You might have heard of it for different reasons, the Goop candle with the somewhat salacious name. Back in January of 2020, the $75 “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle made headlines simply for its unique name.
A year later, the candle made headlines again for allegedly exploding in a London woman’s home. In that case, The Sun reported that when Jody Thompson tried to light her candle for the first time, it immediately caught on fire, emitted large flames and shooting remnants across her living room.
Now, a second incident is being reported with the candle owner detailing a similar story, only this time he’s suing. The suit, filed in California on behalf of plantiff Colby Watson, alleges that the 10.5-ounce candles have “a design flaw or defect” that causes them to “explode or suffer catastrophic failure.”
According to court documents, Watson says he lit the candle for the first time in February and had it burning on his nightstand for three hours before it allegedly exploded and, in his words, became “engulfed in high flames.” Thankfully, no one was hurt and Watson says the candle eft a black burn ring on his nightstand and while still intact, the vessel was black and charred.
Watson is seeking $5 million in punitive damages and says that although Goop has a warning on their website to not burn the candles for more than two hours, he called it a “limited warning.”
In a statement to NBC News, a Goop spokesperson said: “We’re confident this claim is frivolous and an attempt to secure an outsized payout from a press-heavy product. We stand behind the brands we carry and the safety of the products we sell.”
The spokesperson went on to note that the candle has been tested via Heretic Parfums, the company that produces them. “Here, Heretic—the brand that supplies the candle—has substantiated the product’s performance and safety through industry standard testing,” added the spokesperson. As of now, Watson has chosen not to sue that company, but rather focus his efforts on Goop.
The other Goop candle making recent headlines, the “This Smells Like My Orgasm” scent, has recently been gifted to celebrities like Demi Lovato and Kourtney Kardashian and have yet to have any reported fiery incidents on record.
