California Official Visitor's Guide 2023 - 26

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" California has a way of
inspiring people to, in the most extreme
and cheesy sense, reach for the stars. "
dream into reality. And, in 2021, Alba became the youngest Latina
ever to take a company public. Alba named her company after
Honor, now 14. (She and husband Cash Warren also have a third
child, Haven, age 11.) The company was launched with a range
of 17 baby products made without petrochemicals and synthetic
fragrances, including diapers. The company went public last year,
and today it sells more than 150 unique products.
t
he story of how Honest grew as a company, the way Alba
tells it, mirrors how her family grew. The Alba/Warren
home was her laboratory and test market. (Silicon
Valley helped with some funds and, well, let's call it " tech
support. " ) " When I had kids, I had this thought: 'The last thing I
want to do is fi ll my cart with things that aren't perishable.' " She
wanted to use her time wisely, like a lot of moms. " Like, if I'm going
to go to the grocery store, I want [my cart fi lled] with food, not with
diapers or paper towels or bath and body products that I can get
delivered to my house. "
" That's why I launched the brand direct-to-consumer, " she
adds. " The idea was to empower consumers to take the decisionmaking
back into their hands and to allow them to know, 'Hey, you
can decide what you want to buy.' "
Alba was going off her instinct, but she also wanted to learn.
She says she spent a lot of time in the Bay Area, fi nding inspiration
in the founders of companies such as Warby Parker and Pinterest.
" I learned the values around tech. The most
aspirational value is, 'How can you solve the
world's biggest challenges?' For me, one
of the world's biggest challenges is people
being exposed to all of these unnecessary, toxic chemicals and
how it aff ects their health. "
Alba's own childhood home in Claremont (in Los Angeles
County) was fi lled with stories. " I have deep roots in California, "
she says. " For a lot of people, it's like one or two generations-I'm
a solid three. When you grow up Mexican, or with Mexican culture,
it's never separate from who you are. I grew up with a lot of
traditions. "
Her grandparents picked cotton, fi gs, oranges. ( " Any kind of
thing they could grow at any moment, " she notes.) But education,
Alba was told from an early age, was always important. " My greatgrandfather
actually started a school in the barrio in Claremont,
for the Mexican kids to stay connected to their community and our
culture. I think he founded this school to maintain a sense of self,
dignity, and pride for who they are. "
Their experience lives on in Alba. " I grew up with people who
fi gured out through hard work how to break through and not be
defi ned by the restraints or the boundaries of racism. But at the
same time, they experienced a lot of joy and created amazing
memories and opportunities. That's why they stayed in California.
They were granted the ability to build a great life for themselves. "
Alba uses that hope daily. " It's something I try to use for my
kids growing up here-this idea that regardless of how humble
your beginnings are, California has a way of inspiring people to, in
the most extreme and cheesy sense, reach for the stars. "
Today Alba is a star. But that talent contest
she won decades ago? She vividly remembers
her hunger for success. " I was 11 and I won the
grand prize. I think the lessons were supposed
Alba on screen, from left
to right: L.A.'s Finest,
Honey, Dark Angel
26 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

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California Official Visitor's Guide 2023

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