Gwenyth Paltrow has recently created a sister brand for “GOOP” called “Good. Clean.Goop,” and the brand targets Gen Z. It's sold at Amazon and Target, and the prices are much lower because they want to bring in younger audiences on TikTok. Like the original brand, Good.Clean.Goop is still known for its strong branding around detoxification and lifestyle, but it's supposed to be more accessible to the masses.
Essentially, it's supposed to come off as the less elitist version of the original Goop. And seemingly, they want to get people while they're young. So, when these customers get older and have more disposable income, they will graduate to the more expensive and questionable “GOOP.”
What is the controversy with GOOP?
GOOP is known for making extreme health claims without substantiation. For example, the brand recommends putting something called the Yoni Jade Egg into your body for “crystal healing” and improved “connection to your body.” But, multiple OBGYNS have recommended against using something like this because it's porous. Likewise, it can become toxic. GOOP also released these “NASA” stickers that you put on your arm to help with depression. However, NASA came out and said, “We've never endorsed that.”
GOOP has skincare products as well. Cassandra tried one of their microdermabrasion face masks, and it was very bad for her skin barrier. Also, GOOP's skincare products are a couple hundred dollars. They justify the price with their ethos around detoxification. The brand conveys that we must “detox” even though our liver and kidneys help to detox the body naturally.
These themes have carried over to the new sister brand, Good.Clean.Goop as well. According to the company, the name was given because it provides skin, hair, body, and wellness essentials that adhere to strict, clean standards. But, we need to define “clean.” Because again, what does “clean” even mean? In the context of skincare, the term “clean” is overly ambiguous and cannot truly be defined. But, the least we can do is review the products, understand the ingredients, and determine whether the Good.Clean.Goop products are helpful.
The Daily Juice Cleanser - $19.99
This is a water-based jelly formula with hyaluronic acid and fruit enzymes. This cleanser is supposed “to freshen, cleanse, and detoxify” the skin for a brighter look. Supposedly, “it splashes away impurities without leaving your skin feeling stripped.” We're presented with a lot of marketing fluff here, but at the very least, it's fragrance-free, which is good.
As for the ingredients, there's water, caproyl methyl glucamide, glycerin, and lauroyl methyl glucamide. Glycerin is hydrating, and the other two are surfactants, meaning they pull dirt from the skin. Those ingredients were probably chosen because they wanted to avoid sulfates. Sulfates give lather and pull dirt from surfaces, but they're often labeled as “harsh” or “contaminated.”
Furthermore, there's bromelain and papain, which are fruit enzymes that help to break down dead skin cells and exfoliate the skin. There's also apricot kernel oil and spinach leaf extract. But then, there's clove bud oil, patchouli, and sage oil. These are not inherently bad, but they could definitely be irritating to the skin. Overall, Cassandra doesn't find this cleanser to be bad, but she wonders how this is different from a normal cleanser you'd find at Target.
Versed The Purist Antioxidant Face Cleanser - Unscented - 6 fl oz - $10.49
For example, this is half the price and better.
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser - $19.90
This is also gentler than the Daily Juice Cleanser, but people will still buy the Daily Juice Cleanser because it's sensationalized and has Gwenyth Paltrow's name on it.
Good. Clean. Goop Fruit Facial Exfoliating Scrub - $24.99
To begin with, the word “scrub” concerned Cassandra. It reminded her of the microdermabrasion scrub from Supergoop that deeply damaged her skin barrier. As for the ingredients, there's alumina which gives the scrub a gritty feeling. Alumina is originally related to aluminum which normally wouldn't be an issue, but GOOP has contradicted themselves about this ingredient. Brands like GOOP who promote “clean ingredients” are always describing how you shouldn't use these metals on your skin. Now, they're putting in face scrubs? Given what they've told their customers, why would they put it in a face scrub? There was even an article on Goop titled “A Heavy Metal Detox,” which was basically a guide to “getting metals out of your system.”
The Illuminator 10% Glycolic Toner - $19.99
Glycolic acid is an AHA. It usually comes from sugar cane, and it can illuminate, exfoliate, and make the look glowy. This toner also includes sodium hydroxide and propanediol. But previously, Goop said that propanediol was in antifreeze and never to use it on your skin. Moreover, sodium hydroxide is lye which Goop has also told people not to use “because it's a caustic chemical on the skin.” But, everything is a chemical, and sodium hydroxide actually helps to stabilize skincare formulas.
The Healthy Aging Serum - $39.99
This is $40, and “the silky formula is made with niacinamide to improve the look of dark spots.” The formula includes something called “shikimic” acid, which is an exfoliating acid from botanical extracts. The ylang-ylang and the curry leaf will give it a fragrance even though it says the product is fragrance-free. Cassandra doesn't think the ingredients in here are bad, but she wonders if Gwenyth Paltrow was truly a part of the process of formulating this.
This serum contains water, glycerin, niacinamide, and reishi mushroom. The first two ingredients hydrate the skin while the next two soothe the skin and help the skin barrier. Reishi mushroom has also been known to help with hyperpigmentation because of its antioxidant qualities. There's also palmitoyl tripeptide 5, palmitoyl tripeptide 38, and aloe. Peptides are supposed to help the skin look bouncy, hydrate, and regenerate.
This is a pretty good formula, Cassandra wouldn't use this as an eye cream. She would use it all over the face. It's probably better to use for hydration as opposed to fine lines around the eyes. There are definitely better eye serums. Dr. Murad just launched one that's better than this called The “Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum.”
Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum - $89
The Nutrient Rich Daily Moisturizer - $29.99
Good.Clean.Goop claims that this product “floods the skin with instant hydration and locks in moisturizer.” So, let's see if it's truly hydrating. There's water, glycerin, coconut alkalines, and hydrogenated ethylhexyl olivate which comes from Olive Oil or the Olive Tree. Yes, these ingredients are hydrating and moisturizing, but it doesn't necessarily “flood the skin” with hydration. If someone has very dry skin, this definitely would not serve as a go-to moisturizer. There's also niacinamide which controls oil production in the skin, and there's arginine too. Arginine can protect the skin barrier as an antioxidant and enhance hydration.
This also has apricot, ylang-ylang, tonka, clove, and sage which seem exotic, but they probably just give the product its scent. There's alcohol, propanediol, and benzoic acid which aren't necessarily troublesome, but Paltrow has previously spoken against them. Benzoic acid is a synthetic (lab-made) compound, which again isn't an issue, but the brand claims to be “free of synthetics.” According to Google Patents, “the use of 2-methyl-benzoic acid methyl ester is disclosed as a fragrance chemical suitable for incorporation in fine fragrances, cosmetics, toiletries, and related applications.”
So, what does the brand truly stand for, and what does it truly mean to Gwenyth Paltrow? Paltrow has even implied that she wants to sell Goop. Did you know that many people will create and hype companies just to sell the company to a major investor.? While the brand is being sensationalized, they'll bring in investors to increase its valuation, and then, sell it. For customers, this can feel exploitative when the people who follow you are the ones buying it. Ethically, selling a business is not always an issue, but when there has been marketing based on pseudoscience and false claims to lure people in, yes, it can seem exploitative.
We're not saying that this is the intention, but it can appear this way. As for Good.Clean.Goop, if customers want to buy it, there's not much harm in the formulas themselves. They have good antioxidant qualities, and the products might be a fit for some. It's important to buy what makes you good and empowered, and it's also a plus to know the brand and how ingredients actually work on the skin.