Unilever in Talks to Buy Jessica Alba's Honest Company

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company is reportedly in talks to be acquired by Unilever. The Honest Company sells environmentally friendly and organic packaged goods, while Unilever makes Dove soaps and Axe body sprays, among other products. The deal is reportedly valued at more than $1 billion, but below the $1.7 billion valuation the Honest Company achieved in a previous funding round.

Total Retail’s Take: Unilever appears to be in acquisition mode. In July, the company acquired Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion. If Unilever can reach a deal with Honest Company, that will be its second billion dollar purchase in just a few months. This may also reflect a bigger industry trend of bigger retail players scooping up innovative e-commerce startups. Consider that Wal-Mart bought Amazon competitor Jet.com for $3 billion in August.