Gwyneth Paltrow's Brand Goop Is In Trouble Over Vaginal Eggs

Gwyneth Paltrow Iron Man 2

Gwyneth Paltrow and her beauty and wellness company Goop are rarely far from the news. But this time, it's particularly bad press. As it is being reported this week, the brand's patented "vaginal eggs" have drawn some major criticism from buyers and retailers, particularly based on their claims that they will balance your hormones, regulate your menstrual cycle or help with bladder control-- which are reportedly exaggerated or just plain inaccurate. Now, the wellness company will be paying $145,000 in civil penalties for being dishonest with their consumers, and the brand will reportedly reimburse anyone who bought the product between January 12th, 2017 and August 31st, 2017. Here's the scoop on Goop and their latest dupe, which has ultimately gotten them in some serious poop.

As it was reported by Business Insider, Goop settled a lawsuit on Tuesday that claimed that the claims made in the description of the "vaginal eggs" product were falsified or simply wrong. Brought by the Santa Clara District Attorney office, the claim was settled and the payment was administered, although that's not the end of vaginal eggs. In fact, the product is still available and being sold on the official Goop website, albeit with some, shall we say, clearer descriptions about the product and what is is able to do.

Whether or not customers are going to feel inclined to buy the product after this fallout is a whole other matter altogether, but the legalities of the case didn't prevent the company from selling the product. Rather, the descriptions insisted that they should be accurate about what the product does. Of course, it's not simply the matter of selling the wrong product; it's a safety hazard. These products are sensitive and if they are used wrongly or for the wrong reasons, they have dangerous aftereffects.

While Goop hasn't gotten any specific customer complaints about the vaginal egg product, Gwyneth Paltrow's company has gotten themselves in hot water before for other products on their line-up. There are multiple examples to provide, but the main takeaway is that Goop's recommended products aren't always described 100 percent accurately. It's also worth noting that some items they sell claimed to help with depression, cancer, infertility and insomnia, to name only a handful of examples. Ultimately, this is not a great look for Goop. And we have to assume they'll be more careful about how they market products.

Furthermore, Goop wants to get on the good side of its customers. The health and wellness company will provide refunds to any customers who bought this product, as well as the "Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend," between the first eight months of 2017. Customers who bought these products and were unsatisfied with their results should either write an email to customerservice@goop.com or call 1-844-WTF-GOOP. And BTW, that phone number isn't a goof on our end. That is the real phone number to call to get in contact with the company. Look, we don't make the rules here. Talk to them. Literally.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.