Goop CCO Is Eyeing CBD, THC, Psychedelics as Wellness Empire Expands
*By Carlo Versano*
The sun will never set on Gwyneth Paltrow's empire.
Goop, the actress' 10-year-old lifestyle and wellness brand, now operates stores in Southern California, New York, and London, where the Goop pop-up was recently given permanent brick-and-mortar status. Soon, an eponymous Netflix ($NFLX) show will launch, joining a book imprint, podcast, and website as part of the brand's media presence. But as CCO Elise Loehnen told Cheddar from the Goop outpost in Brentwood, Calif., the content strategy is but one arm of the expanding business ー retail is the other.
The Goop brick-and-mortar stores reflect the essence of the brand that is best known for its extravagant holiday gift guide (a $170,000 village in Spain; $900 rose gold flask) and [vaginal jade eggs](https://www.health.com/sexual-health/jade-egg-goop) ー equal parts wellness-as-a-service and millennial kitsch, always with an eye on trendy, curated product assortments for high-end female consumers.
So it would make sense for Goop to get into CBD offerings.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Loehnen said with a smile when asked if the brand was working on its own cannabanoid line. (Two ex-Goop employees recently [launched](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-billion-dollar-cbd-industry-gets-the-goop-treatment-2019-01-11) their own "Sephora for CBD" brand.)
Loehnen said Goop was also looking into THC products, as cannabis legalization spreads, as well as the research being done with psychedelic drugs to treat depression and PTSD.
The company, now 240 strong with a predominantly female C-Suite, is focused on a retail strategy Loehnen calls "contextual commerce."
"More content is not better," she said. Consumers want "fewer things that are better," transparency, and the experiential ー and they're willing to pay a premium to get it. It is therefore Goop's job to curate a collection of products and "experiences" that reflects its own ethos ー the stores also offer space for activities like tarot readings and foam-roller classes ー and, of course, the ethos of its founder.
"Gwyneth is probably our number one consumer," Loehnen said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/goop-and-mortar-chief-content-officer-on-successful-retail-strategy).
Markets are emerging from a turbulent Q3. Horizon’s Mike Dickson shares insights on interest rates, small caps, and where investors should look in Q4 and beyond
Bambu Ventures's Kyle Pretsch dives into Lemonaid’s $10M buyout, down from 23andMe’s $400M price tag, and what’s next after Chrome Co.’s dramatic pivot.
Former Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers learned all about technology’s volatile highs and lows as a veteran of the internet’s early boom days during the late 1990s and the ensuing meltdown that followed the mania. And now he is seeing potential signs of the cycle repeating with another transformative technology in artificial intelligence. Chambers is trying take some of the lessons he learned while riding a wave that turned Cisco into the world's most valuable company in 2000 before a crash hammered its stock price and apply them as an investor in AI startups. He recently discussed AI's promise and perils during an interview with The Associated Press.
Grove Collaborative’s CEO shares how the company is reinventing everyday goods with sustainability at the core and working toward a plastic-free future.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shares plans for affordable housing, community-led growth, and why private and public grocery stores could be key to food equity.
Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with 462,890 in the same period last year.