Gwyneth Paltrow's biggest Goop controversies – £65 vagina candle to 'dangerous' sex toys

In 2008 Gwyneth Paltrow launched her very own lifestyle company Goop.

It’s safe to say the A-listers business has been subject to sceptical controversy from the very get go.

The initial plan was not to grow to the company to the extent that it is now, with the Shakespeare In Love actress first hoping to reach out to just friends and family with wellness information in the form of a newsletter.

Fast-forward a few years – with the help of a Netflix docu-series, The Goop Lab – and it quickly became one of the most talked about brands due to some of the quirky and pricy goods on sale.

After much drama, a number of apologies and six-figure court settlement fee in civil penalties, Gwyneth’s company is still managing to storm the internet with sell-out items.

Here, Daily Star explains some of the most renowned Goop controversies.

The Rose Quartz and Jade vaginal egg

In 2017, the astounding Goop Jade Egg took the world by surprise – claiming that the product could help to improve, vaginal health, “feminine energy” and orgasms for a modest £48.

The Rose Quartz and Jade Egg which boasted it could “balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, prevent uterine prolapse and increase bladder control ended in fiasco for the Gwyneth after gynaecologists branded the items dangerous.

Goop hit back with an online statement, writing in a blog post on the website: “As goop has grown, so has the attention we receive. We consistently find ourselves to be of interest to many—and for that, we are grateful—but we also find that there are third parties who critique goop to leverage that interest and bring attention to themselves,” as they claimed ob-gyn Jen Gunter, who criticised the product ““has been taking advantage of the attention and issuing attacks to build her personal platform—ridiculing the women who might read our site in the process.”

Gwyneth was slapped with a $145,000 in civil penalties for “unsubstantiated” marking claims.

NASA spacesuit stickers

Another controversy that occurred in the same year as the vaginal egg disaster was the “healing stickers”.

According to an article published by the Body Vibes website at the time, the stickers had been carved out of the same “carbon fiber compound” material used to make spacesuits – but later removed the claim.

The stickers which did retail at £44 for a pack of 10 were designed to treat everything from hangovers and anxiety by “re-balancing energy frequency”.

However, when Gizmodo contacted Mark Shelhamer about the claims the NASA representative swiftly shot down any links with space suits being made from carbon material.

“Wow, what a load of BS this is,” said the former chief scientist at NASA’s human research division.

A statement was later released by Body Vibes outlining that the company’s engineer had been “misinformed by a distributor” about the material.

Bee-sting therapy

In an interview with The New York Times, Gwyneth Paltrow spoke out about apitherapy – otherwise known as bee venom therapy.

The movie star explained: “I’ve been stung by bees. It’s a thousands-of years-old treatment called apitherapy.

“People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it’s painful.”

This was followed up by an article on her wellbeing site Goop where the on-screen beauty added she’d been “given ‘bee-venom therapy’ for an old injury and it disappeared”, reported the BBC.

A year later, Gerard Butler warned he had been injected with bee sting to help reduce inflammation and ended up hospitalised.

After being injected with the venom of 23 bees, Gerard felt as though his heart might explode and as if he had ants under his skin.

‘Dangerous’ vaginal steaming

Gynaecologists were quick to hit out at the actress after the Body Vibes website claimed that vaginal steaming – V Steams – could help with hormone-balancing benefits for women.

Vaginal steaming, involves sitting over a hot water and herb mix gained much popularity a few years ago with celebrities such as US model Chrissy Teigen even showcasing the procedure on social media.

Experts however warned that it could be dangerous and highlighting there had been little medical evidence to prove if the V-Steam could aid with fertility and ease period pains.

Dr Vanessa Mackay, a consultant and spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told the BBC it was a “myth” that the vagina needed extensive cleaning.

In a statement, she said: “The vagina contains good bacteria, which are there to protect it.

“Steaming the vagina could affect this healthy balance of bacteria and pH levels and cause irritation, infection (such as bacterial vaginosis or thrush) and inflammation.

“It could also burn the delicate skin around the vagina (the vulva).”

In 2019, the Daily Mail reported that a Canadian woman had whisked to hospital after suffering second-degree burns when trying the controversial steaming procedure.

Gwyneth defended the steaming procedure, telling The Cut in 2016: “The first time I tried v-steaming, I was like, ‘This is insane’. My friend Ben brought me and I was like, ‘You are out of your f**king mind. What is this?’ But then by the end of it I was like, ‘This is so great.'”

The vagina scented candle

Goop.com certainly became a talking point across the globe when they launched the This Smells Like My Vagina candle which completely sold out online.

The scented item which costs £65, also boasts that it can “put us in mind of fantasy, seduction, and a sophisticated warmth” – no wonder it was a sell out.

However just a few months ago a Texas resident filed a law suit claiming that the candle engulfed into flames after burning for three hours.

Goop rejected the claim, branding it “frivolous” and claiming it to be “an attempt to secure an outsized payout from a press-heavy product”.

Speaking to NBC News and Goop representative said: “We stand behind the brands we carry and the safety of the products we sell.

“Here, Heretic – the brand that supplies the candle – has substantiated the product’s performance and safety through industry standard testing.”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk