Scarlett Johansson to Launch Beauty Line

[lucy92]

“I’ve been fascinated by the transformative power of beauty since I was a child. My mother instilled in me a passion for self care from my early teenage years. Several years ago, I took a step back from my beauty deals with the goal of creating something true to me. The result is a clean, accessible approach to beauty,” Johansson said in a statement.

The line is being funded by The Najafi Companies, the same investors behind Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross, Moon Oral Care, Beach House Group and Florence by Mills. Industry sources said the initial investment falls within the range of $5 million to $10 million, and that Johansson and her cofounder, Kate Foster, will have ongoing access to capital.


“I met Scarlett almost two years ago. She shared her brand vision with me and right away, I was thinking about how we could turn it into a reality. It has been an incredible experience working alongside her and we are thrilled to have the support and partnership of The Najafi Companies to help the brand achieve its full potential,” Foster said exclusively to WWD.


Johansson is the latest in a string of celebrities slated to bring a beauty brand to market. It is the actress’ first play as an entrepreneur, and her unnamed line is expected to launch in early 2022.

“I’ve been fascinated by the transformative power of beauty since I was a child. My mother instilled in me a passion for self care from my early teenage years. Several years ago, I took a step back from my beauty deals with the goal of creating something true to me. The result is a clean, accessible approach to beauty,” Johansson said in a statement.

The line is being funded by The Najafi Companies, the same investors behind Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross, Moon Oral Care, Beach House Group and Florence by Mills. Industry sources said the initial investment falls within the range of $5 million to $10 million, and that Johansson and her cofounder, Kate Foster, will have ongoing access to capital.


“I met Scarlett almost two years ago. She shared her brand vision with me and right away, I was thinking about how we could turn it into a reality. It has been an incredible experience working alongside her and we are thrilled to have the support and partnership of The Najafi Companies to help the brand achieve its full potential,” Foster said exclusively to WWD.
“We are proud to have built a brand that fills a void in the market and addresses a true consumer need. Our brand platform is differentiated and has a great deal of runway for growth and expansion,” added Foster, who has held leadership roles in the beauty divisions of Victoria’s Secret and Juicy Couture.

Despite a cluttered market, Jahm Najafi, founder and chief executive officer of the Najafi Companies, remained focused on the brand’s longevity.

“The Najafi Companies is an entrepreneurial and mission-driven private investment firm. We are not a fund and we don’t manage third-party capital. We invest using our own capital, which enables us to truly think long term, move expeditiously and remain highly flexible,” he said exclusively to WWD.

“We also do not subscribe to a diversification strategy; rather, we concentrate our time and resources and look for needles in a haystack. We are passionate about supporting ambitious and thoughtful founders and management teams who lead with integrity and vision. Scarlett and Kate fit squarely in the type of leaders with whom we love to partner for the long term,” Najafi continued.

James Manso/WWD.com

 

[lucy92]

Scarlett previously had endorsement deals with L'oreal and D&G.

This time she's doing it with a Private Equity Company that also owned the rights to the Paula Deen trademark at one point.

Both Pattern by Tracee Ellis and Florence by Mills are at Ulta - Maybe that means that Scarlett's line will also be sold at Ulta. and Millie Bobbie Brown purchased the majority stake in her line back from Najafi - perhaps Scarlett is planning on doing the same. Launch, wait three years then buy back the line or flip to to a bigger beauty player.

Although it is somewhat promising that Scarlett is working with a PE Company that uses it's own $ that may help ensure a more long term strategy.

 

[tigerrouge]

At this point, in such a saturated market, it feels like a poorly-timed celebrity cash grab.

 

[badgalcrush]

B**ch you late to the party and I wonder how will operate her marketing team to promote it since if I'm not wrong Scarlett is quite silent on social media

 

[lucy92]

Scarlett gave an additional quote to Allure here. Looks like the brand will at least initially focus on skincare.

"I created this brand to elevate clean, essential skin care," she tells Allure. "This will be a brand for everyone who wants their skin to look its best with minimal effort."

 

[Steddycam91]

This is definitely unexpected because despite being in the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, she's a pretty lowkey and under the radar celebrity. I mean, she doesn't even have social media!

Curious to see how much she "opens up" when launching this skincare line. It's definitely been interesting to see stars like Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman become increasingly active on social media, and using that as a way to promote themselves and their business endeavors.

 

[lucy92]

This is definitely unexpected because despite being in the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, she's a pretty lowkey and under the radar celebrity. I mean, she doesn't even have social media!

Curious to see how much she "opens up" when launching this skincare line. It's definitely been interesting to see stars like Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman become increasingly active on social media, and using that as a way to promote themselves and their business endeavors.

My guess is that she'll also promote it similar to the way Jennifer Aniston promotes Vital Proteins. Not necessarily a dedicated photo shoot but pieces in allure and other websites will run quotes from her.

Scarlett has also invested in a pizza bite startup. That would be more difficult to promote - unless she comes at it from a "concerned parent" standpoint.

 

[tigerrouge]

People are going to bring up that incident where she resigned as Oxfam global ambassador in order to continue advertising SodaStream products.

 

[FelipeV]

Great, just what we need. More plastic into the ocean.

 

[missnyc]

I'm bored already.

 

[Drusilla_]

I swear she has the most random product lines out sometimes. Didn't she do a popcorn one years ago? Weirdly that makes it more likely to be her idea lol.