📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Jessica Alba's Honest Company Is Reportedly a $1.7 Billion Company Now The consumer goods company's value has gone up nearly 50 percent since its funding round a year ago, reports The Wall Street Journal.

By Laura Entis

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

s_bukley / Shutterstock

It's been a busy summer for The Honest Company, the eco-friendly consumer goods startup co-founded by actress Jessica Alba, which made headlines last month due to allegations that its sunscreen was not effective.

The company is in the news again, this time not over photos of burnt skin, but a monster $100 million funding round that values the company at $1.7 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The company currently sells more than 75 percent of its products online, but is working to beef up the store-disruption arm of its business at chains such as Target, according to the outlet. It has said that its sales last year were $170, up from $60 million in 2013.

Related: How Reese Witherspoon's New Lifestyle Brand Stacks Up Against Goop, Honest and Preserve

In a shifting sea of startups founded by celebrities (see: Tidal), Alba's venture has illustrated its staying power. This latest funding round raises the company's value by nearly 50 percent since last summer, when it raised $60 million at a $1 billion valuation.

As with many high-profile co-founders, Alba has found herself at the center of public controversy. Last month, photos of burnt skin – purportedly showing that The Honest Company's SPF 30 sunscreen did not work – went viral. Alba responded with a statement that appeared to try and quash the validity of the photos, writing that not only was the product tested by a third independent party, but "the number of complaints received on our own website about our Sunscreen Lotion constitute less than one half of one percent of all units actually sold at honest.com."

Related: 3 Things Jessica Alba's Honest Company Must Do to Stop Its Brand From Burning

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Career

This 'Cutting-Edge' Strategy Used By Meta and Google Is Helping Leaders Keep Young Employees Motivated

Archer Chiang, founder and CEO of Giftpack, breaks down the method that can improve results and retention.

Growing a Business

AI Marketing Is Flooding Social Media. Here's How to Make Sure You Don't Get Lost in the Robotic Noise.

Content overload from AI is the new normal. Marketing guru Mari Smithen shares strategies for navigating the AI revolution and getting your messaging across.

Franchise

After Decades of Hard Work, This Couple Is Living the Entrepreneurial Dream. Here's How They Achieved Generational Wealth.

Nadine and James Middleton's journey shows what can happen when hard-working people are matched with the right franchise.

Business Ideas

How This One Customer Service Hack Can Transform Your Business

Instead of examining all the options and offerings to add, consider what you should remove, redesign, and eliminate.