Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba

The Honest Co., which was founded by actress Jessica Alba, has signed an agreement with the SAG-AFTRA union to avoid a messy, high-profile fight over the use of non-union labor.

The possible battle would have tarnished the “warm and fuzzy brand identity” enjoyed by Honest Co., according to the Aug. 22 Hollywood Reporter.

The Los Angeles-based natural products company describes itself as “a wellness brand with values rooted in consciousness, community, transparency and design.” Its mission is to “empower people to live happy, healthy lives.”

SAG on Aug. 20 slapped a “do not work order” on Honest for allegedly preparing to shoot commercials made by ad agency Mother with non-union labor.

Honest, which claims that it was going to use SAG members for the shoot, signed an agreement with the union on Aug. 23.

“Kudos to our member Jessica Alba for recognizing the protections of a strong union contract are crucial to all workers,” said SAG president Gabrielle Carteris in a statement. “She is a model of ethical leadership, and we’re proud to move forward together."

For her part, Alba said it was always her intent to become a SAG signatory. “As an actress, I support fair pay and working conditions for all actors and value SAG and the protections it’s provided me throughout my career.”

Alba’s company received a financial endorsement in June from Greenwich, CT. private equity firm L Catterton, which invested $200M in Honest Co.

Scott Dahnke, co-CEO of Catterton, had called that investment a bid to “leverage our long-standing experience in the better-for-you space and extensive operational expertise in support of THC as it drives omni-channel growth.”