Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop faces lawsuit over exploding vagina candles

Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop is determined to fight a lawsuit that alleged the "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle exploded in less than three hours of use.

Colby Watson, a Texas Goop customer, claimed that the candles "explode or suffer catastrophic failure during the candle's normal usage because of a design defect and/or manufacturing flaw." He said he used the candles for the first time in February as a personal home decoration.

He noticed that after letting it burn on his nightstand for an estimated three hours or less, it "became engulfed in high flames." He then "discovered the candle had exploded and that the room in his home where the candle was located was filled with smoke."

The lawsuit is a class action suit and represents anyone else who has bought the "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle. Watson is asking Goop to pay for damages in excess of $5,000,000 and payment for attorney's fees, as stated in court documents obtained by E! The plaintiff is also demanding a jury trial.

Heretic, the company that produced the candles, is not listed as a defendant. But Goop is prepared to fight what it called a "frivolous" attempt to make quick money.

"We're confident this claim is frivolous and an attempt to secure an outsized payout from a press-heavy product," a Goop spokesperson said in a statement.

"We stand behind the brands we carry and the safety of the products we sell. Here, Heretic — the brand that supplies the candle — has substantiated the product's performance and safety through industry standard testing," the representative added.

The candles sell for $75 each and are described online as having a "funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent." It provides warnings for users: one is to remove the disk on top of the candle before use and the other is a safety reminder to trim the wick regularly.

In 2018, Goop also had to settle a $145,000 lawsuit over another vagina-inspired product. Ten prosecutors from California's Food, Drug, and Medical Device (FDMD) Task Force filed a suit against unsubstantiated claims that the brand's Jade and Rose Quartz Egg, which costs $66, can balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, prevent uterine prolapse, and increase bladder control.