The Outset, the skincare brand Scarlett Johansson co-founded, wound down operations on 28 September 2026 after four years in business. Online ordering stopped that day, though the company said existing orders would still be fulfilled. It gave no reason for the closure.
What The Outset Said When It Closed
The brand announced the shutdown in a short message posted to its own homepage, with no explanation attached.
The statement read: “After an incredible journey, The Outset has made the decision to wind down operations. We’re so grateful to everyone who welcomed us into their routines and supported us along the way.” Online shopping ended the same day, and the company confirmed that orders already placed would still be processed.
That is the whole of the official account. No cause was named, no buyer was announced, and no closing date for the wider business was given. Everything else written about why The Outset failed is analysis by outside observers, not a company explanation.
Who Founded The Outset and What It Sold
The Outset was a sensitive-skin focused skincare line co-founded by actress Scarlett Johansson and beauty executive Kate Foster Lengyel, launched in March 2022.
Foster Lengyel, who had held leadership roles at Victoria’s Secret and Juicy Couture, served as chief executive. Johansson was the public face but deliberately kept her own celebrity out of the marketing, describing the goal as an accessible, uncomplicated routine rather than a star vehicle.
The range opened with five products priced between about $32 and $54, and grew to roughly 14. Its best-selling items were the Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum and the Nourishing Squalane Daily Moisturizer.
The Leadership Gap Before the Shutdown
The Outset spent most of its final 17 months without a permanent chief executive.
Foster Lengyel left the company in April 2025, and no permanent successor was announced. Karen Raghavan, formerly president at Allies of Skin, then ran the brand as fractional chief executive — a temporary, contract role rather than a full-time appointment — from May to August 2026.
The wind-down came on 28 September 2026, roughly a month after that contract ended. No outlet has reported that a permanent chief executive was ever appointed between Foster Lengyel’s departure and the closure.
What the Money and the Sales Estimates Show
The Outset raised institutional money and reached meaningful scale before closing, which makes the shutdown a commercial decision rather than a failure to launch.
- Lead investor: The Najafi Companies, reported to have put in between $5 million and $10 million.
- Other backers: Beliade and Plus Capital.
- First-year expectation: industry sources projected about $10 million in retail sales.
- 2025 sales estimate: the retail data firm Charm.io put the brand’s 2025 sales between $10 million and $25 million.
- Peak distribution: roughly 500 Sephora doors from April 2022.
Sephora mattered more than any other channel, and The Outset eventually left it. No outlet has reported a date for that exit or a reason from either company, so the common claim that losing Sephora caused the closure remains an inference rather than a documented sequence.
Can You Still Buy The Outset?
Not from the brand. Its own online store closed on 28 September 2026, and any remaining stock sits with third-party retailers.
At the time it wound down, The Outset was stocked by Amazon, Credo, Cult Beauty, Goop, Knockout Beauty, Niche Beauty, Nordstrom, QVC, Revolve and Shopbop. Those retailers were selling through existing inventory rather than receiving new shipments, so availability depends on what each one still held.
In the weeks before the announcement the brand ran an end-of-summer sale with markdowns reaching 50 percent. Customers quoted in coverage of the closure said they had no advance warning to stock up, which is a familiar pattern in retail wind-downs — the same complaint followed The Body Shop’s store closures.
The Outset Joins a Run of Celebrity Beauty Closures
The Outset is the latest of several celebrity-founded beauty brands to shut in less than two years.
Kate Moss’s Cosmoss was liquidated in June 2025. Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty closed in September 2025 after 13 years. Gwen Stefani’s GXVE Beauty ceased operations in February 2026, also after about four years.
Marketing specialists quoted by Inc. after the closure pointed to a particular trap: Johansson’s decision to play down her own fame left the brand without the recognition that drives celebrity beauty sales, while it still carried the cost base of a celebrity launch. That reading is contested, and the company never endorsed it. Brands that outlive this kind of squeeze usually do so by changing owner rather than shutting, as Tupperware did.
The timing is worth noting. On 12 January 2026, Forbes published an interview with Johansson in which she discussed what still drove the brand and teased new launches for the year ahead. The wind-down followed about eight months later.
The Outset’s Status as of 7 October 2026
As of 7 October 2026, The Outset is closed, is not taking orders, and has announced no sale, relaunch or new owner.
Neither Johansson nor the company has issued any statement beyond the homepage notice, and no reason for the shutdown has been given publicly. The 28 September 2026 wind-down remains the most recent verified development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Did The Outset Shut Down?
The company never said. Its closing notice gave no reason, and no filing or statement has explained the decision.
Is The Outset Coming Back?
There is no indication that it is. No relaunch, buyer or revival has been announced as of 7 October 2026.
Will My Existing Outset Order Still Arrive?
The company said orders already placed would continue to be fulfilled when it announced the wind-down on 28 September 2026.
Who Owned The Outset?
It was co-founded by Scarlett Johansson and Kate Foster Lengyel, with The Najafi Companies as lead investor alongside Beliade and Plus Capital.
How Long Was The Outset in Business?
About four and a half years, from its March 2022 launch to the 28 September 2026 wind-down.
