Colby Watson, a Texas resident, is suing Gwyneth Paltrow’s company Goop over an exploding candle.
Goop’s candle has already made several stirs. First, when it was announced, simply the name caused interest. It’s called “This Smells Like My Vagina,” which naturally grabbed a lot of attention.
Then, in January 2021, reports started to surface of the candle exploding. Jody Thompson from North London won the candle in an online quiz. When she went to light it, “the candle exploded and emitted high flames, with bits flying everywhere,” she told The Sun.
What’s happened this time?
Now, Watson is claiming the same thing happened to him. He is filing a class-action lawsuit against Goop for damages adding up to $5 million. To put that into context, if he wins the money, he could afford to buy 66,666 of Goop’s $75 candles (with money left over!).
Watson described the explosion. He said the candle ‘became engulfed in flames before blowing up in his bedroom and filling the whole place up with smoke.’
The damages Watson is citing for his lawsuit are ‘mental anguish,’ ‘physical injuries,’ ‘loss of the use of their candles,’ ‘time spent seeking to have their candles replaced,’ and ‘money lost of the purchase of new, safe candles.’
How has Goop responded?
Goop has responded to the lawsuit, saying that Watson’s claim is ‘frivolous and an attempt to secure an outsized pay-out from a press-heavy product.’ Seeing the list of damages Watson has raised, I feel as though there might be some truth to that.
Who knows how this will proceed – if Watson gets his way, it’s go to a jury – but however it ends, it’s another day of Goop being in the press.
If you’d like to read about more scandals Goop has been a part of, why not read about one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s other candles making a stir – the “This Smells Like My Orgasm” candle. Hopefully, this one won’t explode.
