Goop has been reported to UK regulators for 'potentially dangerous' claims

Goop was reported for 113 violations under UK advertising law.
By Laura Byager  on 
Goop has been reported to UK regulators for 'potentially dangerous' claims
Goop has been reported to the National Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority for unscientific claims Credit: FilmMagic

Gwyneth Paltrow’s controversial lifestyle and wellness brand Goop is facing some adversity these days. Just a month after settling a consumer protection case in California over unscientific claims, Goop has been reported to two regulators in the UK -- the National Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority.

Goop was reported by Good Thinking Society, a pro-science organisation, for 113 misleading claims on their website. According to Good Thinking Society, the 113 claims are in violation of UK advertising law.

According to documents seen by The Sunday Times, Good Thinking Society alleges that Goop is making “potentially dangerous” claims about health products, the effects of which are “unproven.”

Per Retail Gazette, some of the products in question are a range of sun protection products, pre-natal supplements, and a "medicine bag" featuring a selection of “health-giving” stones.

Project manager at Good Thinking Society, Laura Thomason, tells The Independent: "It is shocking to see the sheer volume of unproven claims made by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop about their products, especially given that some of their health advice is potentially dangerous."

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The settlement reached by Goop in California last month was in relation to unsubstantiated claims about Goop products called jade egg, rose quartz egg, and the oil inner judge flower essence blend. 

The eggs, Goop claimed, help regulate women's menstrual cycles and increase sex drive when inserted into the vagina. These claims have been refuted by gynaecologists. Goop claimed that oil inner judge flower essence blend could help prevent "depressive states." Goop paid $145,000 (£112,975) in the settlement.

Goop launched in the UK on September 24 2018 with their first European e-commerce site and a pop up shop in London's Notting Hill.

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2018, 10:09 a.m. GMT Goop statement.

"When used as recommended, Goop’s the Mother Load supplements are safe during pregnancy. The Mother Load contains a very moderate 450 mcg (1500 IU) of vitamin A (preformed vitamin A as retinyl palmitate), which is less than the recommended daily intake of 600 mcg per day (per NHS).   The 4000 IU beta-carotene included in Mother Load is only converted in the body to vitamin A as needed, and there is no safety concern for eating this, as there would be no safety concern for eating a large number of carrots containing beta-carotene. The Mother Load package contains a warning that pregnant women should not consume more than 10,000 IU vitamin A daily due to risk of birth defects," Dr. Susan Beck of Goop science and research wrote in an email to Mashable.

"All pregnant women need vitamin A. The concern is that pregnant women not consume excessive vitamin A, a key tenet of good nutrition—moderation is the best policy. Per the NHS, the recommendation is that pregnant women not eat liver or pate during pregnancy because of the very high levels of vitamin A it contains, and they recommend being careful not to consume supplements with high levels of vitamin A,” Beck wrote.

Goop also notes that the neither the NTS or the ASA has contacted Goop yet.


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