Gwyneth Paltrow talks Goop criticism and customer data privacy

I will admit I've never been a fan of Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle and wellness site that doubles as an online marketplace for the ultra rich. Though I grew up as a huge fan of her '90s movies, I rolled my eyes at the overpriced products and weird health tips she endorsed on her site.

But when I received an email on Monday at 11 a.m. offering the opportunity to interview the one and only "queen of all things wellness" later that night — Paltrow was in town to speak on a panel promoting the launch of the Jerusalem Venture Partners International Cyber Center — you better believe I took it.

Once Paltrow and I settled on the couch to chat, I started off by asking her about protecting the privacy and data of the customers on her site. Yes, she explained that Goop only takes data users want to provide and that it's not in the business of breaching anyone's privacy.

But, rather than try to spin a narrative where data is this amazing opportunity to cater to readers, Paltrow was genuine about how someone in her position might feel.

"It's really scary to me because I don't want to think about the accessibility everyone has to data. So you have to find an ethical equilibrium on it," she said.

It was when I asked about Goop's role in disseminating questionable health advice in the era of fake news that the light and airy mood shifted just a bit. And let's just say she went into a bit of mama bear mode...in the most Gwyneth Paltrow kind of way, of course. She remained calm and poised, though I couldn't help but feel there was a slight hint of "Can everyone back off my site?!" to her tone.

"We think that that's all clickbait and bullshit. People are able to criticize us now in opportunistic ways," Paltrow said, adding that she thinks "it's a cheap and easy way to try and drive traffic to these [news] sites."

Paltrow was also quick to say that Goop doesn't "dole out any advice."

"I think there's a lot happening in the media right now in terms of trying to say we give health advice," she said. However, a quick Google search of Goop gives you the following description in its results:

Perhaps Goop should consider changing its description. Credit: brenda stolyar/mashable

The defensive response is understandable, though. I mean, Goop has grown a lot throughout the years (and lawsuits).

What originally started out as a newsletter has expanded into a one-stop shop to help you curate an all-around better lifestyle. Sure, it might be for a certain kind of crowd (like the type that can afford a $259 meditation pillow set or $90 cake stand), but Goop covers it all: beauty tips, recipes, gift guides, etc.

While the site has increased, criticism for it has as well — with good reason, given the topics that Goop has covered.

Should we start with that time in 2015 when she recommended women steam-clean their vaginas? Or, in 2017, when she took it a step further by suggesting women should also try shoving a Jade Egg up there, too? Speaking of which, Gwyneth had to pay $145,000 in settlements over those eggs because her site's claims were not backed by science.

Oh, and there was also that time in 2018 when Goop published an article that claimed shooting coffee up your butt using an enema device could help relieve a lot of symptoms.

Not only did some of these practices sound absolutely wild to those of us who believe in science, but, by that point, it was expected that health experts would quickly debunk any of her site's supported practices and claims as safe — forget about whether or not they actually worked.

Thankfully, Goop eventually hired a fact checker.

"I think there's a lot happening in the media right now, in terms of trying to say we give health advice," Paltrow explained. "Or, they use the word pseudo-scientific, which drives me crazy because pseudo-science is saying: 'This pillow will fix your back pain.' And we don't do that. If we're interested in something, we'll get an expert opinion and do a Q&A."

While it didn't occur to me right then and there, I think she was probably referring to criticism from the UK's National Health Service, which labeled her new Netflix series, The Goop Lab, a "health risk."

But Paltrow believes Goop's readers are capable of making up their own minds.

"Some of the things we talk about on Goop might be an emerging modality and that doesn't mean that it doesn't have value. It might just mean it doesn't have a double-blind study behind it, but it may be making people feel better and closer to themselves," Paltrow said.

Update, 2/5 9:45 am ET: This post has been edited throughout to highlight skepticism around Goop's health claims.