Catégorie : The Honest Company

Jessica Alba on Good Morning America – March 12

Jessica Alba stopped by GMA this morning (March 12) to promote the Honest Life by sharing some of her beauty tips, recipes and more .

Jessica Alba interview about The Honest Company

Jessica Alba tells us about The Honest Company’s latest offerings and exclusive sale

It’s been 10 months since Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan launched The Honest Company, an eco-friendly and toxin-free baby products and household items company. If anyone thinks that the actress is just the face of the company who only shows up to draw attention to the products and then goes back to her Hollywood life, they’d be sorely mistaken. The company is truly the brainchild of the mom of two — to Honor, 4, and Haven, 1 — and she takes personal pride in its success.

The company will launch its newest styles — purple leopard and green-and-gray lumberjack patterned diapers — and latest product — a trio of lip balms for mom — on GiltKids.com tomorrow afternoon as part of the company’s first sale on the site. We joined Gilt Groupe, Jessica, and Christopher at Honest’s offices to discuss the brand, the new products, and what moms really want in their products. And come back tomorrow for the rest of our conversation about Jessica’s seamless transition from actress to businesswoman, and the products her kids like best.

Moderator: So we were talking a little bit about the partnership with Gilt; what made you want to partner with them? How did that come about?
Jessica Alba:
I just think it’s a great site. I love a good deal myself as a mom, and I love that they have a curation of the best in class. So because we’re the best in class, and it’s also a very stylish site, I just thought it would be the perfect place to have an exclusive partnership and launch our most fashionable two designs.

Moderator: And how did you decide to step out with these particular new products? What was the reasoning behind that?
JA:
We have tons and tons of designs and they fall into the category of traditional, sort of whimsical, and kind of edgy. I feel like parents have kind of fallen into a couple of those categories, if not all three. I know I do, and so depending on what kind of mom you are, you’re obviously going to be attracted to the different designs. So we had about 10 per category, and we went out to parents and they pulled their favorites and then everyone here at the office. That’s how we end up with our designs — people choosing it.

Moderator: So the things that Gilt’s launching, are they an extension of items you already have?
JA:
So we already have these, and these are our boy options, and these are our girl options, and so what I was saying is this is the edgy girl option; this is the whimsical and this is the more traditional. For whatever reason, the sweets and the skulls are the ones that everyone talks about, so when our moms post on our Facebook, or whenever anyone takes a photo of their babies in our diapers, they love showing them in our edgiest designs, so we felt that would be the best to launch with Gilt Groupe. We have the highest absorbency than any other diaper on the market, conventional or eco, and then we have obviously the edgiest and coolest designs. And no other company allows you to pick and choose. If you’re part of our monthly delivery program you get to pick and choose what designs you want, so you’re like, “Oh, I really love lumberjack, but I also love the skulls and I love the anchors,” and so you can get all of that in your monthly package if you want.

Moderator: So is that kind of what you do at home? You switch it up, too? You don’t always do the cutesy.
JA:
Oh, I do everything. Yeah, sometimes she wears a little black dress and then the little skulls are cute. And then, sometimes she wears a nautical look and she’ll wear the anchors. I put a lot of . . . I put the boy diapers on her and the girl diapers.

Moderator: And so is the lip balm a new category for you guys?
JA:
That’s a new category completely and that’s more in the personal care. You essentially eat whatever is on your lips, you ingest it, and it goes into your bloodstream and your system. If you’re kissing your baby, you don’t have to worry about any sort of parabens, no lead; it’s completely natural — your baby won’t get a rash. We did this [in] three different flavors, so we did more of a kind of soft minty one, a completely neutral one, and a little bit more of a creamsicle one.

Moderator: So do you get a lot of your ideas from what moms are asking?
JA:
Oh yeah, for sure. That’s how we knew what to even launch with initially. We wanted to cover the basic needs, so it’s what are you putting on your kid, what are you bathing your kid with, and what are you cleaning your house with. We’re expanding with the cleaning-your-house option because we know there are other needs, like tile cleaners and floor cleaners and toilet cleaners, things like that, the basic stuff, we covered with our launch, and now we’re going into expanding it because parents want it.

Moderator: We love eco-friendly products and it’s really hard to find them that tie very stylish designs with sustainability and eco-friendly organic materials, and at a reasonable price.
JA:
I was . . . obviously looking for the best in class and ingredients, and then when you find that it’s like a picture of a lady in a headdress and she’s making it in her backyard, which is fine, or it has twigs on it. I think all of that is fine, but that’s not me. I grew up with MTV, and tattoos, and rock and roll, and hip-hop. I feel like we’re the moms now and there aren’t any companies that are really made for us, and we’re the ones that are having families. The companies that we grew up with are just so out of touch, so we try to be somewhat cool.

LilSugar

Jessica Alba at the SELF Magazine 5th Annual Women Doing Good Awards

Jessica Alba (Selfs’ September ’12 cover girl) attended the SELF Magazine 5th Annual Women Doing Good Awards last night (Sept 12th, 2012) in NYC where she was honored for her work with the Honest Co.

Jessica wore Valentino dress, Casadei shoes, a Giuseppe Zanotti bag, and Hoorsenbaus jewels. Click on the previews above to view more photos.

Earlier in the day, Jessica recorded segments for Extra TV and NBC’s Today Show to promote The Honest Co. Click on the links below to view candids from the 12th.

September 12 – On the set of ‘Extra’ in New York
September 12 – Shopping in NYC
September 12 – Leaving the Trump Soho Hotel in NYC

Jessica Alba talks Honest at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012

Jessica Alba and business partner Brian Lee introduced the Honest Co. to fellow technology entrepreneurs at the TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012 held in San Francisco on Sept 8th, 2012. Here is how techcrunch.com is reporting it:

Kicking off the TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012 sessions were The Honest Company co-founders, actress Jessica Alba and Brian Lee, also of ShoeDazzle, Teeology and LegalZoom. The two teamed up to launch Honest, an e-commerce startup offering a line of eco-friendly products for baby, family, and home. The company raised a $27 million Series A from General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Institutional Venture Partners in March this year, and first experimented with the trendy subscription-based service model for selling products, later opening up to offer the ability to directly buy from the website.

Given that Honest isn’t really a “tech” startup — Lee described it as a “mission-based company” — it faces different sorts of challenges than some of the other startups in the industry. But one thing that’s not different from the rest? According to Alba, “it’s really, really, really hard” to do a startup.

It’s so hard,” Alba said, “you’re working day and night. It actually never stops. If you’re not so passionate and working day and night, it’s not going to happen.” But Alba, who started Honest with co-founder Christopher Gavigan, was passionate about the need for eco-friendly, non-toxic products after she became a mom herself. (Actually before: She had an allergic reaction to a product while pregnant, which prompted her initial interest). She first approached Lee about the idea in 2010, but it wasn’t until Lee’s wife was pregnant with their second child that the idea began to root with him. Her persistance paid off, Alba said, having spent three years being dismissed by others who laughed at the idea of an actress wanting to do a baby-products company.

Alba talked in detail about her life running a startup, as well as being an actress and mom. What does your typical day look like? It’s long, she said, speaking of rushing between meetings and trying to make it home by bath time. Her acting schedule varies, however, while being a parent is a full-time job. Running a company on the side, as she does, requires that you be passionate about what you’re doing — you have to believe in your mission. (This advice holds true even if you don’t describe your startup as a “mission-based” company.)

The two founders also spoke in broad terms about how they’re growing the company through the word-of-mouth of moms. Moms stick together, said Lee — the mommy bloggers, and Mommy & Me groups, for example. But the company has ambitions to grow beyond its “baby products” niche, as its products already appeal to those who have allergies and other special needs, or who just want products that are more environmentally safe. In the future, the company may expand into clothing and more household items, like paint. And it may also move into the retail space, so customers can touch and feel the products in real life. Actually, it already has.

As for the move away from the subscription-based model, as Lee’s other company ShoeDazzle, also did? Alba said it was a partially a technology decision, but they had also asked themselves whether there was really a desire for that from their customer base. Lee said he still believes in subscription commerce though, but it makes more sense for some items on the site than others, such as diapers and detergent. At the end of the day, it was about giving customers a choice.

 

Jessica Alba Loves Kids, Hates Chemicals

You might have seen Jessica Alba kill a bad guy with a stiletto heel in the gory action flick Machete. You might also have spotted her on the cover of Maxim (twice). But fewer people probably caught her on C-SPAN lecturing Congress about the urgency of passing laws to regulate the chemicals in the products we buy. A staunch environmental advocate, the 31-year-old star recently launched the Honest Company, which makes nontoxic, ecofriendly baby gear. She took some time to answer our questions about her commitment to safe chemistry.

Q: Why did you go to D.C. to lobby for the Safe Chemicals Act last year?

A: Basically, it’s legislation that hasn’t been reformed in more than 30 years. It’s about regulating chemicals in everyday products. There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the U.S. marketplace right now — only five have been banned. In Europe, 1,100 are banned because they’re not safe for humans. When they’re creating and selling new chemicals, companies aren’t thinking about how they affect people’s health — it’s about their bottom line.

Q: You had asthma as a kid, right? Does that make you worry more about air pollution?

A: I grew up with asthma and allergies, among other health issues. That forced me from a very early age to look at my environment in a different way. I don’t take things at face value. I don’t automatically trust the conglomerates. I question processes, I question ingredients, I look for a better way. I always try to find a more natural and holistic approach before just slapping on a Band-Aid. Better to prevent something bad from happening in the first place.

Q: We assume that you’re the only woman who’s topped Maxim’s “Hot 100” list and also testified before Congress about environmental legislation. How do you walk that balance?

A: [Laughs] I don’t know. I don’t even really think about it in those terms. The marketing I’ve done to promote TV and film has been wonderful because it’s given me a platform to be able to speak about things that are important to me.

Q: What’s the main message you try to deliver about the environment?

A: That there’s a cause and effect to every action you take. So all of your purchasing and consuming choices are going to affect the planet and the people around you in some way, be it positive or negative. Just being a thoughtful, conscientious consumer is the first step.

Q: Do you get overwhelmed thinking about how many chemicals kids are exposed to?

A: I felt overwhelmed as a parent at first. But now I know that there are steps we can take. You can really change the health of your environment by doing anything from buying fresh, organic food to choosing the paint and carpeting in your home. Just understanding the quality of those products and what the potential hazards are. I’ve taken steps to eliminate as much that’s hazardous as I could from my home. So I feel great about the environment now that I’ve been able to create for my family. I know it’s possible.

Q: What else do you do to go green in your personal life?

A: I spend time outdoors with my kids. I have a nontoxic turf lawn instead of grass so we don’t have to water it. We have all energy-efficient appliances in our house, and most of the materials that we used to build it — probably 70% of them — are upcycled. I bought them off Craigslist or at flea markets or vintage stores. With the rest, I made an effort to buy sustainable materials, bamboo flooring, recycled glass tiles, things like that.

Q: Are people surprised to see a Hollywood actress buying things from them off Craigslist? 

A: I don’t go and pick them up [laughs]. I don’t even think that’s safe for a girl by herself to go to a random address and go pick something up. No, I have a family member — a guy, obviously, my husband or someone — go and pick up a piece here and there.

Q: You’ve said that your favorite place in the outdoors is Franklin Canyon Park in Los Angeles. Why that spot?

A: I like any piece of nature in urban environments because it feels like you can get a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. You can just escape and quickly be surrounded by nature. One of my favorite places in New York is Central Park, for that same reason. In L.A., Topanga Canyon is another really great place, and so is Malibu Canyon.

Q: What made you want to start the Honest Company? 

A: Frankly, I needed a company like it. As a parent, I think there’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace around what’s eco, what isn’t, toxic chemicals and how they affect the health of your family. There’s just so much information out there that there needed to be one company that’s done all the research and finds the formulations that perform best.

Q: How does the Honest Company work?

A: It delivers nontoxic products straight to your door, everything from laundry detergent to bubble bath to diapers and wipes. We also have what we call an “essentials kit”: Out of 16 items, you get to choose five, and that’s what you get delivered every month. Ninety-nine percent of our products are made here in the U.S. Our diapers are really the best on the market — they’re made from plant-based materials, are completely nontoxic, and have the cutest designs. We really wanted to innovate the diapering space. It was important for me as a parent to make sure that everyone could get these products delivered straight to their door.

Q: Do you have Hollywood mom friends who’ve signed up to use the service?

A: Yeah, quite a few!

—interview by Orli Cote / SierraClub

Jessica Alba to Be Honored for Living the Green Life

According to E! Online, Jessica will be honored at the upcoming Environmental Media Awards with the inaugural EMA Green Parent Award later this month. Read the full article below:

Jessica Alba is getting a second Mother’s Day this year.

The Sin City starlet and mom of two will be honored at the upcoming Environmental Media Awards with the inaugural EMA Green Parent Award, E! News has exclusively confirmed.

Not only has Alba, 31, been an outspoken supporter of the Safe Chemicals Act, but also her The Honest Company aims to help parents choose affordable green products. In March, Rodale will publish her first book, The Honest Life, a guide to natural and non-toxic living.

Becoming a parent is life-changing and brings into focus the priority of healthy choices and the responsibility of the environmental sustainability of our planet,” says EMA president Debbie Levin. “Jessica is a great example of how you can turn that passion into positive change.

The EMAs also recognize movies and television series for their promotion of environmental issues. Among this year’s nominees are feature films The Lorax, 21 Jump Street and Big Miracle, along with TV’s Whitney, Veep, Happy Endings, Harry’s Law, Dallas and Rizzoli & Isles.

The green gala takes place Sept. 29 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif.

[video] Jessica Alba on Fox & Friends – July 27

Check out this video of Jessica Alba on Fox & Friends yesterday morning (July 27) to discuss the Safe Chemicals Act and all things Honest.

Jessica Alba promotes Honest at the 2012 Plush Event

Jessica Alba attended the 2012 PLUSH event in Los Angles on Sunday June 11th, 2012 to talk/promote the Honest Co . At the one-day event for parents “to experience all the best luxurious, innovative and eco-friendly baby products and services in one place. Click on the previews above to view more photos.

Jessica Alba at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2012

Jessica Alba opted for a classic Alexander McQueen frog for the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2012 in London last night (May 29, 2012), where she was awarded the Entrepreneur Of The Year Award for her new eco baby venture, The Honest Company.

During the acceptance speech Jess paid tribute to her hubby Cash Warren for pushing her to start the company. “My husband’s an entrepreneur,” she said in her acceptance speech. “He inspired me.Click on the previews above to view more photos.

Jessica Alba attends the 2012 Outstanding Mother Awards

Jessica Alba attended the 2012 Outstanding Mother Awards wearing a Narciso Rodriguez dress with Giuseppe Zanotti heels. The event recognized “exceptional women for successfully building their careers, nurturing their families, and helping improve the lives of others” was held at The Pierre Hotel on Thursday (May 10) in NYC.

The day before, Jessica attended the Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower Ever event with her mother Cathy. Where she wore a Carven top and skirt with Giuseppe Zanotti heels and a Proenza Schouler bag. Click on the previews above to view more photos.