Why are more and more beauty brands shifting their focus to wellness?

Founders of beauty brands talk about the shift in consumers’ perception of beauty and how they are betting on more wellness-oriented products 

A 2021 McKinsey study estimated the global wellness market at over $1.5 trillion, with an annual growth rate between 5 to 10 per cent. However, the concept of wellness isn’t novel in India, considering Ayurveda, which thrives on the fundamentals of holistic well-being, is an age-old practice. Sadly, the emphasis on wellness was diluted in the last century due to the influx of cosmetics (read: products whose functionality is limited to the exterior alone), believes Vasudha Rai, beauty journalist and author of Glow: Indian Foods, Recipes and Ritual: Daily Practices for Wellness, Beauty & Bliss. Today, wellness has taken centre stage once again, as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic , leaving most consumers curious about the wellness benefits of the personal care products they slap on their skin and hair. As a causal sequence, beauty retail conglomerate Sephora inaugurated a dedicated wellness edit on its website that includes facial tools, healing oils and supplements. Closer home, Nykaa recently launched its wellness and self-care brand Nyveda. The Established speaks to those in the beauty and wellness industry about the convergence of both the ‘it’ concepts and how they are being coalesced in response to consumers’ rising demand.

The relationship between beauty and wellness

The concepts of beauty and wellness are significantly intertwined. Sharmilee Agrawal Kapur, co-founder and director, Atmantan Wellness Centre says, “When I speak about beauty, the facet that comes to my mind is that beauty is not just skin-deep; one needs to be beautiful inside-out. And so, wellness emerges as a more significant factor [of beauty].” Rai says, in consensus, “Beauty and wellness are absolutely connected to each other—the only thing is that it’s much easier to slap on a cream every day than follow a yoga session religiously, which is why we see beauty differently.” Rai talks about her experience with rosacea, adding, “I tried a lot of skincare products—some worked, others did not. However, what helped me, in the long run, was meditation and yoga; it didn’t heal my skin overnight but delivered results over time.”

According to Lasakan Cholayil, co-founder, Sadhev, while the scope of wellness is holistic and soars beyond “beauty”, he defines beauty as a body and mind that is well-nourished, which gives rise to the need (and demand) for beauty products that address the self-care and well-being aspects. Wellness expert Aditi Deshmukh, who recently launched her beauty line Namaskar Ayurved, believes that consumers today are looking for products that make them look as well as feel good. “As a founder, I think that people understand the connection between intrinsic and extrinsic well-being and realise that in order to optimise the results from their beauty products, they need to have a balanced internal health as well.”

Did the pandemic make wellness mainstream?

As the world came to a pause with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several people began to self-reflect, analysing every aspect of their lifestyle. As a result, practices like slow living and skin minimalism, centred around wellness, became the way of living. Additionally, over 7.5 million pages have been read online by people looking for mental health guidance since 2020, 175 per cent more from the year prior, with a specific 703 per cent increase in anxiety support search, revealed a blog on LinkedIn, indicating the pandemic’s role towards augmented stress, anxiety and insomnia across the world. It then only makes sense that the concept of wellness piqued the interest of both consumers and brands alike. 

While Aman Mohunta, co-founder of AMINU, believes that the pandemic led people to redefine the meaning of well-being from consumption towards rounded wellness, Cholayil thinks consumers have become increasingly health-conscious, are more aware of personal well-being and making more conscious choices. Talking about the significance of wellness by making use of the changing company trends at her wellness centre, Agarwal Kapur says, “What we have seen is that the average duration of stay has risen from 6.3 nights to almost 11 nights per guest in the last three years. This clearly denotes that people are prioritising wellness and  personal healing.”

How are beauty brands being wellness-first?

The brands we spoke to—and many other players in the space—are championing wellness by infusing one or the other aspect of the concept into their product offerings. Diligently sourced natural ingredients, Ayurvedic recipes, and the employment of healing ingredients are just some of the nuts and bolts of being wellness-first. “We are making multi-active products that improve skin health and recommend the right regime even though it might mean lesser sales for us as a brand,” shares Mohunta. Cholayil, on the other hand, vouches for ‘green chemistry’, which involves banning hazardous substances such as preservatives, emulsifiers, thickeners and colour pigments, with his products correctly personifying that.

“Simple techniques such as fragrances, bath soaps and enriching shower oils can uplift us into unwinding and relaxing. Sadhev’s Aloe Vera and Saffron Gel with Kumkumadi Thailam heals dry skin while its calming fragrance relaxes the senses,” says the founder, who believes the lines between beauty, wellness and health are blurring by the day. Deshmukh, being a proponent of a balance between internal and external well-being, gave her product compendium the wellness spin by including an ingestible (USDA-certified) Ashwagandha skin and hair supplement. 

What lies ahead

Between January 2017 to December 2021, global food, drink and supplement launches with functional beauty claims increased by 78 per cent, according to Mintel Global New Products Database. The interesting insight is that the quantum of engagement with such ingestible beauty-centric supplements was the most in the APAC (Asia Pacific) region, including in India. Both Deshmukh and Rai are of the opinion that the  rediscovery of wellness and its convergence with beauty is here to stay and will only burgeon in the years to come. “Nykaa’s owned labels’ strategy is centred around improving lifestyles through thoughtful and well-timed offerings that are customised to the unique needs of Indian consumers,” said the marketplace’s CEO Falguni Nayar at the launch of Nyveda, that intends to inject wellness back into modern lifestyles through Ayurveda.

Agarwal Kapur feels that people’s sense of well-being has been awakened since the pandemic, whether it is to do with health disclosures, active monitoring of health parameters or an acceptance of all things wellness in the pursuit for longevity. “As more and more people are freed from the worries of sustenance and are moving towards self-actualisation, the demand for wellness is bound to grow in beauty and across other realms of life and consumption,” believes Mohunta.

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