Scarlett Johansson credits minimal beauty routine for sense of calm and balance
The actress says her minimal skincare routine helps her stay grounded during busy days
Actress Scarlett Johansson has spoken about how her simple skincare routine helps her feel “grounded,” saying her approach to beauty today is focused on calm, consistency, and self-acceptance rather than correction.
The 41-year-old Black Widow star discussed her routine in an interview with Yahoo!’s Laugh Lines, where she reflected on how her relationship with skincare has evolved alongside her career and personal life.
Johansson, who launched her skincare brand The Outset in 2022, said her daily routine is intentionally minimal and non-negotiable, designed to take less than three minutes.
“It’s predictable, it’s calming, and it’s something I can control,” she said, describing it as one of the few moments in her day where she is not multitasking.
She added that her approach to beauty is rooted in the idea of “supportive, not corrective” care, focusing on maintaining skin health rather than trying to constantly change or “fix” it.
Johansson explained that her skincare ritual provides a sense of grounding, describing it as a brief pause in otherwise busy days.
“It’s not about transformation—it’s about maintenance, in the best sense of the word,” she said. “Like checking in with yourself.”
The actress also noted that her “beauty escape” is often simple and unglamorous, usually involving just a few quiet minutes alone, sometimes even in the car.
She said the practice is less about products and more about giving herself permission to pause and step away from constant stimulation.
“There’s something about that small, tactile moment that pulls you out of whatever chaos you’re in,” she said, referring in particular to reapplying products like The Outset’s Lip Oasis balm as a reset during the day.
Johansson also reflected on how her perspective on beauty has shifted over time, saying that earlier in her career, it felt more external and image-driven.
Now, she said, she is more focused on how her skin feels rather than how it looks, adding that she has “let go of a lot” and no longer feels the same pressure to meet a specific standard.
“When you’re not constantly trying to ‘fix’ things, you actually feel more like yourself,” she said.
She also credited her experience working in film and long hours in makeup chairs for shaping her approach, noting that heavy product use sometimes led to skin sensitivity and breakouts.
That experience, she said, ultimately reinforced her belief that “more isn’t better,” inspiring the creation of her simplified skincare philosophy.
