Paltrow to pay £113k over her ‘energy’ egg claims
‘Biologically impossible’
GWyNETH Paltrow’s lifestyle company Goop has agreed to pay out £113,000 after doctors branded an egg claimed to boost women’s energy levels as ‘ridiculous and dangerous’.
The actress and self-styled wellness guru, 45, had insisted the £55 Jade Egg would boost energy if kept inside the vagina all day.
Goop claimed the egg would help women achieve orgasms, improve vaginal muscle tone, balance hormones and raise ‘feminine energy’.
But gynaecologists said it could increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis or deadly toxic shock syndrome. The Oscar-winning actress’s brand agreed the £113,000 payout to settle allegations it made unscientific claims about the benefits of three products. It will also offer refunds to women who bought the egg.
The company’s Jade Egg, Rose Quartz Egg and Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend were pinpointed by trading standards bosses. A lawsuit was filed by ten American state counties alleging Goop did not have scientific backing for the items’ touted health benefits.
dr Jen Gunter was among health experts calling the eggs dangerous and ridiculous. She said Goop claims were a ‘pile of garbage’ and ‘quite simply, biologically impossible’.
Santa Clara County district Attorney Jeff Rosen said: ‘We will vigilantly protect consumers against companies that promise health benefits without the support of good science – or any science.’ Goop agreed to stop making claims about the eggs’ effectiveness.
Goop, based in Santa Monica, California, said it disagreed with the prosecutors’ position but wanted to settle the matter quickly.
In a previous open letter to Miss Paltrow, dr Gunter said: ‘Pelvic floor exercises can help with incontinence and even give stronger orgasms for women, but they cannot change hormones. As for female energy? I’m a gynaecologist and I don’t know what that is.’
After the settlement, Erica Moore, of Goop, said: ‘Goop provides a forum for practitioners to present their views and experiences with various products like the Jade Egg.
‘The law, though, sometimes views statements like this as advertising claims, which are subject to various legal requirements.’