Wellness isn’t about overpriced lavender candles on a Sunday anymore. It’s about fairness, survival, and equity. More people now expect wellness to be political because they know that health doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Where you live, what you earn, whether your skin tone is seen, and whether your pain is heard—all of that shapes whether wellness is accessible. Brands that still treat it as superficial decor are being dismissed.
The wellness market in the U.S. is now over $500 billion per year, growing at around 4-5% annually even amid inflation and economic uncertainty. A recent report shows that 84% of U.S. consumers call wellness a top or important priority in their daily lives. That number doesn’t drop, even in downturns. People say they will cut back on clothes or entertainment before cutting back on their wellness routines. Young consumers, especially, are leaning into it harder. Gen Z and millennials together make up roughly 36% of the U.S. adult population, but account for more than 41% of wellness spend. Older generations still matter, but they are not driving trends.
That said, not everyone is feeling equally included. For many Black Americans, wellness is bound up with mistrust. 55% of Black adults say they’ve had at least one negative experience with doctors or health-care providers. Either being dismissed or not having their pain taken seriously, they feel a need to advocate just to be heard. These aren’t rare complaints; they’re a shared reality. They feed a skepticism about whether “wellness” products or messages really work for you as a Black consumer, or if they’re just luxury marketed to someone else, and you just got caught in the periphery.
Some brands are starting to get this right. Topicals, founded by Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng, created products like Faded (for hyperpigmentation) and Like Butter (for eczema) with formulations tuned not just for skin issues but for skin stories. They champion “acne-positivity,” show unfiltered skin, invite critique and feedback from real people, not just stylized models. Their Mental Health Fund, supported by marginalized community organizations, shows they understand wellness includes emotional safety, not just beauty.
Brown Girl Jane is another example. Founded by sisters Malaika and Nia Jones with Tai Beauchamp, the brand centers women of color through clean, clinically-backed ingredients, mood-boosting fine fragrances, and community initiatives like the #BrownGirlSwap, which pushes people to replace beauty or wellness products with ones from Black women entrepreneurs. Their grant programs and mentoring for indie founders show that they don’t just want to sell self-care—they want to shift who owns and shapes the wellness space.
Meanwhile, younger people, especially those under 35, are burning out. Sleep, stress, and mental health worries are major wellness friction points. Recent data shows that more Gen Z and millennials are prioritizing sleep, mindfulness, nutrition, and mental health than older generations are. Many say they have worse overall health now than older people their age did, and they spend more time, attention, and money trying to close that gap.
One big lever for wellness as justice is access. Clean air, safe places to exercise, nutritious food, inclusive health care, and affordable mental health services all count as wellness issues. Without them, wellness messaging feels superficial. And it’s not just about what you offer; it’s how you build your brand. Brands are winning when they are transparent about sourcing, safety, and community. When they genuinely show up for diverse audiences, they bend policy, partner with grassroots, and collaborate with environmental justice initiatives. Those efforts win trust because they move wellness from ritual to reality.
Social media plays a huge role in all this. Many younger consumers discover wellness trends via TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube rather than doctors. Over 50% of Gen Z and Millennials have tried wellness products, routines, or practices discovered through social platforms. But that exposure comes with pushback. When brands lean too hard into aesthetic over substance, or make claims that feel false, it causes backlash. People want proof. Data. Real testimonies. When someone feels lied to, trust erodes fast.
In beauty and self-care, the shift is especially vivid. Clean beauty claims are being questioned. Shade inclusion isn’t optional. People want heritage, science, and non-Eurocentric skincare knowledge. They expect more than minimum compliance—they expect cultural conversation. Marketing campaigns that ignore dark skin issues, misrepresent cause and effect, or gloss over diversity are being called out loudly and consistently.
What used to be weekend self-care has to become everyday wellness. Because for many, “relaxation” isn’t just about spa days; it’s about having rest, safety, and health access every day of the week. It’s about not being afraid that your asthma will flare up because of local pollution. It’s about not stressing over whether you can pay a co-pay. It’s about mental health care being accessible and affordable. When brands offer beautiful rituals but ignore those foundations, it rings hollow.
There are many recent examples of brands showing they understand the politics of wellness. Brands offering sliding scale therapy, partnering with community mental health nonprofits, investing in local food access projects, or making public stands for climate regulation are getting loyalty from communities that often feel ignored. Those moves get shared within communities not just because they are good, but because they are rare.
This isn’t performative anymore. It’s essential. Brands that lean in with honesty, that face the current structural issues, such as inequality, environmental injustice, and medical distrust, are building loyalty that goes beyond aesthetics. Audiences reward those brands with trust, repeat purchase, defense in comments threads, and conversations in private messages. Those who operate on #SelfCareSunday aesthetics alone find themselves outmatched by deeper narratives.
Wellness is political now. Your lavender candle won’t do much unless your brand feels like it can be part of the change. If your wellness messaging doesn’t include justice, transparency, access, and community, you may appear beautiful but feel shallow. Consumers are no longer asking just how your product makes them feel, but whether the brand itself feels like someone who understands them. In 2025, that’s suddenly the question that most shapes loyalty.
