When Jessica Alba launched Honest Beauty in 2011, her goal was to deliver better-for-your products at affordable prices. Now, more than a decade later, she’s taking things one step further and making Honest’s offerings better for the planet too.
The brand recently underwent a sustainable makeover and ditched its virgin plastic packaging for more earth-friendly materials like PCR plastic, tin, aluminum, glass, and tree-free paper. “We built the brand around the ethos of sustainability and thinking about the planet, but when I launched 10 years ago it wasn’t that readily available,” says Alba. “Being conscious about the ingredients that go inside of our products… was already a part of the way we formulated… but there are many more opportunities now to have sustainable packaging than there were before.”
The shift comes at a time where consumers have increased awareness around what goes into the products they’re buying, and are demanding more from the brands behind them. “When I launched Honest, there was less consumer appetite and awareness about how the ingredients in a product could affect your health over time,” says Alba. “But now, even my 10- and 13-year-old daughters think about the ingredients and question the practices from the brands they’re buying products from.”
With that in mind, instead of making a series of small changes to Honest’s materials, Alba decided to unveil an entire brand-wide overhaul all at once. “We’re hoping to pave the way for the next generation of up-and-coming businesses, but also for businesses that have been around for a long time,’ she says. “We’re saying, ‘Hey, you can do this at scale, you can have better practices, and you can raise the bar.'”
As one of the first “clean conscious” brands, Alba takes Honest’s role as an industry leader very seriously—and sees it as an opportunity to constantly innovate and spearhead change. “It’s not like our work is done. This is what we’re doing today, but tomorrow it could look different,” she says. “We’re constantly trying to improve on how we’re operating as a business and how we’re showing up for the consumer to be at the forefront of the clean conscious movement.”
Shop our favorite Honest Beauty products
Honest Beauty Crème Cheek + Lip Color — $16.00
You’ll want to use this creamy tint on your cheeks, lips ,and lids (or maybe all three at the same time). It leaves a sheer swathe of color to make you look naturally flushed in the best possible way.
Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream — $20.00
This lightweight gel moisturizer is a masterclass in summer hydration. It’s got cooling properties that will leave your skin breathing a true sigh of sweat-free relief.
Honest Beauty 2-in-1 Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer — $17.00
A primer and mascara all in one, this double-duty lacquer has both lengthening and volumizing properties. Plus, it’s made with jojoba oil, which conditions your lashes to leave them naturally stronger and more luxurious.
To hear more from Alba, check out the video below.
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