Melissa Meisel, Senior Editor09.12.23
What started out as a vision of sweet opportunity in ice cream has expanded into much more.
Most well-known for his role as the chief executive officer of Ben & Jerry’s for nearly a decade, Jostein Solheim became the global EVP and group CEO of Health and Wellbeing at Happi Top 30 company Unilever in June 2021. In the past few years, the wellness branch of Unilever has expanded with a variety of new products.
He took time to correspond with Happi on the latest health and wellbeing initiatives taking place.
Happi: What are the disruptive trends you are watching right now, including traditional beauty and health category blurring?
JS: There is a major shift happening in the vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) market –people are no longer thinking about “health as the absence of disease,” instead it’s become much more proactive around “health as a lifestyle pursuit.” And it’s being driven by Millennials and Gen Z consumers. More and more we’re seeing the category itself is overlapping traditional segments of VMS, beauty, personal care and food into one benefit-led category.
JS: As this shift is happening, we see a few trends shaping the growing wellness space:
Happi: How can brands take advantage of high-growth segments like hair health and functional hydration?
JS: As part of this overlapping of categories within the health and wellbeing space, we see that consumers are looking for a multitude of benefit-led products, specifically ones that address the real needs of consumers.
Our approach to VMS takes advantage of this benefit-led, lifestyle trend – and we put a large emphasis on high-growth segments like sleep & stress (Olly), functional hydration (Liquid I.V.), kid’s health (SmartyPants Vitamins) and nootropics (Onnit). Health as a lifestyle is what Unilever knows well, and we’re staying within that as a boundary. Our unique business model keeps the essence of our brands at the center.
We give them the space to continue innovating, harnessing the individual spirit that helped them rise to the top, while our Unilever infrastructure allows them unlock scale and drive unprecedented growth. And our model works – Liquid I.V. is now four times larger than it was at the period prior to acquisition and Nutrafol launched in China this summer.
Happi: What new products from the category are popular right now and why?
JS: Across our portfolio, 100% of our brands are growing – an achievement on its own, but one we’re especially proud of given the broader health & wellness market slowdown following the initial post-covid surge. Our science-backed, lifestyle-led brands are winning because they continue to be at the forefront of – and in sync with – industry and consumer trends.
Our latest acquisition, Nutrafol, the No.1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand in the US, debuted Women’s Vegan Hair Growth Nutraceutical, an innovative formula optimized for the growing number of women following plant-based diets.
SmartyPants Vitamins introduced its most innovative launch to date – Sugar Free Multi & Omega gummies that are completely free from sugar alcohols.
Happi: What are the future trends in beauty and wellness for 2024 and how will your company tap into these trends?
JS:We expect a continuation of the health and wellbeing market evolution into a more lifestyle-led category.
In Q1 alone, our brands have capitalized on this category evolution – from Nutrafol launching in prestige beauty retailer Sephora, to Liquid I.V. delivering strong business growth in tandem with progress against its social good mission, announcing the next phase in its Clean Water Grants purpose program to invest $1.3 million in grants to non-profit partners. We’re also continuing to invest in high-growth spaces like beauty-from-within and women’s health, while innovating in delivery formats like gummies and powders.
Founded in 2018, our Health & Wellbeing business has already grown to €1bn+ turnover. If the industry continues to keep consumer needs front and center, I believe the VMS sector is poised for long-term growth. This is a high-impact, future-proofed sector, and we are confident that our digitally native, lifestyle-led brands are uniquely positioned to win.
Most well-known for his role as the chief executive officer of Ben & Jerry’s for nearly a decade, Jostein Solheim became the global EVP and group CEO of Health and Wellbeing at Happi Top 30 company Unilever in June 2021. In the past few years, the wellness branch of Unilever has expanded with a variety of new products.
He took time to correspond with Happi on the latest health and wellbeing initiatives taking place.
Happi: What are the disruptive trends you are watching right now, including traditional beauty and health category blurring?
JS: There is a major shift happening in the vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) market –people are no longer thinking about “health as the absence of disease,” instead it’s become much more proactive around “health as a lifestyle pursuit.” And it’s being driven by Millennials and Gen Z consumers. More and more we’re seeing the category itself is overlapping traditional segments of VMS, beauty, personal care and food into one benefit-led category.
JS: As this shift is happening, we see a few trends shaping the growing wellness space:
Transparency Is Key in Product Promotion
Today’s consumer is online, researching on their own and learning from and listening to recommendations from influencers and experts. They are more scientifically-savvy than ever before, looking for evidence on the science, clinicals on ingredients, reviews and ratings. How can brands ensure confidence from their consumers? Science and transparency are key – consumers want to understand what’s going into their products. We ensure we give our consumers access to detailed information on the ingredients in our products and why they work. For example, Nutrafol uses clinical studies to prove efficacy, while SmartyPants provides consumers with a breakdown of what goes into each product and exactly where each ingredient comes from.Consumer Trust
Driven by social conscience, they want to support brands who not only have a strong product proposition, but also whose values they stand by. For example, Liquid I.V.’s give-back program donated more than 36 million servings globally to those in need of critical hydration. Liquid I.V.’s impact program evolved with an investment of $1.3 million in grants to non-profit partners. And Olly supports the Jed Foundation to support mental wellness in schools.Social Proof & Endorsement
Today’s consumer is digitally-enabled and well-informed—and Gen Z hascemented the place of the online influencer. Meeting consumers on social has become a key point in reaching them. Our brands are digitally native. This gives us the ability to not only connect directly with our consumers, but also provide critical education about products across complex categories like health and wellbeing. We can share the information about wellness products, their uses and benefits that consumers are demanding.Onnit is a great example of this with the Onnit tribe nearing one million followers on Instagram.Happi: How can brands take advantage of high-growth segments like hair health and functional hydration?
JS: As part of this overlapping of categories within the health and wellbeing space, we see that consumers are looking for a multitude of benefit-led products, specifically ones that address the real needs of consumers.
Our approach to VMS takes advantage of this benefit-led, lifestyle trend – and we put a large emphasis on high-growth segments like sleep & stress (Olly), functional hydration (Liquid I.V.), kid’s health (SmartyPants Vitamins) and nootropics (Onnit). Health as a lifestyle is what Unilever knows well, and we’re staying within that as a boundary. Our unique business model keeps the essence of our brands at the center.
We give them the space to continue innovating, harnessing the individual spirit that helped them rise to the top, while our Unilever infrastructure allows them unlock scale and drive unprecedented growth. And our model works – Liquid I.V. is now four times larger than it was at the period prior to acquisition and Nutrafol launched in China this summer.
Happi: What new products from the category are popular right now and why?
JS: Across our portfolio, 100% of our brands are growing – an achievement on its own, but one we’re especially proud of given the broader health & wellness market slowdown following the initial post-covid surge. Our science-backed, lifestyle-led brands are winning because they continue to be at the forefront of – and in sync with – industry and consumer trends.
Our latest acquisition, Nutrafol, the No.1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand in the US, debuted Women’s Vegan Hair Growth Nutraceutical, an innovative formula optimized for the growing number of women following plant-based diets.
SmartyPants Vitamins introduced its most innovative launch to date – Sugar Free Multi & Omega gummies that are completely free from sugar alcohols.
Happi: What are the future trends in beauty and wellness for 2024 and how will your company tap into these trends?
JS:We expect a continuation of the health and wellbeing market evolution into a more lifestyle-led category.
In Q1 alone, our brands have capitalized on this category evolution – from Nutrafol launching in prestige beauty retailer Sephora, to Liquid I.V. delivering strong business growth in tandem with progress against its social good mission, announcing the next phase in its Clean Water Grants purpose program to invest $1.3 million in grants to non-profit partners. We’re also continuing to invest in high-growth spaces like beauty-from-within and women’s health, while innovating in delivery formats like gummies and powders.
Founded in 2018, our Health & Wellbeing business has already grown to €1bn+ turnover. If the industry continues to keep consumer needs front and center, I believe the VMS sector is poised for long-term growth. This is a high-impact, future-proofed sector, and we are confident that our digitally native, lifestyle-led brands are uniquely positioned to win.