Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t sorry for selling her $75 vagina-scented candle back in 2020.
This Candle Smells Like My Vagina became one of the most controversial products from Paltrow’s company, Goop, and the actress recently revealed how the idea for the product came about.
Why Gwyneth Paltrow Decided to Sell the Controversial "Vagina Candle"
Gwyneth Paltrow has explained the story behind her "vagina-scented" product, which was priced at $75.
During her appearance at the recent Mindvalley Manifesting Summit, the 52-year-old talked about how she and perfumer Douglas Little came up with the idea for the controversial item sold on Goop.
Per an Instagram video, Paltrow said, “That product is so fascinating because we were messing around with different scents one day. And I smelled something and I was like, ‘Oh, that smells like… you know.’”
In 2020, Paltrow sold the now-discontinued This Candle Smells Like My Vagina, which garnered a lot of attention for its name. But in reality, it featured notes of Damask rose, citrusy bergamot, cedar absolutes, geranium, and ambrette seed.
“I was joking. And then [Douglas] was like, ‘Oh, we should make that a candle and put it on the site,’” she continued.
The Iron Man 3 star then noted onstage that she sarcastically agreed to sell it because she thought it was funny, but she was surprised to find it live on the Goop website, which she said "broke the internet."
"But I kept it on the site because there is an aspect to women’s sexuality that I think we’re socialized to feel a lot of shame about. And I sort of loved this kind of punk rock idea, 'We are beautiful, and we are awesome, and go f*** yourself,'" she said.
Following the attention the product received from the public, Paltrow also sold This Smells Like My Orgasm and This Smells Like My Prenup, and in 2022, released a similar product called Hands Off My Vagina.
People’s Comments and Reviews on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Vagina-Scented Candle
True to Paltrow’s words, Goop’s This Candle Smells Like My Vagina did spark a great deal of curiosity and quickly sold out when it was released.
On Reddit, a user admitted to having bought it in 2020 as a gag gift for Christmas. Some understood that the product’s name was just a clever marketing tactic, but one user pointed out that it’s not entirely accurate to call it "vagina-scented."
However, others in the thread said they would never support any of Paltrow’s brands, claiming she “promotes potentially dangerous” products.
Candlefind featured the product and noted that they genuinely liked its "warm, musky, and sexy" floral scent.
Although the reviewer mentioned that it was too expensive for a candle, they also praised its flawless and long-lasting burn.
Elton John was also among those who appreciated the infamous vagina candle, so much so that Little revealed the singer bought “a ton” of them.
According to The Cut, Little described how he felt about the product, saying, "There’s no reason. It’s this beautiful, sacred thing and yet in our society and in many societies, there is a lot of stigma and shame. I think people are sick of that."
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