Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop called out for 'unsubstantiated' and 'deceptive' health claims
Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Goop is under fire from watchdog group Truth in Advertising for “deceptive” health claims on over 50 of their products.
Truth in Advertising (TINA) announced Tuesday that they’ve investigated Goop’s marketing tactics, and found that “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,” according to a press release.
“The problem is that the company does not possess the competent and reliable scientific evidence required by law to make such claims,” the release says.
TINA says that they initially contacted Goop about their “unsubstantiated, and therefore deceptive, health and disease-treatment claims” on Aug. 11, and because the company did not make enough changes to their site in the 11 days since, TINA has filed a complaint letter with the California Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force.
A spokesperson from Goop tells PEOPLE that they wanted to work with TINA to correct the wording on their site, but the timeframe given was too limited.
“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.”
TINA called out several of Goop’s products specifically, including the Goop Wellness supplements, which they say are “not medically recognized,” and the Body Vibes stickers that Goop claimed would reduce physical tension and anxiety.
Goop dealt with criticism over the stickers in June, when they initially said that they were made with the same conductive carbon materials present in NASA space suits. Goop removed that claim after a NASA spokesperson told PEOPLE that “do not line their spacesuits with conductive carbon material,” and a former NASA scientist said that it was “a load of BS.”
