logo

Wake up daily to our latest coverage of business done better, directly in your inbox.

logo

Get your weekly dose of analysis on rising corporate activism.

logo

The best of solutions journalism in the sustainability space, published monthly.

Select Newsletter

By signing up you agree to our privacy policy. You can opt out anytime.

Leon Kaye headshot

NASA Brings Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘Healing Stickers’ Back to Earth

By Leon Kaye
Outrageous-claims-about-wearable-stickers-got-Goop-in-a-sticky-situation-with-NASA.jpg

Move over, coconut oil, aromatherapy and homeopathy. In the latest chapter of Gwyneth Paltrow’s amazing pseudo-science adventure, her lifestyle blog, Goop, recently touted “wearable stickers that promote healing.” The stickers, made by Body Vibes, are “smart stickers programmed to deliver natural bio-frequencies to optimize brain and body functions, restore missing cell communication, and accelerate the body’s natural ability to heal itself.”

With a variety pack costing as much as $120, these wearable stickers have been an “obsession” for their ability to “rebalance the energy frequency” in Goop staffers’ bodies. Whether you are in dire need to “chill,” have a hangover or maybe just need some beauty sleep, Body Vibes at one point claimed its stickers worked as it used “conductive carbon material” developed by NASA to line space suits.

Well, that claim has since been scrubbed from Body Vibes’ site. The tech blog Gizmodo asked NASA directly about the stickers in question, and its writers received a curt reply from a NASA representative saying that the agency’s spaceships “do not have any conductive carbon material.”

NASA’s quick debunking of Goop’s claims should hardly be surprising. The lifestyle site has touted a pricey rice bran-derived supplement that has turned out to be full of arsenic. But not to worry, in case arsenic or any other toxin builds up inside you, Paltrow has promoted a bevy of detoxing cleanses, which conveniently overlook the scientific fact that one’s liver and kidneys do a pretty find job of detoxing the human body on their own. And forget about honey; Paltrow has also promoted apitherapy, bee-stinging therapy that “has been used for centuries.”

But it’s not just what you put into your body, though kale is a popular detox solution on Goop. Exercise regimens such as an “Ironman 2” workout after ingesting little more than a Think Thin Bar is one recent suggestion; and for those moments when you just don’t feel fresh, a mugwort vaginal steam is apparently a gift to oneself that keeps on giving.

Apparently realizing that Body Vibes has given the scientific and public health communities yet another eye-roll or aneurism at the mere thought of Paltrow, the company has since apologized, and said it regretted misleading Goop’s readers and not doing its “due diligence.”

Image credit: Goop

Leon Kaye headshot

Leon Kaye has written for 3p since 2010 and become executive editor in 2018. His previous work includes writing for the Guardian as well as other online and print publications. In addition, he's worked in sales executive roles within technology and financial research companies, as well as for a public relations firm, for which he consulted with one of the globe’s leading sustainability initiatives. Currently living in Central California, he’s traveled to 70-plus countries and has lived and worked in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.

Leon’s an alum of Fresno State, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the University of Southern California's Marshall Business School. He enjoys traveling abroad as well as exploring California’s Central Coast and the Sierra Nevadas.

Read more stories by Leon Kaye