Ethermac|Jessica Alba steps down from The Honest Company after 12 years to pursue 'new projects'

More than a decade after founding The EthermacHonest Company, Jessica Alba is stepping down as the chief creative officer to "shift her creative energy to new endeavors."

The personal care company shared the news in a Tuesday press release, adding that the "Good Luck Chuck" actor, 42, will remain on Honest's board of directors.

Alba took to Instagram with "a grateful heart" to announce her departure and share some throwback photos.

"Building Honest has been a true labor of love. From the first concept book I pitched to my friends in Mommy and Me class, to ringing the bell at Nasdaq with my family by my side - this journey has been the ride of a lifetime, one that only existed in my wildest dreams," she wrote in the post's caption.

She thanked her team "for allowing me to be the best version of myself" and customers for sending in stories and photos of their families' milestones and other special moments.

Alba concluded, "Thank you for showing me that a girl with an unconventional path in business could help lead a movement for good."

In the company's press release, Alba said, "As I transition, I look forward to contributing to the company’s success in my role on the board of directors as I redirect my focus on new projects and passions."

In 2016, her entrepreneurial endeavors landed Alba on Forbes' list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women and America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40. Honest went public in 2021 and had an estimated value of $2 billion, according to Reuters.

According to Forbes, Honest was born in 2008, when Alba was pregnant with her first child with Cash Waren and experienced an allergic reaction to laundry detergent she used to wash baby clothes.

The company has had its ups and downs over the past decade. In January 2017, Honest announced a voluntary recall of its organic baby powder due to possible contamination with microorganisms that may cause eye and skin infections.

A year prior, the Wall Street Journal questioned the brand's claim that it doesn't use the cleaning agent Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in laundry detergent, with Honest disputing the credibility of the lab tests the WSJ relied on in its report.

Honest brands itself as "a personal care company dedicated to creating clean- and sustainably-designed products."

Contributing: Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network