Goop Inc., the wellness and lifestyle company founded by Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, was recently accused of making “unsubstantiated claims” about three of its products and ended up settling a consumer protection action for $145,000, reports Global News.
The products include Goop’s famous vaginal Jade Eggs, sold for $66 and marketed as an item that increases sexual energy and pleasure. The other two items cited in the file are the $55 Rose Quartz Egg, a similar product “made of heart-activating rose quartz,” and the $22 Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend — a tincture “that assists in the clearing of guilt, shame, self-criticism and blame,” according to Goop.
Filed on August 31, the complaint showed that Goop advertised a series of health benefits associated with these three products and which were not backed up “by competent and reliable scientific evidence,” notes a statement from Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who was part of a task force of California district attorneys that negotiated the settlement.
Specifically, Paltrow’s company “advertised that the Jade and Rose Quartz eggs could balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, prevent uterine prolapse, and increase bladder control,” states the Orange County District Attorney‘s office. At the same time, the Santa Monica-based company touted that the Inner Judge Flower tincture could help prevent depression.
To settle the matter, Goop agreed to pay $145,000 in civil penalties and promised to offer full refunds to all the customers who purchased any of the three products during the first eight months of 2017 and wish to get their money back.
Aside from the large settlement and the refunds, the wellness company is also prohibited from making any claims about the efficacy of its products unless it can provide solid scientific evidence to support those claims. Lastly, Goop is barred from manufacturing or selling any falsely-advertised or misbranded medical devices for the next five years, notes Global News.
“It’s important to hold companies accountable for unsubstantiated claims, especially when the claims have the potential to affect women’s health,” Rackauckas said in a statement.
According to Bloomberg, Goop denied being in the wrong, stating that it disagreed with the prosecutors’ position. Nevertheless, the company expressed its wish to settle the matter as quickly as possible, notes the media outlet.
In an emailed statement to Bloomberg, Goop’s chief financial officer Erica Moore said that the allegation regarding the health benefits of the products were not made not as advertising claims, but in a completely different context.
“Goop provides a forum for practitioners to present their views and experiences with various products like the Jade Egg,” said Moore. “The law, though, sometimes views statement like this as advertising claims, which are subject to various legal requirements.”
The company has been under a lot of fire lately due to its controversial products, especially after promoting coffee enemas for body detox, the Inquisitr reported earlier this year.
Goop also received backlash from NASA for its $120 Body Vibes wearable stickers, which the company claimed contained “NASA spacesuit material” and could “rebalance energy frequency in our bodies.” However, the space agency called out the wellness company on its false claim, showing that NASA spacesuits aren’t lines with conducive carbon material and that the scientific premise behind the body stickers doesn’t hold up, the Inquisitr recently reported.
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