Gwyneth Paltrow’s defense of Goop’s “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle is about the idea behind its provocative name, not a claim that the candle smelled like anyone’s body. At the 2025 Mindvalley Manifesting Summit, she reportedly called the concept “punk rock” and said it began as a joke. Goop’s candle was reported off sale in 2023; the later remarks do not establish a relaunch.
What Paltrow said in 2025
At the Mindvalley Manifesting Summit, Paltrow defended the candle’s premise and reportedly described it as a “punk rock idea.” The Daily Beast reported that she said the concept began as a joke. Those remarks are reported by the outlet; a full primary recording or transcript is not established here. The Daily Beast’s account summarizes the summit comments.
The “still defends” framing refers to her continued defense of the concept. It does not mean Goop has brought the candle back or that it remains available to buy.
What she said the candle was meant to mean
In an Instagram Q&A reported by the Los Angeles Times in August 2023, Paltrow framed the candle as a feminist statement against shame around women’s anatomy. She said women in her generation were often taught to regard the vagina as strange or shameful, and described the candle as a forceful response to that attitude.
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“So the candle was supposed to be a very strong, punk rock ‘F you’ to anyone who ever made us feel like that.”
The Los Angeles Times reproduced that remark from the Q&A. Paltrow also said the provocative name had drawn attention away from the message she intended. Read the Los Angeles Times report on her explanation.
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Did it actually smell like a vagina?
No: Paltrow said the name was not a literal description of the candle’s scent. The Independent reported notes including geranium, citrusy bergamot, cedar absolutes, Damask rose and ambrette seed. Those are reported fragrance notes, not a claim that the candle reproduced a bodily scent. The Independent’s report also recounts Paltrow’s explanation of how the name came about.
How Paltrow said the idea began
In an account she gave on Late Night with Seth Meyers, as quoted by The Independent, Paltrow said she was working with perfumer Douglas Little of the brand Heretic, smelled a fragrance, and joked that it smelled like her vagina. Little treated the remark as a product idea, according to her account. She later said she had been kidding. This is Paltrow’s reported origin story, rather than independently verified production history.
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“I was with the [perfumer] Douglas Little for his brand Heretic and we were kind of messing around and I smelled this beautiful thing and was like: ‘This smells like my vagina!’”
Is the candle still for sale?
The Independent reported in September 2023 that Goop no longer sold the candle. That report does not verify Goop’s current inventory, so current availability is unconfirmed; Paltrow’s 2025 defense is not evidence of a return to sale.
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What her broader business comments do—and do not—explain
In a 2025 profile, Vanity Fair reported that Paltrow called the candle a fluke and discussed the limited repeat-purchase potential of Goop’s sexual-wellness customers. That broader observation should not be treated as the confirmed reason this particular candle stopped being sold. The same profile reported, citing a company representative, that Goop’s revenue grew 10 percent year over year in 2024 and that 2024 was its best year from an overall-revenue perspective; the company did not disclose whether it was profitable. These company-wide figures do not establish the candle’s commercial performance. Vanity Fair’s 2025 profile provides that business context.
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