The Wellness Transformation: Gen Z and Millennials Redefining Wellness Culture

Explore how wellness has become a daily ritual for Gen Z and millennials, with a growing focus across all generations. Our analysis covers key areas like sleep, fitness, mindfulness, health, nutrition, and appearance, highlighting how younger consumers are reshaping the future of wellness.

Among Gen Z and millennials, wellness is an everyday ritual, not just an occasional activity.

The expansion of wellness in its core categories is growing. Even though the younger generation focuses on wellness, but older generation is giving priority to wellness nowadays.

Our analysis of the future of wellness research mainly focuses on wellness areas: sleep, fitness, mindfulness, health, nutrition, and appearance. Wellness is a state of complete social, physical, and mental well-being. During this year’s research, two standout ideas are wellness expanding in new places and younger generations giving priority to wellness. Our analysis suggests that younger consumers are transforming the wellness landscape.

Gen Z Puts Their Money in Wellness Practices

Wellness is a priority for Gen Z consumers. The growing awareness about mental health, social media use, a strong focus on physical health, and a focus on preventive health measures in Gen Z increases spending on wellness. The growing worsening of overall health and high burnout levels in younger generations than older people increase investment in proactive health solutions.

The wellness prioritization is spending in dollars currently. In the United States, Gen Z and millennials spend 41% on wellness annually, whereas those 58 & older spend 28% wellness. Older people represent a meaningful opportunity in the wellness landscape.

The perspective on wellness is poles apart between Gen Z and millennials. For instance, both generation gives top ranked to health and sleep, but millennials' third priority is practicing mindfulness, whereas Gen Z focuses on better appearance.

Every generation, like millennials, baby boomers, Gen Z, and Gen X, has a diverse perspective on wellness. For instance, the younger generation gives priority to hair care, skin care, and sexual health, and the older generation spends on probiotics & high-protein supplements.

Over the past few years, consumers' wellness growth needs have included stress management, relationship maintenance, practicing mindfulness, longevity, mental health, boosting self-love, and cognitive health-remain unmet. Younger consumer strongly focuses on cognitive, gut, mental, and heart health than other age groups. 

There are so many reasons for the gap between younger and older people's wellness lookout. The growing differences in cultural experiences, exposure, life stage, and priorities among Gen Z are the main reasons for the wellness differences outlook. The growing exposure of social media magnifies the importance of wellness among young people.

There are different ways of spending on wellness products among older and younger people. The younger generation widely spends on weight management, therapy, personalized solutions, beauty supplements, IV drips, health-tracking devices, longevity products, fitness, massage tools, & holistic beauty, whereas the older generation spends on vitamins, eye care, probiotics, analgesics, supplements, at-home care, protein, & traditional health. This difference is due to the older generation being less familiar with the advanced & new offerings of the wellness industry.

Will Gen Z Consumer Preferences for Wellness Resemble Those of Older Generations in the Future?

Take a look at spending on diverse wellness categories. Millennials and Gen Z are spending on wellness services and products than older populations. Consumers are spending on various stages like infant care, medical care, hygiene products, gym memberships, and menstrual products. But consumers are currently spending on the energy stages, health-tracking devices, and wellness retreats. This is a cultural shift and a broader perspective on wellness. 

Younger generations are strongly giving a priority to travel wellness retreats to enhance spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. For instance, many travel players are offering wellness retreat packages to older consumers. Younger consumer is mainstream across all age groups for wellness.

Five Distinct Faces of the Modern Wellness Consumer

Different generations provide diverse perspectives on wellness. The distinct faces are divided based on purchasing behaviors, attitudes, and motivations. The modern consumer's five faces include confident enthusiasts, health strugglers, maximalist optimizers, health traditionalists, and wellness shrinkers.   

• Confident Enthusiasts:- This segment is deeply committed to wellness practice, and their presence is small. They are self-assured about their wellness routines and have a high level of fitness engagement. They strongly focus on purchasing fitness apps, sports nutrition products, gym memberships, and at-home equipment. They do extensive research about routines or products and follow them actively. They gave priority to quality and preferred to use natural products.    
• Health Strugglers:- The group mainly struggles with motivation and has high wellness & health goals. They give less preference for wellness & health solutions. They stressed about issues like losing weight and using wellness services that are easy to use. They spend less on wellness and health products compared to other segments.   
• Maximalist Optimizers:- The consumers are digitally savvy and experimental in the wellness pursuit. They spend heavily on wellness products & solutions. They are research-oriented and open to experimentation. They are open to trying diverse treatments, products, & ingredients and strongly focus on quality. They widely use health-tracking devices. They are highly influenced by social media platforms and doctors' recommendations.   
• Health Traditionalists:- The older generation gives preference to this group. The giving preference for fundamental products and traditional practices is called health traditionalists. The strong focus on taking supplements, doing exercise, eating healthy, taking vitamins, and sleeping. They give attention to high-quality components, ingredient labels, and clean products. They don’t get attracted to wellness trends and follow their traditional routine.  
• Wellness Shrinkers:- They give low priority to wellness and are sensitive to price. They only purchase the most essential health products and are generally uninterested in wellness & health routines. They did not monitor their health actively.   

Six Dimensions of Wellness Growth Journey

Over the previous years, we recognized multiple trends in health and wellness, such as personalized nutrition, mental health, self-care, women’s health, biomonitoring, sleep optimization, and home healthcare are relevant in today’s world. Alongside these trends, this year’s survey recognized several noteworthy areas of expansion: healthy aging, in-person wellness services, mindfulness, functional nutrition, weight management, and in-person wellness trends.

Mental Health

Across demographics, younger consumers are experiencing heightened mental health challenges due to climate change, social media overuse, burnout, social pressure, and economic anxiety. But Precedence Research analysis finds that younger people are actively looking for solutions to improve their mental health. 84% of United States consumers give top priority to wellness, including mental health. 

There are different generational perspectives on mental health issues. The younger generation looks at mental health issues as a serious issue, and they openly talk about it. Whereas the older generation views mental health as a sign of personal failing or weakness. The younger generation actively seeks therapy, takes a break from social media, focuses on self-care, and socializes under the guise of improving personal mental well-being.    
 
The major challenge for companies in the mental health & mindfulness is achieving scale. Whereas the development of digital mindfulness apps and wellness-oriented apps, like fitness or nutrition, makes mental health solutions accessible and broad-reaching. Digital mental health solutions focus on the development of programs targeted to specific audiences rather than general mental health support. To boost awareness about mental health solutions, large-scale partnerships are needed. Over a year & a half, mental health app sign-ups increased by 70% by collaborating with a global streaming platform to distribute meditation content. 

What are the Best Practices for Good Mental Health?

The Best Practices for good mental health include following

• Eat a balanced diet
• Spending time in nature
• Exercise regularly
• Take enough Sleep
• Practice meditation
• Set realistic goals
• Learn new skills
• Practice self-compassion
• Practice gratitude

Functional Nutrition

Functional nutrition is a holistic approach to diet that claims to deliver several health benefits. Last year, approximately two-thirds of millennials & Gen-Z, and half of consumers, purchased functional nutrient products in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. China’s consumer share of purchasing those products is larger. Many companies are launching new products, including omega-3 fortified eggs, fortified beverages, protein powders, supplements, detox formulations, and fortified eggs to meet growing demand. Functional nutrition offers benefits like improving gut health, immunity, energy, hormonal balance, organ function, muscle, joints, and bone. 

The trend is driven by growing health consciousness, focus on preventive healthcare, and increasing awareness about how beverage & food choices affect their health. Instead of focusing on foods that are free from certain contents like sugar, lactose, and gluten, consumers are choosing high-value nutrients like protein, fiber, or nootropics. 

Precedence Research analysis suggests that today’s consumer views functional nutrition broadly, which comprises fortified foods, fresh fruits & vegetables, prebiotics, probiotics, fermented foods, whole grains, herbs, beverages, and protein powders.

The innovations, like personalized nutrition to cognitive-enhancing mocktails, hit the functional nutrition space. Moving forward, products offering an intersection between food & supplements are going to be successful. High-quality taste and texture are the standard entry points for the success of products.

 

Top 10 Daily Functional Foods For a Healthy Lifestyle
Functional foods are part of functional nutrition. Let’s look into the top 10 functional foods to incorporate into a daily diet for a healthy lifestyle.

Weight Management

Weight management is a top priority for consumers around the globe. Younger consumers are facing challenges in managing their weight, and worldwide, more than one in eight people struggles with obesity. In the United Kingdom and the United States, more than a third of millennial and Gen Z consumers struggle with weight management. Whereas, 44% of Gen Z consumers globally find it difficult to stay motivated to exercise. Our analysis says that these rates are the same as China and the United Kingdom, whereas older consumers find it difficult to stay motivated to exercise in Germany.  

Whereas exercise is the common factor for the management of weight across landscapes. The growing popularity of prescription weight loss medications, nutritionist-led weight management, and meal plans helps in weight management.  

The wellness landscape is emerging as a byproduct of the GLP-1boom. Patients who take GLP-1 easily meet their nutritional needs while lowering their calorie intake and focusing on the workout programs to maintain & build muscle.  

Beauty

The boundaries between beauty and wellness are continuing to fade. The growing production of beauty products consists of active ingredients to enhance health benefits. Consumers are interested in using ingestible beauty supplements to promote the growth of collagen for nail, skin, and hair health. 

Gen Z is giving high priority to beauty products over other generations to enhance appearance. They buy beauty products at a higher rate than other generations. The trends of buying beauty products among Gen Z are driven by social media trends, focus on personal expression, and emphasis on self-care. 

The spending on cosmetic procedures has grown in the last few years. Over 46% of consumers reported spending on cosmetic procedures in 2024 than previous year in the United States. Looking forward, spending on cosmetic procedures is expected to grow over the next year among the Gen Z generation. The popularity of anti-aging treatments is growing in Gen Z than among other generations. 

As the beauty and wellness convergence continues to increase, partnerships will be key to driving brand relevance & growth. The co-marketing procedures, like red-light therapy masks paired with skin care, are effective strategies for brand growth. The growing collaboration of beauty & wellness with gen AI enhances consumer experience by providing personalized recommendations.

Longevity

The patterns we observed last year, the demand for services and products that support longevity is growing. Healthy aging is a priority among 60% consumers across markets. Consumers do different things, ranging from living a long life, keeping high energy levels, preserving one’s independence by using cognitive function, and preventing chronic diseases. The strong focus on epigenetic age testing kits, wrinkle prevention, virtual physical therapy solutions, slow cellular aging, and many more increases demand for beauty products. 

The growing cultural shift among younger consumers for healthy aging increases the adoption of a proactive approach. Longevity focuses on services & products to appeal to younger consumers and retaining consumers without restrains. Major players should focus on mentioning the key benefits, like fatigue reduction, higher energy levels, and others, for their products during long-term use. Longevity not only focuses on feeling younger but also focuses on meeting specific needs. 

In-Person Experiences and Wellness Travel

The growing use of in-person services like IV treatments, spanning boutique fitness, and wellness retreats, prioritizes consumer experiences. According to all market surveys from previous years, consumers are buying more in-person services in the current years.  

Our analysis suggests, consumers are spending more on wellness retreats and boutique fitness classes. In the next years, the purchasing of these products appears strongest in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Wellness in-person experiences focus on mental, social, physical, emotional, and intellectual wellness.  

The strong consumer focus on enhancing spiritual, mental, & physical well-being and digital detox creates a growth opportunity for travel players like travel planners, hotels, and others to connect with new customers. The strong consumer focus on practicing fitness, meditation, and nutritional regimens creates an opportunity for wellness travel. With this reference, travel companies and wellness could collaborate to offer services like edutainment, wellness coaches, and digitally enabled interventions.   

Age of Intentional Living: Hottest Wellness Trends Right Now

Across the world, consumers are focused on achieving a balance between increased self-care and busy schedules. This exploration for self-optimization, health, and happiness helps to increase the importance of wellness. The increasing evolution in wellness and the rise in spa-loving individuals are responsible for the growth of the wellness landscape. According to Precedence Research, some trends of wellness are given below:  

• Eco-Friendly Beauty - The consumption of green vegetables is growing in the same way development of green beauty is also growing. The increasing health consciousness among consumers and rising environmental concerns help in creating beauty products with organic, sustainable, and plant-based ingredients. Consumers find it a better choice for hair & skin health. Companies like Drunk Elephant, Kiehl’s, Kosas, Lush, Axiology, Jones Road, RMS Beauty, Forest Essentials, and others develop eco-friendly beauty products. 
• Plant-Based Meat - The growing trend of veganism increases demand for plant-based meats. Companies like Beyond Meat, Quorn, Impossible Foods, and Gardein create plant-based alternatives to regular meat. They offer meaty textures & tastes to plant-based meat. Players like Mister Veg and Evo Foods develop plant-based fish & egg substitutes. These meats consist of essential nutrients.   
• Digital Detox - The growing utilization of social media platforms and increased screen addiction causes stress. The growing use of phones, tablets, headsets, and laptops increases demand for digital detox. The process of keeping social media off and putting all digital devices away is called digital detox. They offer benefits like better mood, lower stress, increased self-awareness, better sleep, minimizes eye strain, and improves focus.  

Different Ways for Digital Detox

• Set time limits for Appa
• Turn off social media for a few days
• Turn off smartphone notifications
• Keep devices away
• Learn new activities
• Take regular breaks from screens
• Create no-phone zones
• Delete apps

Mindfulness - The growing rates of depression, stress, and focus on boosting emotional resilience increase the adoption of mindfulness. The process of paying attention to thoughts, surroundings, the moment, and feelings without any judgment is called mindfulness. The formal practices for mindfulness focus on breaths and performing meditation, whereas informal practices are having a conversation, walking, performing an activity, & eating. Mindfulness helps to improve concentration, manage negative thoughts, enhance emotional intelligence, and manage negative emotions.  

Self-Care - The growing burnout & stress increase demand for self-care. The process of performing intentional actions to manage stress and promote well-being is called self-care. It involves paying attention to spiritual, physical, social, mental, and emotional well-being. It involves performing actions like eating a balanced diet, journaling, maintaining hygiene, spending time outdoors, connecting with friends, getting enough sleep, deep breathing, and engaging in creative hobbies. Self-care offers benefits like management of stress, enables taking care of professional & personal lives, minimizes illness risks, and boosts self-confidence.  

Popular Wellness Apps Transforming Digital Well-Being

Where Wellness Journey Goes Ahead

Wellness is becoming the mainstream lifestyle priority. Millennials and Gen Z are pushing boundaries of wellness and transforming thoughts of wellness. According to Precedence Research, other generations are focused on adopting different wellness practices, products, and solutions. Wellness is a daily practice of nourishing oneself, pausing to breathe, practicing meditation, eating healthy food, and spending time outdoors with intentions. The forward path of wellness lies in the connection, authenticity, and balance.   

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