Jessica Alba

Career history

Honest Beauty

prepares to launch in the UK at a high-street retailer.

Employs women in more than 60% of positions at VP level and above

“My CEO Nick Vlahos is an advocate of women and diversity, and not threatened in any way. I didn’t need to convince him. He was like, ‘Of course you should have more people who mirror the consumer.’”

Launches Honest Beauty

“We’re just scratching the surface, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re learning who your consumer is and what the retailer will give you space for. You can make 30 shades but they give you space for six.”

Idea for her wellness brand is conceived

“It took three years of hustling to get the business off the ground and, at the time, I didn’t understand why it had to be so hard. I realise now the industry – and society – wasn’t ready for it.”

Stars in TV series Dark Angel

“Working with [film-maker] James Cameron taught me about perseverance. He told me he was going to make a documentary about the Titanic, but the technology didn’t exist to capture footage at those depths, so he created it. His mindset inspired me when I developed The Honest Company. If you really want something, make it happen yourself.”

Opens her own in-house laboratory

“Our wipes are 99.9% water and our material is plant-based. There are companies that are like, ‘We’re 99.9% water’, but it’s still a synthetic fabric. Also, why can’t it be beautiful to look at? If it’s going to sit in your home or in your shower, it shouldn’t look disconnected from your lifestyle.”

Launches The Honest Company at Honest.com with just 17 products

“Most people make business decisions through a corporate lens, whereas I approach it through my authentic experience. The criticism is ‘It’s a focus group of one’, but I have a pretty keen sense of what people want and need.”

Becomes a mother for the first time

“It was the hardest job of all, but the one that prepared me most for a career in business. You learn to multitask and always be prepared. Early on, I made the mistake of not having diapers when we were out to dinner and ended up with a swaddle blanket around my kid instead. You learn to be creative, resilient and always prepared!”

First acting role, aged 12, in Camp Nowhere

“I always knew I wanted to be an actress, so I worked hard to make that happen and didn’t give up. My first lesson in business was ‘hard work pays off’. In entertainment, there’s a lot of rejection – the more I heard no, the more I wanted to prove people wrong.”