Samantha Bee rips Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop brand for pushing 'pseudoscience' that's 'dangerous'
The host highlighted issues between the wellness giant and the FDA
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Samantha Bee took a jab at the more than $4 trillion global wellness industry, specifically denouncing Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand.
The comedian dedicated a recent segment of her show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” to dressing down the industry for often promoting pseudoscience designed to make women shell out loads of cash for unproven, often bizarre treatments for vague ailments like “toxins.”
“What can seem like innocuous woo from charging your crystals in the moonlight to lighting a candle to ward off Mondays can quickly change into pseudoscience that at best is a waste of money and at worst is dangerous,” Bee explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}GWYNETH PALTROW'S GOOP IS SELLING A VAGINA-SCENTED CANDLE, AND IT'S ALREADY SOLD OUT
Samantha Bee took jabs at Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop brand. (AP/Getty Images)
Bee specifically pointed out several Goop products that make wild claims about their effectiveness without any real scientific backing to prove that they work. She notes there are very loose regulations put out by the FDA that allow companies to make such claims and go relatively unchecked both in terms of effectiveness and consequences before hitting the market with a big name like Paltrow giving it their blessing.
“As long as the product doesn't claim to mitigate, treat or cure anything, companies don't have to prove it actually does what it's advertising,” she explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She cited a woman who tried one of Goop’s vaginal steaming techniques and received second-degree burns rather than the therapeutic cleansing she was promised.
Bee added: “Because there’s no legal definition for terms such as ‘clean’ or ‘natural’ those words can mean whatever the f--- companies want them to.”
Because of such claims, Goop had to pay a settlement in 2018 stemming from its $66 Jade Egg, which it claimed could help balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles and increase bladder control when inserted vaginally. However, 10 prosecutors from the California Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force said in their lawsuit at the time that Goop’s claims “were not supported by competent and reliable science.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}GWYNETH PALTROW ANNOUNCES PRICEY GOOP CRUISE THROUGH MEDITERRANEAN
Goop agreed to pay the $145,000 settlement but told SFGate in a statement at the time, "While Goop believes there is an honest disagreement about these claims, the company wanted to settle this matter quickly and amicably."
Bee concluded her segment by noting that companies like Goop promote a mistrust in science that’s really damaging to the country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and while women in general often struggle to get equal medical treatment to men.
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“Mistrust in science in general is the reason why so many people believe masks cause coronavirus and 30% of Americans believe coronavirus was created in a lab. This is a terrible time to consciously uncouple from science,” the comedian said, mocking Paltrow’s statement on her split from Chris Martin.