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Gwyneth Paltrow’s luxury brand Goop is getting attention from an incident involving a fire started by its popular “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle.
A British woman named Jody Thompson said “the candle exploded and emitted huge flames, with bits flying everywhere” when she lit it one night at her North London home, The Sun reports.
After managing to eventually get the candle under control, Thompson immediately threw it out the front door. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The whole thing was ablaze and it was too hot to touch. There was an inferno in the room,” she said.
The media consultant from Kilburn won the so-called vagina candle as an award for winning an online quiz. The candles have been a hot commodity since they were launched a year ago.
Goop is not facing any legal action stemming from this incident, but Top Class Actions is tracking current product defects that could develop into a class action. With promising notes of geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar contrasting with Damask rose and ambrette seed the “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle are sold on the Goop website for $75. The scent is also available in a roll-on perfume and is displayed next to “This Smells Like My Orgasm” and “This Smells Like My Prenup” candles.
A Goop spokeswoman told the New York Post the candle was sold through a third party and the company was unable to “verify its authenticity.”
The candles have cotton wicks, according to the Goop website, that need to be trimmed before lighting. It’s unclear whether Thompson did this or not for her candle, but similar incidents are responsible for some 8,200 house fires every year in the U.S., according to the National Candle Association.
The issue of exploding candles is the subject of a current class action lawsuit against Repel Insect Repellent Citronella candles filed in November. A California man says his face was burned when hot wax spewed over his face.
Walmart is dealing with a class action lawsuit over its candles, too. Its Mainstay line is being accused of sparking “high flames and explosions” that put homes at risk of burning down.
The lead plaintiff in that case says she was injured when the candle had been burning for over an hour and became fully “engulfed” by flames, scorching the ceiling and eventually blowing out hot wax all over, including her skin.
Another candle retailer, Hallmark, had issues with some of its products two years ago over fire risks, where its frosted balsam jar candles were breaking after being lit. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled the candles in Dec. 2019.
Do you purchase candles for your home? What kinds of things do you do to keep them safe? Are you worried about candles starting your house on fire? Let us know what you think about this story in the comments below.
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