The Outset, the skin care brand co-founded by actress Scarlett Johansson and beauty executive Kate Foster Lengyel in March 2022, has ceased trading after four years on the market.

The company confirmed the closure in a statement on its website but gave no reason for the decision. "After an incredible journey, The Outset has made the decision to wind down operations," the statement read. "We are so grateful to everyone who welcomed us into their routines and supported us along the way."

Online shopping at theoutset.com has ended, though the brand said all existing orders will continue to be processed as usual. Customers with questions about orders are being directed to [email protected].

What the brand built

The Outset launched with a stated mission to deliver "a clear, approachable approach to beauty," according to Johansson, who outlined the positioning ahead of the 2022 debut. The brand's hero products included the Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum and the Nourishing Squalane Daily Moisturizer — formulations built around two of the most commoditized ingredient stories in mass-prestige skin care: vegan collagen alternatives and squalane.

Johansson was the celebrity face, but the operation had genuine beauty-industry experience behind it. Co-founder Lengyel held leadership roles in the beauty divisions of Victoria's Secret and Juicy Couture. Johansson herself brought brand-side experience from previous ambassadorships with L'Oréal Paris and Dolce & Gabbana, giving the venture more category credibility than most celebrity launches.

That background makes the shutdown a more telling data point. If a line with an A-list founder, an experienced operator and a clean, minimalist formulation strategy could not sustain itself past four years, the bar for new entrants in the saturated "skinimalism" segment is demonstrably higher than the 2021-2022 funding and launch cycle assumed.

A pattern of celebrity exits

The Outset is the latest in a string of celebrity-founded beauty brands to close over the past year — and the pace is accelerating.

Gxve Beauty, the line created by No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, allegedly shuttered in February 2026, also after four years in business. Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty closed in September 2025 after 13 years. Cosmoss, the brand launched by supermodel Kate Moss, ceased trading in June 2025.

Four celebrity brands down within roughly twelve months signals more than individual missteps. The 2020-2022 wave of celebrity skin care launches leaned heavily on name recognition, minimalist ingredient decks and direct-to-consumer distribution. As customer acquisition costs climbed and retail shelf space tightened, brands without a defensible formulation story or a loyal repeat-purchase base have struggled to justify their cost structures.

For suppliers and contract manufacturers, the implications are concrete. Brands built on commodity hero ingredients — squalane, vegan collagen, hyaluronic acid — face margin pressure that proprietary or clinically differentiated actives might otherwise offset. Each closure trims formulation and filling volumes from the contract manufacturing pipeline.

For retailers and professional buyers, the exits reduce the pool of celebrity-driven lines competing for prestige-adjacent shelf space, which may ease slotting competition for independent brands with stronger efficacy narratives. For remaining celebrity founders, the message from the market is unambiguous: fame buys the first purchase, but formulation performance and repeat purchase economics decide whether a brand survives year four.

The Outset survived almost exactly to that four-year mark, matching Gxve's lifespan and falling far short of Flower Beauty's 13-year run.

Cosmetics Business has contacted The Outset for a statement. Whether the brand discloses a reason for the wind-down — and whether any of its formulations or assets find a buyer — is the next detail worth watching, as asset sales from shuttered celebrity brands increasingly offer acquisition opportunities for mid-size beauty groups.