NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Coronavirus: Gwyneth Paltrow face mask sells out despite health advice they're not needed for everyone

NZ Herald
12 Mar, 2020 07:51 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The World Health Organisation says the only people who need to wear masks are those coughing and sneezing or healthy people taking care of a person with suspected Covid-19 infection. Photo / Supplied
The World Health Organisation says the only people who need to wear masks are those coughing and sneezing or healthy people taking care of a person with suspected Covid-19 infection. Photo / Supplied

The World Health Organisation says the only people who need to wear masks are those coughing and sneezing or healthy people taking care of a person with suspected Covid-19 infection. Photo / Supplied

A face mask worn by celebrities, Instagram influencers and fashion week attendees costing between NZ$100 and $475 has sold out, after high-profile customer Gwyneth Paltrow told fans to "stay safe" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the World Health Organisation advises the only people who need to be wearing masks are those coughing and sneezing or healthy people who are taking care of a person with suspected COVID-19 infection.

"If you do have a cough, fever and difficulty breathing, you should wear a mask and seek medical care," WHO infection prevention and control consultant Christine Francis said.

READ MORE:
• Gwyneth Paltrow calls her role in Shallow Hal a 'disaster'
• Gwyneth Paltrow's ridiculous Goop Christmas picks
• Gwyneth Paltrow savagely roasted by Marvel co-star
• Premium - 'Genital show-and-tell' the unlikely saving grace of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Lab

"If you do not have these symptoms, you do not have to wear a mask because there is no evidence that they protect people who are not sick."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Paltrow shared a snap of herself on a plane to Paris two weeks ago wearing a black air mask by Airinum. All the Swedish brand's products are sold out.

View this post on Instagram

En route to Paris. Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow’s just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane. I’ve already been in this movie. Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands frequently. 😷

A post shared by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on Feb 26, 2020 at 2:59am PST

"Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow's just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane," she wrote.

"I've already been in this movie. Stay safe. Don't shake hands. Wash hands frequently."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Paltrow starred in the 2011 film Contagion, about a worldwide deadly virus pandemic, carrying the tagline "Nothing Spreads Like Fear".

Fans of the actor and Goop lifestyle brand founder have a history of following her lead.

Airinum's Urban Air Mask 2.0, marketed as "the world's most advanced mask", sells for just over NZ$ and is available in onyx black, quartz grey and pearl pink.

The NZ$475 version was produced in collaboration with Italian fashion brand Nemen and is sold in pistachio green, military green and a limited-edition grey print with Norwegian music producer Alan Walker's logo.

Discover more

World

Trump pictured next to man with virus - does not plan to get tested

12 Mar 06:58 PM
New Zealand

'Bloody stressful': 40 Kiwis stuck at Italian airport amid coronavirus shutdown

12 Mar 09:56 PM
Travel

Coronavirus: Do you need to clean your luggage after travelling?

12 Mar 08:07 PM
World

Watch: Ri-disc-ulous! Man's bizarre act to avoid coronavirus

12 Mar 09:23 PM

Pictures have also emerged on social media of black or black-and-red masks by Airinum in collaboration with French fashion designer Marine Serre, selling for NZ$475. They have also been spotted at fashion week in London and Paris, held in the past month.

"With face masks becoming an accessory for the 21st century, we wanted to bring our air masks into the fashion industry, in an attempt to rethink and challenge norms and to hopefully spark a debate and raise awareness about climate change," Airinum states on its website.

View this post on Instagram

What I wear when I pass by the dead animals department in the grocery store. 😷

A post shared by Heidi Caterina ⤮ (@heidicaterina) on Feb 16, 2020 at 10:05am PST

It claims the air masks are for protection from "all types of airborne particles" including pollution, smog and pollens and also reduce "exposure to bacteria".

But the description is followed by a note that they are "not certified for clinical environments such as hospitals or allied health clinics".

"Wearing the mask cannot fully remove risk of infection, as this will depend on other factors including fit and application," the brand, founded in 2015, states.

Despite this, Airinum has seen a surge in mask-wearers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and has lengthy waiting lists.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We are currently out of stock on all products and we are working hard to get new ones as soon as possible," the website states.

"At the moment we estimate to have a limited amount of masks available in April and a large amount of masks and filters available in July. We apologise for this inconvenience."

The WHO, on its coronavirus public advice page, states masks are only effective "when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water".

View this post on Instagram

Im ready to fight against the Corona. 😂🖖 Photo by @airinum . . . #critrace #fixiefamous #fixieporn #aroundfixie #fixiegram #fixielife #fixiegirl #fixiebike #fixiestyle #fixielove #fixiegear #landscape #follow #bikelife #girlspower #girlsonbikes #bikegirls #urbanbike #urban #mundociclismo #ride #brakeless #mavicpro #trackbikes #8bar #8barbikes #8barteam #adidascycling #owntheroad #dtswiss

A post shared by Pauline Perrine (@pauline.perrine) on Mar 7, 2020 at 2:01am PST

"If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly," it reads.

"Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks."

This morning, Airinum posted an update to customers about washing the Urban Air Mask 2.0.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Paltrow wasn't the only celebrity to share a mask selfie to Instagram in late February.

View this post on Instagram

The age of the mask

A post shared by Aaron Zhou (@sleepingforest1226) on Feb 16, 2020 at 8:51am PST

Actor Kate Hudson and model Bella Hadid, who have 11 million and 29 million followers respectively, both recently snapped themselves travelling with surgical masks on their face.

In the days after the celebrity posts, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged people to "STOP BUYING MASKS!".

Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!

They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!
https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9

— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020

The Australian government this month addressed the use of surgical masks during the coronavirus outbreak.

"Surgical masks in the community are only helpful in preventing people who have coronavirus," the health department said.

"If you are well, you do not need to wear a surgical mask as there is little evidence supporting the widespread use of surgical masks in healthy people to prevent transmission in public."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
View this post on Instagram

Babes⚠️⚠️ Marine Serre and Airinum launched this mask at the runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Drop next week at airinum.com

A post shared by 𝕽OMY D’FONSECA (@romydfonseca) on Feb 27, 2020 at 10:03am PST

Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday announced the government had secured an additional 54 million face masks to help protect "frontline workers" such as medical and aged care professionals looking after suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases.

"If you are suspected of having coronavirus disease, your primary care provider will give you a surgical mask to wear when you enter the emergency department or general practice," the health department states.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Premium
Entertainment

Inside Universal’s big bet on How to Train Your Dragon

21 Jun 02:00 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

20 Jun 10:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Victor Rodger's play Black Faggot, was groundbreaking - how relevant is it today?

20 Jun 07:00 PM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Home scorched as hoarded goods that surrounded it go up in flames
Hawkes Bay Today

Home scorched as hoarded goods that surrounded it go up in flames

21 Jun 02:38 AM
Live: Brian Tamaki marching on Queen St against 'non-Christian religions'
New Zealand

Live: Brian Tamaki marching on Queen St against 'non-Christian religions'

21 Jun 02:21 AM
Secrets of Okunoshima: Poison gas island's hidden WWII history
World

Secrets of Okunoshima: Poison gas island's hidden WWII history

21 Jun 02:20 AM
Australian sailor with genital herpes removes condom during sex
World

Australian sailor with genital herpes removes condom during sex

21 Jun 02:05 AM
Graeme Dingle leader steps back after 25 years, will still lead Project K
Bay of Plenty Times

Graeme Dingle leader steps back after 25 years, will still lead Project K

21 Jun 02:00 AM

Latest from Entertainment

Premium
Inside Universal’s big bet on How to Train Your Dragon

Inside Universal’s big bet on How to Train Your Dragon

21 Jun 02:00 AM

NY Times: Universal believes audiences will take flight with Hiccup and Toothless again.

Premium
'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

20 Jun 10:00 PM
Premium
Victor Rodger's play Black Faggot, was groundbreaking - how relevant is it today?

Victor Rodger's play Black Faggot, was groundbreaking - how relevant is it today?

20 Jun 07:00 PM
Entourage star’s stand-up success and unhinged urinal encounters

Entourage star’s stand-up success and unhinged urinal encounters

20 Jun 06:00 PM
Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi
sponsored

Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search