Gwyneth Paltrow opens up about selling controversial $75 candle that smells 'like her vagina'

Gwyneth Paltrow has reflected on creating her infamous 'This Smells Like My Vagina' candle.

Initially finding fame as an actor, the 52-year-old is perhaps better known for her lifestyle brand Goop nowadays.

The health and wellness brand started life as a weekly newsletter in September 2008 and quickly grew into the world of e-commerce as well as launching its very own podcast and even featuring in a Netflix series.

However the Avengers actor has also faced numerous backlash regarding her brand, most notably around the 'vagina' candle.

Goop released the attention grabbing candle, titled This Smells Like My Vagina', back in 2020 and immediately went viral as shoppers looked at their screens, rubbed their eyes and then checked back to make sure they'd read the title right.

This is an interesting choice of candle name (Goop)

A quick scan of the ingredients would reveal the candle was supposed to include scents of geranium, citrusy bergamot, cedar absolutes, Damask rose and ambrette seed. Basically what you'd expect to find in a high-end candle.

However, this fine-print was largely missed by the general public, with most people seeing the product and wondering if Paltrow had resorted to creative lengths in order to gather scents for the product.

It also wouldn't be the first time in which the actor-turned-businesswoman has created genital related products either, with Goop attracting headlines for similar products such as a $66 (£49) vaginal 'wellness' egg and a pot of mysterious 'sex dust'.

Five years on from the candle debacle and Paltrow has doubled-down on her decision to release the product, telling crowds at the Los Angeles 2025 Mindvalley Manifesting Summit how the controversial product came to life.

The actor and businesswoman has defended the candle in a new interview (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

"That product is so fascinating because we were messing around with different scents one day," Paltrow explained in the interview, which has been shared on Instagram, referring to herself and Heretic perfumer Douglas Little.

"And I smelled something and I was like, ‘Oh, that smells like … you know'," she continued.

"I was joking. And then [Douglas] was like, ‘Oh we should make that a candle and put it on the site."

And the rest, as they say, is history.

"We broke the Internet again. And then it took us a long time to live that one down," The Royal Tenenbaums actor said.

Explaining why she kept the now-discontinued product up, she added: "But I kept it on the site because there is an aspect to women’s sexuality that I think we’re socialised to feel a lot of shame.

The product is since been discontinued, however you can pick it up secondhand for an inflated price (Goop)

"And I sort of loved this kind of punk rock idea, ‘We are beautiful and we are awesome and go f**k yourself."

So there you have it, that's the story behind the $75 (£56) 'vagina' candle. The product was later discontinued, however you can still snag one on eBay for a tidy $349.99 (£263.49).

She was also released similar follow-up candles featuring names such as 'This Smells Like My Orgasm' and 'Hands Off My Vagina'.

So there's still plenty of options if you're looking for that unusual piece of decor...