Sakura Spotlight Series: Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba Made Millions Pursuing Her Passion
Although Jessica Alba may be known for her beauty and poise, she and her brand have become an extremely important household name for health-conscious parents. The Honest Company launched in 2012 with 17 baby focused products and made $10 million in its first year. By 2015, the business had over 120 products including makeup and beauty products and was worth $250 million while using mostly online advertising such as Facebook ads.
Alba, who suffered from extreme allergies and chronic asthma when she was a child, was preparing to welcome her daughter, Honor, into the world and like all new mothers, prewashed the newborn clothes. When she broke out in hives, she was very concerned and decided to do a little research about what ingredients were in some of the most common baby products on the market. She was horrified that companies have been allowed to get away with adding things such as petrochemicals, formaldehydes and even flame retardants. This information, combined with meeting the perfect partners, led her to have one of the few companies that provides a wide variety of eco-friendly and non-toxic products.
Not only has Alba made a difference in the lives of consumers, but she has been pushing for legislation reform. The 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act has allowed over 80,000 chemicals to remain in household products untested. Only five are regulated by the EPA and 11 are banned from use in consumer goods in comparison to Europe which has banned over 1,300.
The company’s mission to create safe products has obviously made a lasting impression. So much so that Alba made it onto the Forbes list of Richest Self Made Women in the U.S. in 2016 and has been working toward expanding the brand’s beauty line to Europe. With all the knowledge in today’s world, it’s no wonder that consumers are making decisions that are better for their overall health and well-being. Alba saw a huge gap in the market that needed to be filled and insisted on making sure it happened. Another great example of how a little bit of drive and determination can make all the difference in our world.
https://www.inc.com/lindsay-blakely/jessica-albas-honest-company-bets-big-on-makeup.html