Gwyneth Paltrow On The Gift Of Aging And Goop's New Direction

Gwyneth Paltrow is hardly someone who needs an introduction. A fixture of our screens from the ‘90s onwards with that waif-like beauty and a pioneer of the beauty and wellness industry since launching Goop as a newsletter back in 2008, she has played the role of a young, weeping Oscar winner, the face of “conscious uncoupling,” a mother of two, a businesswoman, a leader in the wellness space, and someone who, now more than ever, marches to the beat of her own drum.

As she has evolved in her career, so has Goop. The brand she helms has recently undergone some massive shifts—a rebrand being one of them. The new Goop is tighter, more directional, more purposeful. It’s the perfect time to add a new product to its repertoire. I’m speaking with Paltrow today to learn more about Goop’s Exosome Hydration Therapy Serum, which reportedly delivers deep, lasting hydration to strengthen the skin’s barrier and build resiliency.

Over Zoom, Gwyneth is exactly as you would expect her to be. She is warm but exacting. She remembers names and listens intently and is conversational in her responses. Ahead, we discuss the new direction of Goop, the gift of getting older, and how her perspective on wellness has changed in the 16 years since Goop’s launch.

Tell me why it felt important to incorporate an exosome serum into Goop’s existing skincare offering?

“I wanted to have an extra hydration layer. And then, obviously, exosomes are such a buzz word right now in the world of Wellness.I had been doing a lot of research around exosomes and how they work, and [found out] that there were plant derived exosomes that [could be] put in skincare. It's like this intersection of beauty and wellness, or beauty as wellness, we like to say internally. And then as with everything that we make, I really obsess over it until it's, in my opinion, the best thing of its kind on the market. And this is just so hydrating, but it's not greasy and it's not creamy. It's a very unique formula, in my opinion.”

How do you use it in your routine?

“So after I exfoliate or wash my face in the morning, I put it on before I put on moisturizer and face oil. And then in the evening, if I'm really dry, I'll layer it over the Peptide Serum as well.”

You’ve just undergone a massive rebrand visually. Tell me a bit about where you're at with the business right now.

“It's a really fun and exciting time in the business. I think we've been really investing in the foundation of the business again: the website, the stores, the packaging, the creative. I really wanted to build a foundation for Goop in its next phase and iteration, and to make sure that everything visually is on-brand: really beautiful and elevated and clean, and also kind of visceral and with some good energy in it.

Creative is leading, which is always really fun for me, because fundamentally I'm a creative. We're really growing the business again, which is really exciting.”

Everything seems to be tightening up

“Yes, absolutely. I think it's much more streamlined. The design is really reflective of how I see Goop now and going forward. It's all a lot lighter looking and I feel like it's more engaging as well.”

You’ve mentioned the richness and deepening of your life in the context of accessing acting again—how does that piece play into where you're at with Goop right now?

“I think the older you get and the more quickly time passes, you realize how fleeting everything is and how valuable time is. And think for me anyway, you know, it's sort of like this deepening of my life is happening in terms of slowing down a bit. I’m really being intentional about who I'm with, who I'm spending my time with, and feeling less obligated to be all things to all people, and saying yes to something to avoid hurting someone's feelings; I’m only saying yes if I really want to be there and feel that I can be additive. There’s all of the wonderful freedoms that happen to you when you turn 50 and you're just sort of like, I want to live the rest of my life on my own terms and bring in the sweetness and the richness of the things that I want around me. I think this next phase for Goop really does reflect that. There's so many things I would love to do— I'd love to open a Goop hotel, and I'd love to have Goop furniture—but I really want to focus on the jobs that we have at hand.”

You’ve spoken about going through perimenopause. Tell me about the things that have changed from a mindset perspective for you while entering this new phase of your life…

“It's such a hormonal roller coaster and I think what perimenopause does is kind of kick up any unresolved stuff that you have lingering in your life. And so although it can be hard to pass through it, I do think it's a gift, if you're open to receiving the information. And I think a lot of it is about letting go of older ideas of who we're supposed to be and how we're supposed to look and really embracing this new chapter. I’m finding the value in being older and being so much wiser, and really carving out time to spend with oneself and to really reflect on everything that one has gone through at this point. So I feel like it's been a real gift. Not that it hasn't been hard, but I do think that there's this idea of letting go, and the power that lies in letting go of other people's perceptions and letting go of like a 28 year old face and body and all those things. There's something that's subtly very empowering about that.”

Has your routine changed at all with your needs?

“Yeah, I'm always trying to be very in tune with where my body and mind are at any given time. When I was in my 20s, I was terrible with skincare and all that stuff. I would just go to bed with last night's makeup on.. Now, I feel like I align with the idea of really aging in the best, most empowering way possible, which requires some attention and taking care of your skin and taking care of your mind and your body. So now, for example, I lift heavier weights because I'm in that phase of life where that's really important to keep bones strong, for bone density, and I’mreally looking after my skin. I do like to explore what's there in terms of anti-aging modalities. Like exosomes on the face, but also exosomes and IVs—I've been reading about that, and approaching everything from an inside, outside perspective. When I was younger, I used to smoke and drink tons of alcohol and eat whatever, and now, obviously I'm far more mindful about that. So all those kinds of things I think really do come into play.”

How has your perspective on wellness changed since Goop’s inception?

“I think we were certainly some of the pioneers of wellness. It's been really interesting to see how the things that we talked about in the early days have become so mainstream, and things that people thought were really fringe or whatever are now something that everybody does and everybody talks about. But we just keep following the path of openness and curiosity around wellness. I think the world has really caught up to this idea that each one of us can participate in our own well-being and how we feel.

From our perspective, it's really just about giving people permission, and also the access to the information, so that they can get educated and see if it's something that they're interested in, and what road they might want to take.”

You seem to be somebody who likes to live your life above all else. Do you feel like that's something that contributes to your fundamental belief of wellness?

“Yeah, I do. I feel like that agency is really critical. To be able to pursue the fullest version of who you are—as defined by you, that independence, that autonomy— is a critical piece of wellness to me.”

What are some of your favorite ways to take care of yourself at the moment?

“From a food perspective, just trying to eat well and whole foods, nourishing foods. I’m early to bed, and early to rise, and meditation, exercise… It's pretty simple. I think [it’s important to] carve out enough time to eat well and give yourself enough time to process your feelings and move through the body. It’s not that complicated. Or maybe I'm just simplifying it.”