think it’s maybe because I’m trained in napping because of what I do. Oftentimes on set you’ll have 15 or 20 minutes and you just run to your trailer and do little power naps because the days are so long. You’re working 16 hours a day and it’s physically strenuous, so I try to get these little, restorative naps in. Twenty minutes can change your day. Some people will meditate, some will read, and I will just power down.”

On her secret to a life well lived

“Spending time with close friends and family, cooking and enjoying good food and drinks together.”

Article originally published on vogue.co.uk

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