Beware goop sold online

Courts should reign in digital snake-oil salesmen

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website Goop has agreed to pay a $145,000 settlement over unscientific health claims for some of its famously kooky products, including vaginal eggs that supposedly balance hormones and herbal blends that promise to fend of depression.

Ms. Paltrow’s 10-year-old site — which has sold 3,000 of the jade and quartz eggs that are supposed to balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles and increase bladder control — is a frequent target of critics decrying the snake-oil commerce on the internet.

But sadly, Goop is just one of an uncountable number of such sites roping in gullible consumers looking for the latest wellness product.

These sites do particularly well when they leverage the celebrity of someone like Ms. Paltrow — luring customers with the promise that they too can be just like glamorous actresses who seem to have it all, thanks to the magic of a quartz egg or the right combination of herbs.

For its part Goop has shrugged off critics of its unscientific health claims for years, arguing that it is a platform for alternative therapies and products. But one foundation of this argument is that consumers are well armed to discern for themselves what claims are substantiated — even logically possible — and what claims are garbage.

That is where a California district attorney’s office came in.

The global wellness industry is now a nearly $4 trillion a year business. Consumers are eager to snatch up the latest herbal blend, lotion or potion that promises to make them healthier and more youthful. And those consumers need help from the governmental agencies responsible for monitoring false advertising and other consumer protections.

Goop is still in business — still selling the unproven products in question, even. But the site has amended its claims about their efficacy to comply with the terms of the settlement with California authorities.

Plenty of other snake-oil salesmen are still plying their trade on the internet too.

This is why the California case is important. More district attorneys and regulatory agencies — state and federal — need to step up and challenge the bogus claims of the worst offenders. Buyers must beware, for sure. But they need some backup in the wild, wild world of goop being peddled on the internet.