KATHRYN AMBROZE
Director of Behavioral Insights and User Experience, HCD Research

Abstract

From karat gold masks to intensive plastic surgeries, consumers have long bought into products and services that promise a youthful glow within the wellness industry. The anti-aging market is forecasted to be about $71.7 billion USD in 2023 (1), yet there has been recent backlash surrounding the negative connotations associated with anti-aging. The unrealistic beauty standards incorporated into the anti-aging campaigns, often amplified by celebrities and social media, are receiving their own facelift.

Well-aging is a new spin for consumers in the pursuit of being well for the sake of well-being. Rather than shame consumers for their inability to delay aging, this campaign encourages consumers to embrace aging and look inward to understand what aging means to them. This twist to health and wellness is growing in popularity as more and more consumers are prioritizing feeling good along in addition to looking good. Health-driven trends, like screen fasting to habit trackers, are pushing back on extreme trends as a means of prioritizing both self-love and self-care. Regardless of whether the face powder, elective surgery, or mindfulness journal is purchased, each day the consumer gets one day older. But the goods and services that fill up those days will change based on who in the market is best meeting the consumer needs. Companies must listen to the consumers to ideate and build products that fulfill the gaps in their lives. The well-aging space is demonstrating the impact of tweaking the messaging and the products to better engage with their consumer.

One of the many consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic is a newfound appreciation for health and well-being. This industry has skyrocketed with a multitude of trends to better connect with the consumer. Well-aging, or embracing one’s age and experience, has recently grown in popularity within the health and wellness space. This newer term looks to replace the more pugilistic “anti-aging” campaigns focusing on fighting the inevitable. And while the entire motivation behind well-aging is still murky (as it often shares the same ultimate goal as anti-aging of purchasing a product to combat something deemed unattractive), the change to the aging narrative resonates with consumers. Finding authenticity in oneself, and the products or services that are used, is driving much of the attitudes and behaviors within the well-aging industry. Characteristics of the well-aging messaging speak to the broader self-care priorities of the current consumer: personalization, quality, and efficiency. By consistently highlighting and capitalizing how these three values relate to authenticity, it becomes clear why the well-aging movement is well-received by consumers.