Jade Eggs, Bee Stings and More of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Most Eyebrow-Raising Goop Moments 

In Goop we trust? Gwyneth Paltrow has courted controversy since launching her wellness and lifestyle brand, Goop, in 2008.

What started as a weekly newsletter from the Clean Plate author, grew to an expansive website that spawned a fashion line, wellness products, recipe portal, podcast, magazine and health summit, among other projects. “We operate from a place of curiosity and nonjudgment, and we start hard conversations, crack open taboos, and look for connection and resonance everywhere we can find it,” Goop’s website reads. “We don’t mind being the tip of the spear — in short, we go first so you don’t have to. We’re glad you’re here.” Since its launch, Goop has released a few controversial products, including the Jade Egg (it is claimed to increase sexual energy when placed in one’s vagina) and the “This Smells Like My Vagina" candle. Paltrow, however, stands by her choice to release the items, especially the scent that may make some people uncomfortable. “You grew up getting messaging around the feminine care that was heavily scented with synthetic fragrances and all this kind of thing,” Paltrow exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2020, regarding her cheeky candle. “I just felt it was time to make a bit of a feminist statement around accepting who we are and our femininity.” A year prior, the Iron Man actress came under more fire after the In Goop Health conference in London in June 2019. Some attendees were upset about the $1,300 hotel price tag and what they called a subpar experience, with one reportedly labeling the actress  a “f--king extortionist” and claiming the weekend was less of a summit and more of a sales pitch. “Gwyneth acts like she’s a health goddess, but actually she’s a pretentious, greedy extortionist,” an attendee told The New York Post's Page Six at the time. “She had a ton of security. She was unapproachable. She did the minimum — a few fireside chats with Twiggy and Penelope Cruz, then she put on her Birkenstocks and snuck out.” According to the company, however, there was no foul play. “It should be noted that the actual value of the weekend package was over $8,000,” a rep told the outlet. “The cost included a hotel suite (valued at $1,600) and a gift bag valued at $3,000, among other items. During the event, Gwyneth opened the day, conducted three fireside chats (almost half of the day’s panels) and hosted a workout and Q&A the next day.” Nevertheless, numerous attendees were left mystified after the event. “I was a huge fan of Gwyneth,” added the guest. “Now I feel like I have lost my faith in God.” The Shakespeare in Love actress defended the wellness company from criticism early on as well, telling Harper’s Bazaar UK in 2011 that "I very much want Goop to be its own stand-alone brand." She revealed that "at this point in time, it's inextricably linked with me, but we really are a team of amazing people who bring incredible ideas to the site. It's not only me." Scroll down for the company’s Goopiest moments from mild to wild! [podcast_block]

Paltrow drew backlash for comments she made about her eating habits during a March 2023 appearance on the "Art of Being Well" podcast.

“I usually eat something [at] about 12. And in the morning, I’ll have some things that won’t spike my blood sugar. So, I have coffee. But I really like soup for lunch. I have bone broth for lunch a lot of the days. And then, for dinner, I try to eat, you know, according to Paleo. So, lots of vegetables. It’s really important for me to support my detox," the Oscar winner said.

After critics claimed her remarks promoted disordered eating, Paltrow explained via her Instagram Story that the diet helped with her "long COVID" symptoms.

"The way it manifests for me is very high levels of inflammation over time. I’ve been working with Dr. [Will] Cole to really focus on foods that aren’t inflammatory … lots of vegetables, cooked vegetables, all kinds of protein, healthy carbs … and it’s been working really well," she said, noting that the regimen is "really just what's worked for me."

She continued: "This is not to say that, you know, I eat this way all day, every day. And by the way, I eat far more than bone broth and vegetables. I eat full meals. I also have days where I eat whatever I want, French fries or whatever. But my baseline really has been to try to eat healthy.”

A nod to the infamous "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle, Paltrow teamed up with Poosh founder Kardashian to launch a follow-up in June 2022: "This Smells Like My Pooshy."

The Royal Tenenbaums actress felt inspired to collaborate with the reality TV personality despite their brands often being compared to each other.

"This idea that women need to be in competition is legacy patriarchy bulls—t, there is room for EVERY woman to fulfill her dreams," she said during a May 2022 Instagram Live Q&A when a fan asked whether she thought Poosh had "copied" her business model.

In May 2022, the official Goop Instagram page shared an ad for disposable diapers priced at $120 per pack of 12.

“Meet The Diapér. Our new disposable diaper lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones, known for their ancient emotional-cleansing properties,” the post read. The wellness brand added that the product would be “infused with a scent of jasmine and bergamot for a revitalized baby."

The controversial faux launch turned out to be a PR stunt intended to shed light on the problematic high cost of diapers in collaboration with the nonprofit Baby2Baby.

In March 2022, Goop's former chief content officer, Elise Loehnen, slammed the company's cleanse culture in an Instagram video shared via her personal account. "When I left goop, I vowed to never do another cleanse again and went into full rebellion, which has been kind of fun, and definitely healthy in terms of letting go of ideas of what my body should look like as a 42-year-old who has had two kids," she explained. "I needed to break a tendency to be critical and punishing. To chastise myself. All of it. I stopped weighing myself completely."

Since leaving the company in October 2020, she "decided to forswear all cleansing," though she admitted she'd recently tried a more relaxed five-day cleanse. "I'm not weighing myself," she explained. "I'm allowing myself to eat beyond what's necessarily prescribed by the cleanse. But I'm just trying to get to a place where I can again be in conversation with my body."

In October 2021, the Politician alum introduced DTF, a product designed to boost female libido. “Everyday stress and anxiety, hormonal changes, exhaustion, age … these can impact our libido and sexual health," she wrote via Instagram. "So yes, we (with our science and research team) created a supplement that REALLY helps. And, yes, we called it DTF. Because, you know, we’re @goop."

The company released its first vibrator on Valentine’s Day in February 2021, with Paltrow joking she “had to pass the time” somehow during the coronavirus pandemic. Goop announced the launch the same day, teasing, “We’ve tested a lot of vibrators over the years — a job we take seriously, knowing that great vibrators lead to great orgasms. Basically, it’s a pleasure.”

Goop vibes only? The brand’s website said their “bio-frequency stickers” targeted the body’s energy imbalances with the same conductive carbon material NASA uses to line space suits. NASA called BS, stating that they don’t use that material in its equipment.

In early 2020, Goop released the “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle, which according to Paltrow “started as a joke” but sold out within hours and was quite the conversation starter. “I was with the nose Douglas Little for his brand Heretic and we were kind of messing around,” she said during a January 2020 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “And I smelled this beautiful thing, and I was like, ‘That smells like my vagina.’ And I was kidding, obviously. And we were on mushrooms.” The actress quickly clarified that “no, we weren’t on mushrooms” when they created the hot-ticket item.

As a follow-up to her vagina scent, the Shallow Hal actress’ company launched the “This Smells Like My Orgasm Candle” in June 2020. According to the site, it’s a “sexy, surprising and wildly addictive” scent that is made up of “tart grapefruit, neroli, and ripe cassis berries blended with gunpowder tea and Turkish rose.”

In 2018, Goop paid $145,000 in civil penalties for “unsubstantiated” claims that vaginal jade eggs could balance hormones and regulate menstrual cycles. The company can no longer make medically unconfirmed statements … but still sells the eggs.

Though a rep for the brand touts three fireside chats, a workout and a Q&A all hosted by Paltrow, and says “the overwhelming response to the summit has been positive,” some attendees called the star “pretentious” and “greedy,” and added she was heavily guarded and inaccessible. 

Don’t try this at home. The star claimed that sitting on a “mini-throne” of steam would cleanse the uterus — but experts say it can do more harm than good, creating a pH imbalance and potentially even causing burning. 

In March 2018, a Spanish woman died from an allergic reaction after undergoing live bee acupuncture, called “apipuncture.” Goop claimed in the past that the treatment is effective for getting rid of “inflammation and scarring.”