Gwyneth Paltrow's alternative wellness brand, Goop, has been controversial (to say the least) since its inception. Vagina candles, jade eggs, vampire repellent sprays - if you take a look at the website, you'll see a broad range of products for an 'open-minded, and service-centric approach' to wellness.
It has been branded 'dangerous' on several occasions, and Goop was fined $145,000 in 2018 in civil penalties for ‘unsubstantiated’ marketing claims.
And this month, Gwyneth's empire expanded. She landed a Netflix series, The Goop Lab, exploring the company's work and giving viewers an insight into what goes on behind the scenes.
However, NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens was speaking at an event in Oxford this week and spoke about the new show, calling out the claims behind some of the alternative products and treatments.
Via The Guardian, he is reported to have said: 'Myths and misinformation have been put on steroids by the availability of misleading claims online.
'Now we have dubious wellness products and dodgy procedures available on the web. Fresh from controversies over jade eggs and unusually scented candles, Goop has just popped up with a new TV series, in which Gwyneth Paltrow and her team test vampire facials and back a 'bodyworker' who claims to cure both acute psychological trauma and side-effects by simply moving his hands two inches above a customer's body.
'Gwyneth Paltrow's brand peddles 'psychic vampire repellent'; says 'chemical sunscreen is a bad idea'; and promotes colonic irrigation and DIY coffee enema machines, despite them carrying considerable risks to health and NHS advice clearly stating there is 'no scientific evidence to suggest there are any health benefits associated with colonic irrigation.'
A Goop spokesperson has since responded, stating: 'Goop takes efficacy and product claims very seriously.
'When products are available for retail sale, we have a robust legal and compliance team that works closely with our science and research group to vet product claims.'
