Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Finally Responded to the $5 Million Exploding Candle Lawsuit
Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand, goop, made headlines when it released a candle with Heretic called This Smells Like My Vagina. Then, the release made headlines again when Texas resident Colby Watson claimed that her vagina-scented candle exploded when she was using it. According to E! News, goop has issued a response, assuring consumers that the candle is safe and that Watson is simply trying to earn some cash and publicity off the heels of a headline-making product launch.
In her case, Watson alleged that the goop x Heretic This Smells Like My Vagina candles "explode or suffer catastrophic failure during the candle's normal usage because of a design defect and/or manufacturing flaw."
Pascal Le Segretain / Staff
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In a statement, goop said that it continues to stand by its product and that it is still available to buy online, though it's sold out on both goop and Heretic's respective websites. The candle is described as having a "funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent" and has notes of geranium, bergamot, and cedar absolutes along with Damask rose and ambrette seed. The candle also includes two safety warnings, including one on top of the candle that must be removed before burning, that shares proper candle care.
"We're confident this claim is frivolous and an attempt to secure an outsized payout from a press-heavy product," Goop's statement reads. "We stand behind the brands we carry and the safety of the products we sell. Here, Heretic — the brand that supplies the candle — has substantiated the product's performance and safety through industry standard testing."
Court documents describe Watson's experience with the candle, saying that after burning it for three hours or less, she alleged that the candle "became engulfed in high flames." Then, she "discovered the candle had exploded and that the room in his home where the candle was located was filled with smoke."
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Though she didn't address the lawsuit directly, Paltrow mentioned to Elle that having a candle that raises eyebrows and gets people talking is part of "crumbling patriarchy."
"It's all part of the crumbling patriarchy," Paltrow said. "And I think that we're all changing it by releasing, like, a punk rock, feminist candle and Cardi B is changing it by her incredible lyrical prowess. You have to push, you have to go too far. You have to have a 'WAP' song or a 'Smells Like My Vagina' candle. So people are like, 'What is this?' And they freak out. And then the center moves a little bit more this way. It's a process that happens over time."
