How Consumers’ Pursuit of Well-Being Impacts Beauty and Household Care

Circana has released a new report highlighting opportunities emerging from the growing global interest in well-being. The report—“Tapping Into the Global Consumer Well-Being Opportunity”—reveals the complexity of personal well-being, with consumers turning to solutions as varied as physical activity, social media, food, pet ownership, beauty, and books, among many other products and services, to harmonize their physical, mental and social well-being. 

Circana says it identified more than 55 ways consumers pursue their well-being across various sectors.

“The definition of health and wellness is continuously evolving, with a growing emphasis on mental health,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor at Circana. “Beyond working to make sure wellness-focused products and services are accessible and affordable, successful businesses and services will identify their audience and connect with consumers in meaningful ways. Helping consumers become the best, healthiest versions of themselves is good for business.”  

Key Findings

Circana’s key findings include:

• Embracing one’s body for optimal physical health: Consumers prioritize physical health through food choices, exercise, and quality sleep, focusing on multifunctional products and clean ingredients. Digestive and oral health are important to consumers who have increased spending on vitamins, supplements, and oral care devices. The demand for increased energy is driving growth in energy-related products. Similarly, from sipping to skincare, hydration is a primary, global wellness goal. But the pursuit of optimal health comes at a cost, with consumers reporting that high prices for healthy food and beverages are a significant challenge.

• Pursuing positive mental health for emotional well-being: The pandemic increased consumers’ awareness of mental health. Book sales on mental health and self-help have surged, and popular self-care activities focus on reducing stress and anxiety, improving sleep, and boosting mood and motivation. Sleep aids, mood-enhancing items and cleaning supplies are increasingly popular among consumers looking to reduce stress and anxiety, according to Circana, Further, younger generations, in particular, are driving trends in stress-relief products and home scents.

• Seeking community and social engagement to make a difference: Social and community engagement is crucial for well-being, and in-person events, social media, co-exploration, and participation in organized sports are on the rise. The arts, entertainment, and recreation industries saw significant growth, with trends including increased participation in volunteer activities, social media-driven self-care practices, group activities like travel and dining as well as the rise of sports like pickleball.

Top Self Care Benefits

To better understand how consumers approach self-care, and the products and services they’re using to achieve it, Circana asked consumers to rank the top benefits of self-care. Nearly half (49%) of consumers surveyed agree that improved physical health is the leading benefit of self-care, followed by both reduced stress/ anxiety and weight management (35%), disease and illness prevention (30%) and increased energy (29%), according to Circana.

Clean Home, Clean Mind

Reduced stress is the third-highest benefit of self, but how each person handles stress is as unique as they are. When Circana asked consumers  what self-care actions they take, 66% said they keep their homes clean, compared to just 10% who said they see a therapist.  This suggests there’s something to the “clean home, clean mind” philosophy that seems to be driving the growth of products such as bare floor cleaners, up 33% over a year ago, and deep carpet cleaners, sales of which are up 10% over last year, as well as general cleaning supplies and laundry products, which are up 6% and 4%, respectively, according to Circana.

The full report can be accessed online here.

Interested in wellness? Join Happi.com in New York City on Sept. 12!