Guest Editor: Christopher Gavigan, Founder and Chief Product Officer of The Honest Company

In honor of Father’s Day, we are kicking the holiday weekend off with a special guest post from Christopher Gavigan, father of three and one of the founders of The Honest Company! Christopher is also the Company’s Chief Product Officer and he and Honest have had quite the busy week; the Company announced a forthcoming beauty line and Christopher and cofounder Jessica Alba ventured to DC to lobby for toxic chemical reform. I am so glad he found a few moments to do some Q and A! Keep reading for an inside look at Christopher’s most important role as dad and to hear how he and wife Jessica Capshaw (that’s Dr. Arizona Robbins for all of you Grey’s Anatomy fans!), will be spending the weekend!

Photo: Courtesy of Christopher Gavigan

What do you enjoy most about being a dad? Being a parent is one of life’s eternal purposes – being connected to someone is enormously humbling to think about, but in its daily intricacies, it’s so enjoyable and incredibly fun (most of the time!) I love being a part of intentional participation in my kids’ lives with my wife. Together, we join alongside them and try to do our best to lead by example. Kids need quality, not quantity, so we are all in when we are with them; that grounds me to slow down, be present and give myself. Anyone will agree that undoubtedly feels so, so good.

How will you be celebrating? I’ll be on the East End of Long Island, New York with my kids and wife. We will “play it by ear” (as my father used to say) and wake with the kids. Then, I’ll make my famous Daddy Pancakes with them, which is whole wheat batter filled with plant-based proteins and fresh fruit topped with VT maple syrup. We’ll let the day unfold after that. Maybe some beach playing and swimming in the Atlantic, or scoot to a yoga or SoulCycle class with my wife, and then a calm evening of lawn games and an outdoor picnic, which hopefully includes lobster. I’m no doubt abundantly blessed!

Okay, so how about work- what’s that like? My days at Honest are filled with (intentionally and literally) running through the office; we are a mission-based business with so much more to accomplish. I truly love leading a culture of innovation and change-makers focused on creating healthier, non-toxic products for today’s family. It’s a revolution of awareness, transparency and integrity. My Honest days are filled with joining our team in developing better products, executing with excellence, putting out fires (we are the Honest Company not the “perfect company”) and lifting up our employee base with gratitude, collaboration and passion. I have the best job in the world!

What are your favorite products? You know that’s like asking me which child I love the most… impossible for me to answer as the Product Ambassador at Honest. I use all our products all the time, and continually have new development samples and optimized formulas (in small white bottles with labels) all over my house. My wife Jessica despises them. I slather my kids’ spray surfaces in the home – quick optimization and refinement (insights primarily harvested from our own Honest members) is how we’ve humbly been able to deliver delight and build our loyal base. Overall, I’m a fanatic about our Healing Balm, Vetiver Deodorant, Multi-Surface Spray, Laundry Detergent and Air + Fabric Fresheners.

Any Father’s Day gift you want or are excited for? It’s unattainable, but because you said any I would have to choose to bottle certain moments of my life. The more you know, the less you really need. I have a full and fortunate life, and I’d like to relive those special moments of times spent with my family and kids. The problem is… I’d need a very big place to store all those bottles!

You can shop The Honest Company’s products, which are perfect for new and expecting moms and their families in our stores and online! Some of my favorites are the sanitizing spray, lip balm trio and body oil! -Olivia