The worldwide wellness trend is one of the most important drivers of the Personal care market. Wellness is indeed more than just a trend; reflected in almost all areas of life, wellness is an attitude towards life that is meant to nourish the body and mind. The point is to be good to oneself – to reinvigorate, recharge one’s batteries, take some time out and enjoy the good things in life.

The word “wellness”, in its current usage, can be thought of as a synthesis of wellbeing and fitness. It represents an attitude towards life that is based on holistic wellbeing. American journalist Halbert L. Dunn popularized wellness in this sense, in reference to 

“..the state of human wellbeing that results from the integration of mind, body, spirit and environment”

Others see wellness as a holistic effort to achieve physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing through vitalization and relaxation techniques. Wellness then means concentrating on one’s own health, on self-devotion and pampering, and on relaxation and stress relief.

The influence of social developments

According to Burmann (2004) (1), various social developments have created a strong need for wellness in the sense of inner balance and are thus promoting the maturation of wellness into a megatrend: 

• “Women and health”: 
Men are encountering growing competition from women in our present society. The number of women in political and economic positions is continually increasing, and thus so is the female influence on what is consumed and how. What stands out is that women exhibit different health behaviour and have a particular affinity to Personal care and self-pampering. Men are gradually starting to catch up to women in this respect. On top of this, a new definition of “quality of life” is emerging in society, characterized by an active and personally responsible understanding of health.

“Transformation of labour”: 
The current changes in the working world demand flexibility and creativity. More frequent job changes, often associated with relocation and declining job security, are culminating in greater stress. To counter this, wellness serves as a way to establish a healthy work/life balance. 

“Individualization”:
Through the individualization of society, we have the opportunity to make life decisions without being socially ostracized, although we do need to adopt a stronger sense of personal responsibility. This extends to a strong sense of responsibility for one’s own health. The wellness principle opens up a new, holistic concept of life, values and the senses. 

“Longevity”: 
Life expectancy is continuing to rise in the western population. The 50+ and 60+ target groups are more attractive than ever to the beauty industry, as they can enjoy plenty of leisure time and are looking to remain healthy, fit and beautiful for as long as possible. 

Wellness trend as an opportunity for cosmetics producers

The wellness trend has already captured many industries, and cosmetics is no exception. In the beauty segment, it has become desirable to achieve inner balance through wellbeing and indulgence, and to achieve outer balance in the sense of a positive aura and charisma. Because the key wellness products tend to be personal care products, cosmetics producers have countless opportunities to use the wellness trend for new developments.

Wellness is often equated with spa treatments. Yet those who wish to treat themselves no longer have to go looking for a wellness oasis; the private bathroom is increasingly fulfilling the role of the “home spa”. Those who wish to indulge themselves in their “home spas” need flexible products that will achieve different results and effects depending on the current mood or emotional state.

With our series of wellness blog posts, we hope to inspire you to create indulgent and health-promoting care products that fit in perfectly with the current megatrend that is wellness. 
 

Literature: 
(1) Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann (2004): “Wellness-Positionierung im Rahmen einer identitätsbasierten Markeneinführung”.