Everyone’s favourite ~lifestyle brand~, Goop, has agreed to pay $145,000 in a settlement over the claims it has made regarding three of its products: a jade egg (for your vagina), a quartz egg (for your vagina) and an ‘Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend’ (not for your vagina).
Back in July, we learned that Goop were looking for a fact-checker, and it looks like their facts have been thoroughly checked and debunked. According to the New York Times, an investigation by California’s Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force found that some of Goop’s claims were “not backed by scientific evidence”, which seems like the understatement of the century.
$66 for an egg I can’t even eat? At least it’s a Goop exclusive!
Goop claimed that the two eggs could balance your hormones, increase your bladder control and even regulate your menstrual cycle, which is pretty wild considering people literally take medication to achieve those things.
The eggs are still for sale on their website, but now they can apparently only help increase your sexual energy and improve your self-love and wellbeing. Also there’s something in there about your second chakra.
Meanwhile, the ‘Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend’ is no longer for sale, but Goop claimed it could “help prevent depression”. A product with the same name can still be found elsewhere online, where it’s marketed as “a purifying floral blend that assists in the clearing of guilt, shame, self-criticism and blame.” If this essence actually worked, it would put hundreds of therapists out of business!
The Orange County district attorney said that “The claims have the potential to affect women’s health”, which is why “it’s important to hold companies accountable for unsubstantiated claims.”
It would be even better if there were real and more immediate consequences for companies that made these sorts of claims, since those would act as a deterrent and hopefully prevent companies from literally just making stuff up.