Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop empire has grown from strength to strength. From amassing a lifestyle brand to bagging a massive Netflix deal, there’s no stopping the Goop effect.
Paltrow may have been branded a pseudo-sexpert for peddling products such as her Goop-approved Jade Eggs or 24-karat gold-plated vibrators, but as soon she puts her name to it, it sells within a matter of hours.
Now the US actress has managed to do what no other brand has done, and that is make home decor sexy.
And it all started with a collection of scented candles.
Known as the candle that launched a thousand headlines, according to Glamour magazine, Paltrow explained the unique meaning behind the ’This Smells Like My Vagina’ candle during a chat with Jimmy Kimmel earlier in the year.
“It started as a funny joke,” she told Kimmel.
“So Douglas Little, who is the owner of Heretic Perfume, we’re very close friends and we’ve worked together a lot. He does all of our fragrances for us, and one day we were smelling different fragrances and I was joking around and I smelled something and I said … ” (she points at the name of the candle).
”As a joke. But then I was like, ‘Wouldn’t that be cool if somebody actually had the guts to do that?’ ”
Suffice to say, Little made a batch of the candles which now sell for $75 (about R1 200) on the Goop website.
And for those who want to know if the candles really smell like her vagina, the answer is a big fat “no”.
According to its description on the website, the candle is “made with geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes juxtaposed with damask rose and ambrette seed to put us in mind of fantasy, seduction, and a sophisticated warmth".
Because of the success of the candle, Goop then introduced the ’This Smells Like My Orgasm’ candle to the collection.
“A fitting follow-up to that candle – you know the one – this blend is made with tart grapefruit, neroli, and ripe cassis berries blended with gunpowder tea and Turkish rose absolutes for a scent that’s sexy, surprising, and wildly addictive,” it says on Goop.com.