Scarlett Johansson has beaten out a list of deserving beauties to top Playboy's annual 25 Sexiest Celebrities list.

The 22-year-old actress' "sensuality" and "beauty" saw off stiff competition from Angelina Jolie, Beyonce Knowles and Jessica Alba.

The adult magazine writes: "Scarlett Johansson is the apex of beauty and sensuality - from her porcelain skin to her fully feminine figure to her mysterious charisma, which is at once palpable and indefinable."