Gwyneth Paltrow Defends $75 Vagina Candle at Mindvalley Summit

Los Angeles, CA – Actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow defended her controversial $75 candle, titled “This Smells Like My Vagina,” during her appearance at the 2025 Mindvalley Manifesting Summit on Saturday.

Paltrow described the candle’s origins as stemming from a light-hearted moment with perfumer Douglas Little. “That product is so fascinating because we were messing around with different scents one day. And I smelled something and I was like, ‘Oh, that smells like … you know,'” she shared on stage.

The initial concept began as a joke, according to Paltrow. “I was joking. And then [Douglas] was like, ‘Oh we should make that a candle and put it on the site,'” she explained, humorously recalling how the idea suddenly became a reality. “All of a sudden, it was literally on the website. And then we broke the Internet again,” she added.

Paltrow, 52, emphasized the importance of challenging societal norms surrounding women’s sexuality. “But I kept it on the site because there is an aspect to women’s sexuality that I think we’re socialized to feel a lot of shame. And I sort of loved this kind of punk rock idea, ‘We are beautiful and we are awesome and go f**k yourself,'” she stated.

The candle includes a blend of scents such as geranium and Damask rose, but its bold name sparked significant public attention and backlash when it was released in 2020. Although the product was eventually discontinued, it has since surfaced on resale markets for prices exceeding $400.

Paltrow followed the original candle with others, including “This Smells Like My Orgasm” and “This Smells Like My Prenup.” In 2022, she launched the “Hands Off My Vagina” candle, which contributed to a charitable cause supporting reproductive rights.

This session at the Mindvalley Summit showcased Paltrow’s unwavering support for her brand, which started as a simple newsletter in 2008.