Gwyneth Paltrow is no stranger to backlash, but the Goop founder is now going viral all over again—this time for clapping back at critics of her infamous $75 “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle with a bold, unapologetic three-word response that’s set social media on fire.
The controversy reignited earlier this week after a resurfaced interview clip circulated on TikTok, in which lifestyle experts on a panel mocked the candle, calling it “tone-deaf,” “hypersexualized marketing,” and “a joke taken too far.” The clip, posted by @HolisticTruths, has racked up more than 4.6 million views and sparked heated debate across X, Reddit, and Instagram.
But Paltrow, clearly done with explaining herself, responded in classic Goop fashion: tastefully savage and dripping with confidence.
In an impromptu appearance outside a Goop event in New York, a reporter from TMZ asked her what she thought about the renewed criticism. Without hesitation, Paltrow smiled and replied simply: “Buy it or…” before pausing and delivering the now-viral punchline: “Don’t. I care.”
That moment, captured on camera and posted to X, has already been viewed over 12 million times, with fans and critics alike commenting on Paltrow’s legendary ability to turn outrage into marketing gold.
“She said what she said,” tweeted one fan. “This woman made a candle that smells like her vagina and became a millionaire off it. What are you doing?”
The $75 candle, first launched in 2020 via Goop’s online store, famously sold out within hours of its release. The product was inspired by a joke between Paltrow and perfumer Douglas Little during a fragrance brainstorming session, where she allegedly described one scent by saying, “This smells like my vagina.” Instead of laughing it off, Goop turned it into a product—and a global headline.
At the time, media outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian covered the launch with a mix of intrigue and disbelief. But despite—or because of—the controversy, the candle sold out in under 12 hours and later fetched hundreds on resale sites like eBay.
The latest backlash stems not just from the product’s provocative name, but from ongoing criticisms of Goop’s approach to wellness. Many doctors and skeptics accuse the brand of blurring the line between empowerment and pseudoscience. A TikTok posted by OB-GYN @DrJennOBGYN addressed the renewed debate, saying, “I get the humor. But when it comes from a brand that also sells questionable detoxes, it muddies the waters.”
Still, the candle’s defenders say it’s clearly meant as satire—a tongue-in-cheek way to deconstruct how society commodifies the female body. “It’s punk rock wellness,” feminist author Roxane Gay said in a 2020 interview, reposted this week by @CultureClapback.
The debate reignited in full force this week on r/FemaleDatingStrategy, where users questioned whether the product promotes liberation or simply capitalizes on it. One user wrote, “It’s genius marketing—but it feels like a brand laughing at women more than with them.”
In response, Goop released a short statement to Axios reaffirming its support for “products that challenge outdated ideas of shame and femininity” and added that the candle “was never meant to be literal—it was meant to spark conversation.”
Spark it did. The original product page, still active on Goop.com, reads: “With a funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent—this candle is made with geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes.” There’s no actual “vaginal” content—just attitude, irony, and scent marketing turned into high art.
The candle is currently sold out again, with a waitlist that’s reportedly over 40,000 customers long.
Even celebrities are chiming in. Jameela Jamil reposted Paltrow’s quote to her X account with the caption: “It’s called boundaries, darling.” Meanwhile, Chrissy Teigen joked on Instagram, “Now I want one that smells like my anxiety.”
As always, Paltrow seems unfazed by the noise. Speaking to Rolling Stone last month, she reflected on the initial backlash to her product line: “People are always going to clutch pearls when a woman is bold. That’s why I keep going.”
Whether you see it as comedy, commentary, or capitalist chaos, one thing is clear: Gwyneth Paltrow knows exactly how to push buttons—and make a fortune doing it.
