Jessica Alba is closing a chapter with The Honest Company. In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, April 9, the founder announced that she’s stepping down as the baby and beauty brand’s chief creative officer (CCO), a role she’s held since founding the company in 2012.
“It is with is with a grateful heart that twelve years after founding The Honest Company, I am stepping down from my leadership role as Chief Creative Officer,” she wrote in the caption, accompanied by a gallery of snapshots highlighting brand milestones: Alba sitting atop hundreds of boxes of Honest Company products in 2011, ringing the Nasdaq Stock Market opening bell in 2021, and posing with Carla Vernón, the company’s CEO, in 2024.
Though Alba’s stepping down from her role, she’s not cutting ties with the company. “I will continue to provide strategic advice through my role on the board,” she continued. “While there would never have been an easy time to make this decision, I know we have a leadership team in place with Carla Vernón at the helm to advance our founding vision and strengthen Honest’s legacy as an industry change-maker.”
The Honest Company was founded with the mission of providing safe and affordable formulations for babies, which later expanded to products for the whole family. Its offerings span from clean cosmetics and skin-care essentials to household cleaning products, diapers, wipes and beyond. It’s products are free of ingredients that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment, and packaged with eco-friendly materials.
Since the company’s inception, it’s seen tremendous growth. In 2014, Honest partnered with Target, introducing its products in stores. In 2017, it made its way to Amazon, and more recently, in July 2022, expanded by entering Ulta Beauty and Walmart stores.
“Building Honest has been a true labor of love,” Alba’s post continued. “From the first concept book I pitched to my friends in Mommy 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.”
Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff
Alba concluded the emotional post with a message to her colleagues and fans of the brand: “To the entire Honest team, past and present, your unwavering commitment to our mission is the fuel that keeps us going. Everyone always says you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with – thank you for allowing me to be the best version of myself.
And of course to our Honest families, I’m forever grateful. Reading your stories and testimonials, seeing pictures of your baby showers, monthly milestones, AM/PM routines, and everything in-between – please never stop sharing these moments with us. You are the reason we exist. “
If you’re itching to try the ever-evolving brand, you’ve got options. Those itching to upgrade their makeup bag should take Alba’s word that the brand’s Honestly Bright Eyes ($24) is “actually life-changing.”
“Every beauty and fashion influencer friend of mine who uses it is like, ‘What the heck is this?’” she told NewBeauty in July of 2022. “I even got my manager to use it and now he can’t live without it. He’s like, ‘I look too good.’”
