Jessica Alba arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 10, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. Photo / Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Jessica Alba arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 10, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. Photo / Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Jessica Alba has made a shock career announcement - she is taking a step back from her sustainable lifestyle business, The Honest Company.
The former actress revealed via a press release on Tuesday that she will be vacating her position as the brand’s chief creative officer but will remain on the board of directors to assist in guiding the company’s growth in the future, according to Page Six.
“When I created The Honest Company, I set out to change the consumer product industry and I can proudly say, we did just that,” Alba shared in the release. “Honest has been a true labour of love for me – one that showed me what’s possible when you infuse purpose into business.”
“While there never would have been an easy time to make this decision, I know we have a leadership team in place to advance my founding vision and protect Honest’s reputation as an industry changemaker,” she said.
“As I transition, I look forward to contributing to the company’s success in my role on the board of directors as I redirect my focus on new projects and passions.”
The Honey actress founded The Honest Company - which is centred around environmental consciousness and transparency - in 2012. She shed light on why she had decided to step down from her role after announcing the business’ record profits for the fourth quarter in 2023.
In tow with her moving caption, Alba posted a few pictures from her time working with The Honest Company, sharing a snap of her on top of merchandise boxes in a warehouse in 2011 as well as a photo of her speaking at Nasdaq — a milestone moment for the founder — in 2021.
Alba gushed about how grateful she was for her experience with the company in a post on Instagram, thanking the people she had worked with during her time as founder.
“Building Honest has been a true labour of love. From the first concept book I pitched to my friends in Mummy and Me class, to ringing the bell at Nasdaq with my family by my side – this journey has been the ride of a lifetime, one that only existed in my wildest dreams,” she shared.
She concluded the post by thanking the Honest team for their “unwavering commitment” to the brand’s vision and her customers for their ongoing support.
“Thank you for showing me that a girl with an unconventional path in business could help lead a movement for good,” she wrote.
Jessica Alba attends the unveiling of The Honest Company Ultra Clean Room at The Mount Sinai Hospital on September 10, 2014 in New York City. Photo / Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
The Fantastic Four actress also shared two quotes by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
“Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes,” the first quote said. The second read: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
While sitting down for an interview in 2022 with CNBC — who, at the time, valued The Honest Company at around US$550 million ($920 million) — Alba compared starting the brand to having children.
“It actually reminds me a lot of raising kids: When you think you’ve got it figured out, a whole other thing [happens], and you’re like, ‘Whoa, okay, here we go,’” she confessed.
“I had to release my need to control the process,” she added.
“I’ve learned a lot about the power of teamwork, and being able to support other people and the greater good — having the nugget of the idea and the vision be really clear, but [knowing that] how you get there is going to be different every time.”
