Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop has become something of a household name, as the lifestyle brand has become notable for its products as well as its podcasts, TV programming and more. In terms of the items the company offers, there’s body cream, makeup and various kinds of apparel. Most famously (infamously), though, the brand is also known for its vagina candle. Paltrow has discussed the product on various occasions and, during a recent interview, she opened up about the origins of the unconventional candle. Something that Paltrow has shown since she launched her brand back in 2008 is that she’s quite meticulous when it comes to the products she sells. There seems to be a specific purpose behind the conception of each item. Yet the vagina candle was apparently birthed by accident, according to the Oscar winner. Paltrow recently appeared on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast (as seen on YouTube), where she regaled the host with the story. As she explained, it all started when she was working on a perfume scent: I was working on a perfume scent for Goop with this amazing nose named Douglas Little. And I like things that smell kind of unusual. Like I like woodsy, leathery, like I like that kind of — our first perfume was called Church. It’s incensey, and I like sort of unusual smells. We were experimenting with tomato leaf. This is like way before the tomato candle got [got made] and seaweed. There were all these amazing, kind of earthy, beautiful [smells].Of all those scents, apparently one in particular caught the Iron Man star’s nose, and it prompted her to make a joke. Little did she know, however, that Douglas Little would have a passionate response to her quip:And so I go, ‘Well, this one, this one smells like my vagina,’ as a joke. We were laughing. So he's like, ‘This is brilliant. This is so funny.’ So he thought I was serious and made a candle called This Smells Like My Vagina. My team bought the candle. I thought I was joking.More on Gwyneth Paltrow(Image credit: goop)Explaining Those Strange Dinner Posts Gwyneth Paltrow Dropped After Backlash (Hint: It Was A Troll)Well, you heard it here, folks. That vagina candle can be attributed to the combination of Paltrow’s funny barb and Little’s creative way of thinking. I’m not sure I would’ve taken the actress/businesswoman so seriously at the time, but I’d say that everything ultimately worked out. The candle – which Paltrow says represents a “really strong feminist statement” – has been widely sold. It's also been gifted on occasion, as Paltrow gave one to Kim Kardashian following her divorce from Kanye West. It’s hard to deny the vagina candle’s cultural footprint at this point, as it’s even been featured in a Super Bowl ad. That’s not to say that the item’s reputation is flawless. In 2021, one of the candles exploded in a customer’s home and emitted “huge flames.” Said customer eventually sued Goop for damages totalling $5 million, with the company subsequently blasting the suit. Said incident doesn’t seem to have deterred customers from buying the candle, though.All in all, I’d say the vagina candle stands as one of Goop’s most eclectic products (next to the vagina eggs). When it comes to an invention it’s hard to say exactly when or how inspiration might strike but, if there’s anything this candle backstory proves, it’s that an idea can be sparked at almost any time.