Rethinking wellness: From product category to cultural belief system

The rise of wellness culture and declining trust in institutions

Have you heard of sungazing? 

Although it has roots in ancient cultures, it has recently gained popularity on social media, where some claim that staring at the sun can promote healing and realignment. Despite safety concerns, it is often framed as hidden knowledge suppressed by powerful institutions.

Its resurgence reflects a broader feature of contemporary wellness culture: a growing willingness to seek alternatives to traditional expertise. To understand this shift, we conducted research combining social media analysis, ethnography and expert interviews. A recurring theme emerged: wellness is increasingly linked to scepticism towards institutions and a desire for greater personal control.

How wellness evolved from a product category to a belief system

Traditionally, wellness referred to practices outside formal healthcare. 

Today, its influence extends much further, shaping how people eat, sleep, exercise, consume information and evaluate expertise. The wellness industry is valued globally at US$6.3 trillion, but its significance goes beyond market value. 

The appeal of wellness culture is understandable. As healthcare systems face growing pressures and long waiting times, many people look elsewhere for information, support and reassurance. Our Ipsos Health Service report research shows that 67% globally agree it takes too long to get a doctor's appointment. Similarly, our Ipsos Global Trends (IGT) report finds that 78% of people globally want greater control over decisions about their health, while more than two-thirds actively seek health information themselves rather than relying solely on medical professionals.

The hidden costs of self-optimisation and personal responsibility

A central tension within wellness culture is its emphasis on personal responsibility. 

Tiredness, anxiety and illness can be framed as individual failings rather than responses to wider social and economic pressures. There are echoes here of the manosphere: both take real experiences of distress or lost control and recast them as problems that can be solved through self-improvement, discipline and mindset change.

This dynamic is reinforced by messages promoting constant vigilance over diet, supplements and lifestyle choices. Health becomes an ongoing project of optimisation, with new concerns always emerging.

The consequences can be significant. Beyond physical risks, constant exposure to wellness content can blur the line between evidence and opinion, potentially discouraging people from seeking appropriate medical care.

Health misinformation and social media

The growth of wellness culture reflects changing patterns of trust. 

Increasingly, health information comes from social media, influencers and online communities. Data from our Ipsos Health Service report reveals that 48% of people first heard about GLP-1 drugs through social media, compared with 20% through medical professionals. This shift has benefits. Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing can reduce stigma, surface lived experiences and provide validation, empathy and practical advice. Yet these same environments can also amplify misinformation.

Clean eating, natural living and the pursuit of purity

Central to wellness culture are ideas of purity and naturalness. 

Wellness influencers often encourage consumers to scrutinise ingredients and food origins, turning eating into an expression of identity and values. For many, these narratives create uncertainty. Participants in our research described confusion about ingredients, food safety and health claims, often struggling to know whom to trust. Ideas of purity can carry moral undertones, linking "good" choices with discipline and responsibility.

How wellness culture is reshaping consumer behaviour

Wellness increasingly acts as a form of soft power, shaping what people see as credible, desirable and aspirational. 

Its influence extends beyond health into areas such as technology, beauty and finance, where products are marketed around self-care and optimisation. This creates opportunities for brands but also risks, as the broad nature of wellness allows almost any product or service to be framed as supporting wellbeing. Yet wellness endures because it meets genuine needs for meaning, order and agency in an increasingly complex world.

What wellness means for brands, policymakers and healthcare

The rise of wellness reflects needs that cannot simply be dismissed. 

For policymakers, it highlights the importance of building trust and improving access to healthcare. For brands, it creates an opportunity to support informed decision-making rather than amplifying anxiety. 

Consumers increasingly expect organisations to help make healthier choices easier and more accessible. For example, Tetra Pak’s 2023 Index found that 51% of consumers believe providing healthy food is the responsibility of manufacturers and brands, ahead of farmers, producers and government. This suggests a role for brands that goes beyond selling products towards providing clarity, transparency and practical support.

How brands can respond to changing wellness beliefs