The self-love that is true love
In a world that glorifies instant gratification, self-love is much-needed rebellion. Note, wellness market in India is expected to cross $72 billion by 2025. In the Nordstrom paradise US, it has reached $480 billion, growing at five to 10 per cent per year.
Eighty-two per cent of American consumers now consider wellness a top or important priority in their everyday lives, which is similar to what consumers in the UK and China report (73 per cent and 87 per cent, respectively).
The growing trend is especially true among Gen Z and millennial consumers, who are now purchasing more wellness products and services than older generations, across dimensions like health, sleep, nutrition, fitness, appearance, and mindfulness.
Cycle Syncing
The practice of tying your health and lifestyle habits to your menstrual cycle is one of the major trends. Cycle syncing encourages women to truly listen to their bodies, and with so many period tracking apps available now. Gone is the labelling of mood swings as ‘just part of being a woman’ and ignoring warning signs like painful cramps, low energy, or bloating. Women can take back the power by tracking their monthly cycle. They can be armed with insight and knowledge on their menstrual cycle and how to balance hormones, reduce PMS, improve their mood, and lower their stress levels.
Stress Busting
A growing trend in the wellness community is vagus nerve stimulation, which targets the body’s main cranial nerve. This nerve helps regulate your stress response, and simple techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, and even humming can help activate it. This trend is gaining widespread attention on social media. It’s a natural way to calm the body’s fight-or-flight response, providing a sense of tranquillity in a fast-paced world. As the wellness industry continues to focus on mental health, vagus nerve stimulation is set to become a cornerstone of relaxation practices.
Lazying Around
What Italians call dolce far niente, or the sweetness of doing nothing, is making waves now. For a society that is overstressed, over-scheduled, and overtired, there’s little room for joy and wonder, or open-ended self-care. But there’s been a massive shift towards wanting to take it slow and soak in the moment. People aspire to achieve the work-life balance and practicing doing nothing. Clearing your head and schedule—is the first step on the road to true wonder and relaxation.
Clinically Convincing
While natural is the way to go, consumers today are nonetheless shifting away from wellness products with clean ingredients to those with clinically proven versions. More than half of UK and US consumers reported clinical effectiveness as a top purchasing factor, while only about 20 per cent reported the same for natural or clean ingredients. This trend is most pronounced in categories such as over-the-counter medications and vitamins and supplements. Consumers in China expressed roughly equal overall preference for clinical and clean products, although there were some variations between categories. They prioritised clinical efficacy for digestive medication, topical treatments, and eye care products, while they preferred natural and clean ingredients for supplements, superfoods, and personal-care products.
Nap Holidays
One of the reasons people wanted to travel this year was to rest and recharge. There is a growing number of wellness-oriented travellers today, but also an expanded definition of wellness. Sleep tourists seek out experiences like sleep-focused spa treatments and trips and accommodations centered around sleep. Reports suggest that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep, but Indians are on average getting less than seven hours of sleep every day. The lack of sleep is impacting productivity as 67 per cent of women and 56 per cent of men are feeling sleepy during working hours.
Immersive ASMR
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a relaxing, tingly sensation that comes from gentle, interpersonal moments, like watching a video of someone whispering into a microphone. It is a hit on social media as well. It is no surprise that it’s now being woven into wellness rituals. While there is growing interest in ASMR these days, the fact remains that there are still relatively few scientific studies conducted to date, including studies on the conditions which may trigger an ASMR state. While the experience may include a genuine physiological response, much more scientific research is needed to begin to understand the nature of the ASMR phenomenon.