Scarlett Johansson's skincare brand The Outset is shutting down, announcing on its own website that "after an incredible journey," it will "wind down operations," according to Page Six. The brand gave no reason, and it is now telling fans to stock up on the bestsellers "before they're gone for good."
Celebrity skincare has a three-act structure. The launch party (photographed), the "genuine buzz" (glowing-skin beauty editors), and the website statement. The Outset made it to act three, which is further than most celebrity brands get, and the statement reads like a farewell address from a luxury cruise line. "After an incredible journey." No mention of what actually happened. In beauty PR, "wind down operations" means "we can't say."
The funniest part is who's covering the death. The outlet that broke the story spent 800 words on deep links to Nordstrom and Amazon, urging you to stock up on serum before it sells out. The obituary is a clearance rack. On Instagram, fans wrote "don't close down, please," which is what you say to a dead brand the way you'd say "see you again" at a funeral. Nobody is asking. What fans are actually asking is whether there will be a second brand. The cycle turns, the bottle gets a new face, and the launch party gets photographed again.
Here's the math. Celebrity skincare is not a product, it is a contract with a face. The liquid keeps working after the face moves on to the next thing, but the brand does not. You were never buying skincare. You were buying the celebrity, diluted. The subscription is over.
YOUR TURN: Is a celebrity skincare brand a product or a subscription to a face?
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