Gwyneth Paltrow recently sat down for an interview with the BBC, and when the reporter pointed out that many of the products she sells on Goop are in the “area of pseudoscience,” she offered this jaw-dropping defense: “We disagree with that whole-heartedly.”

Paltrow also claimed she was met with resistance because she was trying to help women “empower” themselves… by selling them expensive crap with no scientific backing. Of course it’s pseudoscience. Jesus Christ, she sells jade eggs women are supposed to stick up their vaginas in order to “cultivate sexual energy,” “develop and clear chi pathways in the body,” and create “kidney strength.” Good luck finding any of that backed by a paper in a major journal.

But now, Dr. Jen Gunter, a frequent critic of Paltrow and Goop, has done the world a favor and fact-checked every “wellness” product on Goop’s website in order to gauge the amount of pseudoscience on it.

What she found was that “the majority of health products (90%) could not be supported by science.”

There is no evidence to support Gwyneth Paltrow’s claim that goop is free of pseudoscience. In fact the opposite is true, goop is a classic example of pseudoscience profiteering. The bulk of their products are useless, but some could be harmful.

Gunter excluded books, sex-related products (since your mileage may vary), oral care (a toothbrush is a toothbrush), and items for which no health claims were made. She also left out things like tarot cards (which I would argue are bullshit but not for health reasons).

That left 110 products, including supplements, urogenital health products (e.g. jade eggs), crystals, oils, and a few other random items.

Her conclusion is one that any potential Goop shopper should be aware of:

In summary, 90% of products sold on goop.com under the guise of wellness cannot be backed by science and many flout common sense, never mind biological principles. Some therapies, such as the supplements, could be harmful as they are high in vitamin A and three of them contain green tea leaf extract which is associated with liver injury. The concern is so great that liver specialists specifically advice against all supplements with green tea extract even in blends. There is also the concern that many supplements don’t even contain what they say. The idea that goop is not pseudoscience is not supported by the evidence that Gwyneth Paltrow herself has carefully curated for her own website.

Save your money. Just because the essential oils smell nice doesn’t mean you’re on the road to healthiness. The only people who come out ahead when you buy a “wellness” product at Goop are Paltrow and the rest of the company’s owners.

(Image via Shutterstock)

