Gwyneth Paltrow is little more than a snake oil saleswoman for rich white women. Gwyneth’s Goop used to be a mix of silly “fashion guides” and travel guides and a glimpse into Gwyneth’s neurotic world of fad dieting. At some point, Gwyneth realized that she could sell even more sh-t to rich white women if she put all of her neuroses and faith in bad science under the umbrella of “wellness.” She leaned hard into shilling increasingly odd and utterly unscientific “advice” and “products” to her audience. Whenever a critic challenged her, she launched personal attacks on them in an attempt to discredit them. Well, here’s something interesting: the media watchdog group Truth In Advertising (TINA) has called out Gwyneth and Goop.
On Tuesday, TINA released a statement revealing that after an investigation into Goop’s marketing, the non-profit organization had filed a formal complaint with two California district attorneys California against the lifestyle site, alleging that the business has more than 50 examples of making “deceptive health and disease-treatment claims to promote products in violation of the law.”
TINA’s statement goes into further detail, explaining that, “Goop’s marketing has revealed more than 50 instances in which the company claims, either expressly or implicitly, that its products (or those it promotes) can treat, cure, prevent, alleviate the symptoms of, or reduce the risk of developing a number of ailments. These include crystal harmonics for infertility, rose flower essence tincture for depression, black rose bar for psoriasis, wearable stickers for anxiety, and vitamin D3 for cancer. The problem is that the company does not possess the competent and reliable scientific evidence required by law to make such claim.”
The statement also alleges that TINA.org had warned Goop about the investigation in an Aug. 11 letter to the company and Paltrow. The group claims that the letter detailed that it would be alerting the government of its findings unless Goop took “corrective action” by Aug. 18. The group claims that it provided Goop with a list of Goop and Goop-promoted web pages that made inaccurate health claims and that despite the information being given to the site, that only small changes were made to its marketing.
Basically, in America, it’s fine if you want to sell crystals and stickers and flower essences, but you can’t sell those things if you’re claiming that the crystals cure infertility, the stickers cure anxiety and the flower essences cure depression. As always, it’s about the bad science. So, the spokesperson for Goop released an official statement about TINA’s findings:
“Goop is dedicated to introducing unique products and offerings and encouraging constructive conversation surrounding new ideas. We are receptive to feedback and consistently seek to improve the quality of the products and information referenced on our site. We responded promptly and in good faith to the initial outreach from representatives of TINA and hoped to engage with them to address their concerns.”
“Unfortunately, they provided limited information and made threats under arbitrary deadlines which were not reasonable under the circumstances. Nevertheless, while we believe that TINA’s description of our interactions is misleading and their claims unsubstantiated and unfounded, we will continue to evaluate our products and our content and make those improvements that we believe are reasonable and necessary in the interests of our community of users.”
LOL, TINA’s claims are “misleading, unsubstantiated and unfounded”!!! Gwyneth, that’s what TINA said about Goop. Stop selling snake oil to rich white women! Stop making stupid claims about disease, mental illness and health. Stop trying to profit off of mistrust in established, mainstream science and medicine.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Why anyone would waste their money on what this privileged, uneducated princess is peddling is beyond me. I guess some people are just that dumb.
Yeah, anyone who buys what she’s shilling…it’s why I use the phrase “stupid tax.”
Some are just legit stupid.
The ones I feel bad for though are the ones that are so desperate to change something / heal someone that they’ll give money they can’t afford to give towards something so unfounded.
Let it Rain. I was waiting for my kids at the bus and some mom literally swooped her hand up my spine. I got whiplash while her cult hole said, “I’ve just aligned your chakras”. WTF?? Without my permission new age barbie thinks I need an Fing “chakra” thing, which she has the power to bestow?? Ok. I have residual anger, obvs. Oddly, wealth and a pinch of hippyness turns most white women all “shaman-y”. Yelucchs. Bring it on TINA, YER MY NEW BEST FRIEND!!
Oh now she’ll come back with some nonsense about how anyone who dares criticize her is anti-feminist.
I know I’m oversimplifying… but if her consumer really is rich, white half wits. Then who cares?! let them waste their dollars on crap instead of science based medicine. Again-don’t scream at me. I realize it’s more nuanced. But I get a kick out of some trophy wife using thousand dollar crystals on her lady bits because she isn’t wise enough to educate herself.
Yeah this is what’s been funny to me about it all. I don’t for a minute believe she’s using and abusing the average person. The average person has to work hard to survive, they don’t have time for this nor would they believe it.
Who knew there was so much concern for wealthy privileged people with money and time to waste?
Well, you know, it IS amusing and will continue to be so until someone gets sick and dies. That will be sad, and sadder still if it is the child of one of these idiots who was fed snake oil instead of being taken to a proper doctor. But, as you say, they are rich, white women– it’s only a matter of time before GOOP gets sued out of existence.
Agreed.
I don’t really care if over-privileged dumb people waste their money on pseudo-science. What I *do* have an issue with is the people who purposefully market pseudo-science, to anyone, under disguise of wellness, and who have the gall to dismiss actual scientists and authorities who call them out on that.
Unfortunately, I don’t think you can say all of her customers are “rich and white, so who cares.” There are definitely people out there who will spend their last penny to feel close to a celebrity. Also, it’s very dangerous to lure people away from cancer treatments. That’s not just a “rich, white” disease.
MTE
There are special brands for super rich and those products are rarely on display for others.
She can model for a brand, i don’t care, but do not try to act like you know anything outside HW walls. It hurts people, literally.
But that message filters down. Suddenly, the average working mother feels like shit if she can’t provide ‘toxic-free’ clothing for her children, and worries about the inadequacy of non-alkaline water and the flimsy-ness of modern medicine. Her snake oil shilling has real consequences for people.
This is so true! I don’t know a single parent who isn’t anxious about using organic products for their child, despite their growing up on regular milk, laundry detergent, chicken, meat, bread etc in the 80s/90s. I think they feel judged if they cannot afford that stuff for their kid, which seems awful.
Well, there might also be people who can’t afford to directly buy her stuff but will read it on her site or on sites that are inspired by her content and then do things like it. And she just in general contributes to this dangerous trend of pseudo science which is dangerous.
For every trophy wife there is likely a truly desperate person who has tried conventional medicine and its failed. They are selling false hope and possibly dangerous unproven remedies. There is a reason it’s illegal to do so, and I was under the impression most people on this site want all people to enjoy the same protection and rights no matter their IQ, skin color, or socioeconomic status.
i forget if this was arrested development or another tv show or movie where they sold expensive as hell water that could supposedly cure cancer. At the price, you would expect only rich people to go for it, but of course, lots of poorer people save every penny because they believe in miracles – miracles that will make them beautiful, healthy, etc.
I doubt it is only rich people who are her customers, and in fact could see my ex mother in law, who was constantly in debt, spending her savings on these products if she trusted the person/coveted their beauty enough. That is how a lot of these scams work. :/
Finally !! FINALLY !!!! I could not wait for this day. An authority calls her out !!
I agree! I follow Goop on Facebook and they have upped their output, advertising nonsense products like ‘find your spirit animal’ etc 100x in the past few months. I don’t know how GP isn’t embarrassed by it, it is corny as hell. I used to follow Goop to see pics GP’s personal, beautiful, aspirational lifestyle – now Goop is like Sky Mall for idiots with too much cash and zero discernability. GP herself has all but disappeared from the posts.
As an Urban Native, I find the “spirit animal” stuff so racist and appropriative.
@mostlymegan Me too! I used to like Goop just so I can see Goopy’s lifestyle. Now its just an awful shopping site
WendyNerd, honest question, why do you find the expression “spirit animal” racist? I’m not American btw.
Native American Heritage myself and always thought this Spirit Animal stuff was just some new age thing. I’ve never taken it too seriously. These days it seems to be kind of an offshoot hippie/slang thing: as when people were joking that Ivanka’s new DC neighbor watching the gay pride protesters while wearing a fur coat, a huge grin, and holding a glass of wine was their new ‘spirit animal’ Racist though? That’s a new angle even for me.
But what about a Vag steam? Is that going to make turn me into a rock star’s favorite groupy? Not that one I’ve been holding out for as I approach 60!!
I’m happy to see this. We needed an org of some reputation on it. The back and forth personal attacks were inflammatory and tuned people out. With an impartial org on this, I think it will be more effective. One can hope anyway.
I’ve never been interested in her blog or the site and it’s been surprising to me how big it all became.
I wonder if Gwyneth and her boyfriend are broken up. There’s usually one or two sightings of them over the summer going into a summer party or vacationing. Nada. There’s been no photos of them together this summer, or maybe I just missed the photos. I had assumed she was building a larger home because they were going to combine families and move in together or marry. Maybe not.
With all that money, why are Gwyneth & her mom wearing 80s chesterfield print??
Did she and her mom go paint balling?!?
LOL – I was wondering the same thing Tess!
lol. Both of those outfits are seriously fug.
LOL! My thoughts exactly!
Yea okay Goop. You’re just mad that everyone knows you’re full of BS
Is it just me or does Blythe’s hair look a million times healthier than goop’s? Maybe her mom should start selling and profiting off beauty secrets….
Here’s what I don’t get. There are almost a million doctors in the US, and almost 3 million nurses, as well as a couple hundred thousand PAs and NPs. Do these people really think that there’s an entire conspiracy of millions of people hiding these treatments for that sweet insurance money?
I think the industry of medicine has been primarily focused on sickness instead of wellness, but that’s because SO MANY DAMN DISEASES AND ILLNESSES exist. Many people have the luxury of focusing on wellness now, because of the scientific advancements to date that allow many diseases to be preventable or treatable. Do I feel better when I work out, eat breakfast, get plenty of sleep, and take care of my mental health? Absolutely. Does that mean I’m going to give up going to my physician when I’m sick, just because “wellness” works for my overall health? Absolutely not.
Tl; dr: People are idiots (my life motto, according to my husband).
It’s a good motto, LLGM.
What I find incredibly disturbing is that I have two nurses as friends on fb – one is a relative of my husbands. They keep posting some of the dumbest ‘holistic cures’ like “eating spotted bananas can cure cancer”. Just incredibly stupid, dangerous misinformation.
There seems to be a lot of people who are of average intelligence at best who have some sort of complex that makes them think that they are in on some sort of big secret and that they’re just so much more wise and informed than everyone else. As if they’re part of some sort of weird club of superior people who are just more willing to ‘fix’ whatever it is that’s ailing them.
I also have a lot of essential oil pushers that I’ve hidden from my feed after posting counter articles. I have no problem saying that essential oils can help you improve some symptoms temporarily, or help you relax, or even cause a bit of a placebo effect where you feel good. Under certain circumstances I’m cool with them. But then you have Young Living and companies like that saying that their oils will cure ebola and autism and things like that – which is just 100% preying on people. When someone is truly desperate they’ll often try ANYTHING to improve the situation of themselves or a loved one – and THIS is why we need organizations cracking down on all the holistic companies that make unsubstantiated claims that are just absolutely ridiculous.
Cripes, tell me about it. Someone I’m friends with is now pushing “ketones.” IIRC, I first heard about ketones in passing from a spam email saying Dr. Oz endorsed them. That alone was enough to convince me it was bunk. Now I’m seeing “ketones this” and “ketones that” in my FB feed from this friend. If I roll my eyes any more, I’ll get a concussion.
The other day I went to see a neurologist I was referred to for migraines. After a few days’ reflection on the experience, I can honestly say the creep gaslighted me! I am not going back, that’s for sure. He was pushing “leaky gut syndrome,” a full elimination diet, and he was really trying to push me towards a vegetarian lifestyle until I mentioned that soy is one of my migraine triggers… whoopsie, there goes one of the major sources of protein LMAO.
@Izzi: leaky gut is a thing, and a very serious one. You should really look into it. You can be a vegetarian without soy. I am, by force. Cannot eat gluten, dairy or anything starch based. I looove soy but I cannot handle it very well. Breaks my heart. I have friends with chronic migraines and theirs react strongly to what they eat. That doctor might have been an uncool experience but the general direction that he pushed you to is a promising one.
Izzy- ketones will cure that concussion:p
Their response should have stopped at the first paragraph. The second apragraph just makes them seem unprofessional and childish.
I think the stuff she sells is mostly ridiculous, or at least ridiculously overpriced, but the site should absolutely not be allowed to make medical claims.
I have studied Astrology for over 40 years. I also read Tarot cards. I charge for neither of these things (not even in the form of “donations”) and do them for people only when asked. I never claim I can see the future with either or that I have the answers to their troubles. It’s all about using them as tools for folks I know to talk over problems they are having a hard time resolving. I feel strongly that anything beyond that is just wrong.
Funny you should say this…b/c I’ve seen a lot of spiritual healers/whatever pop up on YouTube w/disclaimers that readings are general, interpretive, may not resonate w/everyone – and “for entertainment purposes only”. This may be required legally…perhaps GOOP should follow suit.
Astrology is pseudoscience in the exact same manner as crystals, cancer-water and the like. Whether you charge for it or don’t, it’s still perpetuating falsehood exactly like GOOP.
Wow, those matching outfits!
Oh Blythe, please do something about your child. She is misleading the public.
Random ot. Does anybody else see the ad with the purple onion shoved into someone’s sock and think it’s a nipple every single time?
Yes, totally, everytime.
Methinks the money is drying up for Paltrow. She hardly works, I am sure she’s not getting much if anything from Martins that isn’t related to child support. I think she’s taking the money and running, under the guise of helping others. And she’s probably turning to these schemes knowing they’re rather ridiculous, but she also knows her audience. They all live in a privileged bubble, so disputing or dispelling authorities mean nothing to them.
A fool and their money are soon parted, but Paltrow is probably laughing all the way to the bank as fast as she can.
She somehow got back into the Iron Man movies. I hate that because I don’t think she’s a good actress. So that will give her some money for a little while.
You’re absolutely correct about her knowing her rich audience.
I’ve had luck with her juice beauty line of products. The cleanser did wonders for my acne and the eye serum that I received in my fab fit fun box seems to work well too. I have never gone to her goop site though and the juice beauty products I got from birchbox.
Juice Beauty isn’t hers. She is just a consultant for the makeup line.
What the f–k are Gwyn and her mother wearing in that picture? Oh and narcassists tend to project their behavior on to others so of course others are misleading. It’s why Trump calls others fake news
GOOP is just posting “alternative facts”.
Gwynnie and Alex Jones are both guilty of using pseudo-science to con people out of money. I bet neither of them would be pleased to be compared to the other.
I never understood why people follow Gwenyth Paltrow. She parlayed her family connections into getting acting jobs, with some results being better than others. How does this make her a “lifestyle expert”? If I have a lot of money and hire a good interior designer, that does not make me a design expert. If I hear of a diet guaranteed to make certain results, that does not make me a dietician.
One of the worst products that they’ve shown is the FasciaBlaster. Women have had muscles atrophy, blood clots, sagging skin, and even miscarriages while using it. Using it only once has messed up some women’s hormones to the point that they had to go to the doctor.
I will never trust anything Goop says knowing that she supports the claims of that product. (I didn’t trust much that she said, but some of it – like taking D3 over D2 – is actually something that is beneficial.)
I’m glad that they’re onto her.
She lied about the health benefits of the crap she was trying to sell. She lied about medical research studies that do not exist. Goop should be shut down, she locked up and the medical professionals she consults with Delicensed and imprisoned. Moreover, her net worth should be seized and dumped into medicare for all.
I am sorry, but pretending to be an expert on medical research and/or lying about the findings from bogus medical studies is a serious CRIME.
She did this to herself, Oh and, it was premeditated. Lock up, Tom Cruise/Scientology, Dr Oz and all those purveyors of snake oil supplements too.
Remember, she said she got products from NASA. NASA released a statement stating that she was was lying.