From vagina candles to vampire repellent, Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness empire Goop has sparked intrigue and outrage for well over a decade.
But the A-lister’s multi-million dollar brand appears to be suffering setbacks after fashion trade journal WWD reported last month that Goop would be slashing 18 per cent of its 216-person staff in a massive restructuring of the company.
It comes after the brand’s London store was forced to close last year after it lost around £1.4 million in revenue as a consequence of the global pandemic.
Meanwhile, Gwyneth’s cosmetics line Goop Beauty has seen growth slow, with its revenue up 20% this year so far compared to the 42 per cent boost in 2023.
The latest Goop figures come as the Oscar-winning Hollywood star delighted fans back in August when she announced her return to the big screen after a five-year hiatus to appear in sport drama Marty Supreme alongside Timothee Chalamet.
The wellness empire famed for offbeat products like sex dust and libido boosting supplements, was originally launched by Gwyneth in 2008 as a weekly newsletter.
Gwyneth Paltrow was spotted filming a new commercial for her lifestyle brand, Goop earlier this week
The actress famously listed a candle named ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’ on her online Goop shop
The actress had famously listed a $75 candle, cheekily named ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’, for sale in her online Goop shop and revealed that the geranium, citrus bergamot and cedar scented candle originally started as a joke.
According to the product’s description: ‘This candle started as a joke between perfumer Douglas Little and GP—the two were working on a fragrance, and she blurted out, ‘Uhhh..this smells like a vagina’—but evolved into a funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent.
The actress had also previously advised readers to purchase a $15,000 24k gold vibrator and vaginal jade eggs.
Back in 2021, Business Insider reported that Goop had lost at least 140 employees in the past two years, with multiple executives including a chief financial officer, chief technology officer and chief risk officer making exits.
While the pandemic accounted for some staffing loss, sources told the outlet that Goop’s high turnover problem predated COVID-19 layoffs, and that stingy pay, a ‘taxing culture,’ and the Academy Award winner’s habit of picking favorites and then seemingly changing her mind were the causes.
Other ex-employees who griped about the company on Glassdoor also slammed the ‘bullies’ and ‘mean girls’ who rely on ‘fear-based management,’ saying Gwyneth in particular was ‘wanted to spend her days trying on clothes when the company desperately needed a real CEO.’
Goop’s under-performance comes as the Oscar-winning Hollywood star delighted fans back in August when she announced her return to the big screen
Last week, the actress was photographed sharing a passionate kiss with Timothee while filming in New York.
The pair locked lips during a steamy street scene as they star in the upcoming film inspired by the like of Marty Reisman and the world of professional ping-pong players.
Gwyneth had last appeared in a film in 2019 as she took time away from acting to focus on her business and raising her daughter Apple, 20, and son Moses, 18.
But after her children left home to attend college, Gwyneth said: ‘I am getting back in touch with this part of myself that I haven’t felt like since I was in my 20s before I had kids. Like, a little more space and imagination, maybe. A little more inner space for what I might want to do that day, stuff like that.’
MailOnline reached out to Goop for comment.
Last week, the actress was photographed sharing a passionate kiss with Timothee while filming in New York
The actress had last appeared in a film in 2019
Timothee Chalamet and Gwyenith Paltrow on the set of ‘ Marty Supreme’
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Is Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop on the droop? As Oscar-winning Hollywood A-lister returns to making movies, her wellness empire has suffered setbacks