Jessica Alba She came up with the idea for The Honest Company after realizing how many baby products contained petrochemicals and synthetic fragrances.
During pregnancy with her and her husband Cash WarrenWhen she had her first baby, daughter Honor, in 2008, Alba suffered an allergic reaction after pre-washing her rompers with a common brand of detergent. This experience led her to research the ingredients of other consumer products for young children.
“I was shocked,” Alba said HIMSELF of their findings in December 2011: “There are so many toxic chemicals – not just obvious ones like bleach – in crib mattresses and baby shampoo that are known and proven to be harmful to health.”
The actress, who also shares daughter Haven, born in 2011, and son Hayes, born in 2017, with Warren, founded The Honest Company in 2012, when only seven products were available at the time. The company quickly expanded to include a makeup and skincare line and was valued at $1.7 billion in 2015. However, Alba also suffered some setbacks in the business sector.
Keep scrolling to take a look at The Honest Company’s ups and downs over the years.
The honest company starts
Alba and her co-founders, Christopher Gavigan And Brian Leefounded the company in 2012.
During an appearance on CNN’s “Boss Files With Poppy Harlow” podcast in February 2018, Alba recalled feeling “so alone” in the company’s early days.
“It’s hard when you’re the only woman in the room, in the boardroom,” she explained. “It’s not that they didn’t want to [add women to the board]. When you think about your financial goals month to month, and that is more important than developing a long-term vision and strategy, you just have a different mentality about how you build something.”
Goop gives the honest company a bad rating
In April 2014, Gwyneth Paltrow gave several The Honest Company products a “C” grade in the Goop newsletter “The Dirty on Getting Clean.” She also gave the company’s stain remover an F grade.
“Many of the ‘clean’ products I proudly use (and have even promoted on Goop) have turned out to be marketing products rather than truly safe,” Paltrow, who founded her wellness and lifestyle brand in 2008, wrote to Time.
Do we trust Goop? Gwyneth Paltrow has courted controversy since launching her wellness and lifestyle brand Goop in 2008. What started as a weekly newsletter from the author of Clean Plate grew into an extensive website that spawned a clothing line, wellness products, a recipe portal, a podcast, a magazine and health summits, among other things. “We operate from […]
Alba called Goop’s rating system “outdated” in an October 2014 interview with Goop. The Hollywood Reporterand said, “Everyone [who] “If someone understood the science,” they would know that the mere presence of an ingredient does not mean that the products contain harmful levels of that ingredient.
“We have never described ourselves as environmentally friendly. We simply have non-toxic, highly effective products that are beautifully designed and affordable,” she added.
Early success
In the summer of 2014, Honest raised $70 million from venture capitalists in preparation for an IPO, valuing the company at nearly $1 billion.
Backlash against Honest Beauty sunscreen
Consumers took to social media in August 2015 to share images of sunburns they allegedly suffered while using Honest’s zinc-based sunscreen.
“Don’t buy @Honest sunscreen unless you want to look like that. “Second time I tried this stuff and got fried,” one X user captioned a photo of themselves with a sunburned chest.
The Honest Company responded to the criticism in a statement Us weekly.
“The number of complaints received on our own website about our sunscreen lotion represents less than half a percent of all units actually sold on Honest.com,” the company said. “We stand behind the safety and effectiveness of this product.”
Alba also addressed the controversy herself via Instagram.
“Protecting our loved ones and yours is why we founded The Honest Company. As parents, it pains us to hear that someone has had a negative experience with our sunscreen,” she wrote. “We develop and use Honest Sunscreen to protect our own children – Honor, Haven, Luke, Evie and Poppy – every day at the park, in the pool, outside. As with everything we do, we take sun protection seriously here at Honest.”
Alba added that “consumer trust” is of utmost importance to Honest, noting that the team has “personally picked up the phone to speak to many of you about concerns about sunscreen.”
Honest beauty introductions
In September 2015, Honest Beauty launched its own brand with its own website and logo. The brand initially offered 83 products, which was reduced to just over 40 in 2018.
“We streamline everything so the line doesn’t seem overwhelming,” Alba explained Lure in June 2018. “We just didn’t need all of those options. We cast a wide net.”
Detergent Concerns
In March 2016 The Wall Street Journal reported that Honest’s liquid laundry detergent contained a “significant amount” of sodium lauryl sulfate, one of the synthetic ingredients the company refused to use. The Honest Company denied the claims in a statement to Us by the time.
“Despite providing the Wall Street Journal “With substantial evidence to the contrary, they falsely claimed that our laundry detergent contained sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS),” the statement said. “To be clear, we use sodium coconut sulfate (SCS) in our brand of laundry detergent because it is a gentler alternative that is less irritating and safer to use. We stand behind our detergent and take our responsibility to our consumers to produce safe and effective products very seriously.”
complain
In April 2016, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) filed a lawsuit alleging that the company falsely labeled its premium infant formula as “organic.” The lawsuit also alleged that the product contained 11 synthetic products that are not allowed in organic products under federal law.
The Honest Company noted in a statement that the product is FDA-approved and contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients, in accordance with the USDA’s requirements for an organic label.
“This lawsuit should address their disagreement over existing organic standards with the U.S. government, not with Honest,” the statement said.
A judge dismissed OCA’s complaint in December 2016.
The Honest Company settled two other lawsuits in June 2017, Reuters reported at the time. The first lawsuit was filed by Brad Good evening, which accused the company of misleadingly marketing at least 41 items. He claimed that some of the products labeled as “natural” contained synthetic and toxic ingredients.
The second lawsuit, filed in New York, also involved allegations of fraudulently labeled products. The Honest Company denied the claims in both lawsuits.
Alba argued during an appearance in August 2016 Today that her company was under more scrutiny because of her public persona.
“If an organization wants to raise awareness of their cause, I’m an easy target, and of course our brand is an easy target because I get a different kind of attention than other brands. It’s just what happens,” she said.
Jessica Alba has been named one of the richest self-made women by Forbes
Alba made Forbes‘ list of the richest self-made women in the United States in June 2016. The magazine listed her net worth at $340 million, citing her 20 percent stake in The Honest Company, which was valued at $1.7 billion in August 2015 US dollars had after raising $100 million capital.
The following May Forbes noted that Alba had lost her place on the list, estimating her net worth at $200 million.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have the cutest kids! Since their wedding in May 2008, the couple has welcomed three young children. The couple’s eldest daughter, Honor, was born a month after their wedding, followed by Haven in August 2011. The actress gave birth to son Hayes in December 2017. The California native called baby No. 3 […]
The honest company goes public
Honest filed for an IPO in April 2021 and began trading on the NASDAQ exchange the following month. The IPO raised $412.8 million, valuing the company at $1.44 billion.
Stock prices fall
The Honest Company had a tough year after going public. In April 2022, shares fell to $4.52 apiece, compared to $23 a share on the day of the IPO, it said The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet also reported that Alba’s stake in the company fell from $130 million to $30 million within a year.
Jessica Alba steps down as chief creative officer
Alba surprised fans and loyal customers alike when she announced in April 2024 that she was stepping down as Honest’s chief creative officer.
“I will continue to provide strategic advice as part of my role on the board. While there was never an easy time to make this decision, I know we have a leadership team in place Carla Vernon at the helm to advance our founding vision and strengthen Honest’s legacy as an industry changemaker,” she wrote via Instagram.
“Building Honest has been a true labor of love,” she continued. “From the first concept book I introduced to my friends in Mommy and Me class to ringing the Nasdaq bell with my family by my side, this journey has been the ride of a lifetime that only existed in my wildest dreams .”