NAD Finds Certain Madame Ovary Dietary Supplement Claims Supported

For Immediate Release
Contact: Abby Hills, Director of Communications, BBB National Programs
703.247.9330 / press@bbbnp.org 

New York, NY – September 24, 2020 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that Goop, Inc. supported qualified claims relating to the ability of certain ingredients in its Madame Ovary dietary supplement to provide nutritional support for physical and emotional symptoms of women who are approaching, in, or just past menopause. NAD, however, recommended modifications to a challenged claim that focused on the combination of ingredients chosen for menopausal women, based on NAD’s finding that only some of the ingredients have been shown to improve menopausal symptoms and support thyroid health. 

Goop claims that other ingredients support general women’s health. NAD did not challenge or request substantiation for other Madame Ovary advertising claims, including those pertaining to overall wellness. 

Through its routine monitoring program, NAD requested substantiation for the express claim, appearing in social media advertising that:

• “The combination of supplements featuring herbs, adaptogens, phytonutrients, and vitamins is tailored for women approaching, in the throes of, or just past menopause. It’s a daily regimen formulated to support thyroid health and smoothing the menopausal transition by providing nutritional support for women who may experience mild hot flashes, mood shifts, and stress-related fatigue.” 

The Madame Ovary dietary supplement consists of four tablets, each of which contain numerous ingredients (one of which contains more than 20 ingredients) and are intended to be taken together. Those tablets include:

• Firefighter
• Thyroid BFF
• Phytoblend Multi
• Omega-3 EPA-DHA 1000

NAD thoroughly reviewed the advertiser’s evidence, which included numerous clinical studies, on key ingredients in these components that Goop credits with reducing physical and emotional menopausal symptoms. 

In the Firefighter Tablet, NAD determined that the evidence provides a reasonable basis for a qualified claim that the ingredient black cohosh provides nutritional support for physical and emotional symptoms for women who are approaching, in, or just past menopause. However, NAD concluded that there was no sufficiently reliable evidence to support such qualified claims for the ingredients motherwort or lemon balm.

In the Thyroid BFF Tablet, NAD determined that the evidence supported a qualified claim that the ingredient rhodiola rosea provides nutritional support for physical and emotional symptoms for women who are approaching menopause; and that rhodiola rosea and selenium, as constituted in Thyroid BFF, support thyroid function in women who are approaching, in, or just past menopause.

In the Phytoblend Multi Tablet, the advertiser focused on the following ingredients’ efficacy in improving mood: (1) thiamin; (2) folic acid; (3) Vitamin B6; (4) selenium; (5) iodine; and (6) magnesium. NAD reviewed the studies on each of these ingredients and determined that the evidence in the record does not support any qualified claims as to the ability of the ingredients to provide nutritional support in the form of mood improvement in women approaching, in, or post menopause.

Finally, in the Omega-3 EPA-DHA 1000 Tablet, although the advertiser maintained that DHA and EPA have been found to have a beneficial impact on mood balance and parameters, NAD found that the evidence was not sufficiently reliable to demonstrate that DHA and EPA improve mood in the target population of women approaching, in, or just past menopause.

In sum, NAD determined that some of the ingredients (black cohosh, rhodiola rosea, and selenium) in two of Madame Ovary’s tablets (Firefighter and Thyroid BFF) support qualified claims about the ingredients’ abilities to improve mood and support thyroid function in women approaching, in, or just past menopause. Therefore, NAD concluded that the claim stating “a daily regimen formulated to support thyroid health and smoothing the menopausal transition by providing nutritional support for women who may experience mild hot flashes, mood shifts, and stress-related fatigue” was supported.

Because only some of the ingredients in two of the four tablets have been shown to improve menopausal symptoms and support thyroid health, NAD recommended that Goop modify the claim referring to the combination of ingredients: “the combination of supplements featuring herbs, adaptogens, phytonutrients, and vitamins is tailored for women approaching, in the throes of, or just past menopause.”

In its advertiser’s statement, Goop agreed to comply with NAD’s recommendation. Goop further stated that it disagrees with “NAD’s conclusion that the brand conveyed the message that every ingredient in Madame Ovary was chosen to relieve menopause-related symptoms, as some ingredients provide general nutritional support for all women. . . . Nonetheless, in the spirit of cooperation, we will take NAD’s comments under advisement in future advertising.” 

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About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.