What is wellness?
Aesthetic clinics are increasingly recognising the importance of a holistic approach
Wellness, in its broadest sense, encompasses any product or service that benefits physical and mental health, including health, fitness, appearance, sleep, nutrition, and mindfulness.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in consumer demand that emphasises holistic well-being and self-care at all levels. According to recent research by the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness market has experienced remarkable annual growth since 2020, surging 27% to reach $5.6 trillion (£4.42 trillion). It is predicted to reach $7.4 trillion (£5,85 trillion) in 2025, on its march toward $8.5 trillion (£6.71 trillion) in 2027.
GWI projects that four wellness sectors (personal care and beauty; healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss; physical activity; and wellness tourism) will exceed $1 trillion in market size by 2024. Mental wellness is also predicted to grow by 12.8% annually.
Three sectors will exceed half a trillion dollars in 2024: wellness real estate, traditional and complementary medicine, and public health, prevention, and personalised medicine. Healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss will leapfrog beauty to become the largest wellness market by 2025.
This surge is driven by a shift towards preventative rather than illness-driven medicine, highlighting the growing importance of holistic health practices. This has led to the fusion of aesthetics and wellness, creating an exciting opportunity that holds immense potential for both practitioners and patients alike.
I was at a longevity summit last week, and what was really obvious was that this space is exploding. Fundamentally, most aesthetic practitioners have a medical clinical background and a significant degree of training. And we come to this space with that hat on primarily. Aesthetics is just a brilliant space in which to engage with people. So, inevitably, you will end up hearing about their poor sleep, their stress levels or the fact they're having hot flushes. I think the beauty of what we do is we also have the privilege of the education to help someone to then take it to the next level. So we don't just listen as a friend; we're listening as a clinician.”