Goop Tried To Sell Their ‘Natural’ Sunscreen In Canada And They Got Pulled Fast
Since its inception, Gwyneth Paltrow’s company Goop has come under fire for questionable advice. The “wellness” site has grown from just a website ”” it has spawned a summit, a magazine and now a store in Toronto, Canada. In true Goop fashion, the store is coming under investigation from Health Canada because of two sunscreens they sell. Made by the U.S. company Beautycounter, the sunscreens were being marketed as using “natural ingredients.” Health Canada pulled the sunscreens off shelves because they don’t meet Canadian requirements.
Health Canada regulations are very regimented. If a product is called “natural,” they must go through testing to back up the claim.
The tests will make sure that there are no chemicals that shouldn’t be there. In order to get the necessary approval, companies have to provide very specific information regarding the products. Ingredients are obviously a big part, but also recommended use, how much to use and how potent the product is. All products certified natural have a special number.
Sometimes there are ingredients in a product that aren’t on the label. In Canada, products can’t be sold as natural if the label doesn’t match up with the ingredients found. “Many studies also tell us that these products don’t always contain what they say. Sometimes, they are adulterated,” Dr. Jen Gunter, a Canada born, U.S. based OBGYN tells CBC News.
Goop voluntarily pulled the product off the shelves. “The product itself is compliant with Canadian regulations and is the same formula as sold in the U.S. The packaging issue has been fixed, and we have reached out to Health Canada to ensure our entire assortment exceeds their standards,” Goop said in a statement.
Beautycounter alleges they’ve been selling their products in Canada since 2016. They claim all of their products are compliant. But it seems that the products being sold by Goop may be in their U.S. packaging, hence where the issue comes in.
But there is still one problem. The sunscreen is still available online because of a loophole in Health Canada’s regulations. Only products being sold in a store are subject to the strict screening process. Which means that people who are ordering the products online could be getting questionable products thinking they’re the same. As of right now, there is no word from Health Canada about how or if they will change this in the future.
