Hollywood actress Jessica Alba was pregnant with her second baby when she was running, sometimes flying, from one investor meeting to the next, pitching Honest Company, her organic beauty and baby care brand that this week listed with a value of roughly $2bn.

The mum-of-three, best known for her leading roles in blockbusters Sin City and Fantastic Four, launched her toxin-free range in 2011?after the birth of her first child had prompted her to seek out natural products.

Sales rose rapidly and the group garnered a reputation as a unicorn — a start-up valued above $1bn. But in 2015 and 2016 Honest was hit with lawsuits, facing accusations that some of its products contained synthetic and potentially toxic ingredients and so were mislabelled “natural”.