Claiming a product delivers health benefits can be a tricky business. Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow, whose Goop website has a blog post rhapsodizing about a line of "wearable stickers that promote healing."
The stickers, which cost $60 for a 10-pack, are made by Body Vibes, which claims the "smart stickers (are) programmed to deliver natural bio-frequencies to optimize brain and body functions, restore missing cell communication, and accelerate the body's natural ability to heal itself."
Goop gushed: "Body Vibes stickers (made with the same conductive carbon material NASA uses to line space suits so they can monitor an astronaut's vitals during wear) come pre-programmed to an ideal frequency, allowing them to target imbalances."
NASA's response: Huh?
A NASA representative told Gizmodo that they "do not have any conductive carbon material lining the spacesuits."
And Mark Shelhamer, former chief scientist at NASA's human research division and now an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine, was a bit blunter: "Wow, what a load of B.S. this is. Not only is the whole premise like snake oil, the logic doesn't even hold up. If they promote healing, why do they leave marks on the skin when they are removed?"
He added that NASA "does not line its spacesuits with conductive carbon material" and that its current spacesuit model has no carbon fibers at all.
In response, a Goop representative said, "Based on the statement from NASA, we've gone back to the company to inquire about the claim" and it was removed from Goop's site (although the healing claims remain).
Outliers will let late night host Stephen Colbert have the last word: "Previously if you wanted wearable stickers that promote healing, you had to buy a box of Band-Aids."
