She has won various awards for her acting, including the Choice Actress Teen Choice Award and Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and a Golden Globe nomination for her lead role in the television series Dark Angel

Alba began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994).

She rose to prominence as the lead actress in the James Cameron television series Dark Angel (2000–2002) when she was 19 years old.

In January 2012, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells non-toxic household products, and owns between 15-20 percent of the company.

Alba was born in Pomona, California, to Catherine and Mark David Alba.

In 2001, Alba was ranked No. 1 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list.

In 2005, Alba was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and also appeared in the magazine's 100 Most Beautiful list in 2007.

In 2005, Alba offered her acting talents for free, to raise money for AIDS charity amfAR at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2013, Alba revealed that she has ADHD and takes regular medication for it.

In 2011, Alba participated in a two-day lobbying effort in Washington D.C. in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a revision of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.