The post-pandemic world is a dramatically different one from the one that we lived in before 2019. Health and wellness have come sharply into focus as never before. Today, we refer to ourselves as “consumers” of health and wellness products and services, we exercise our choices, do our research and take personal responsibility for our own state of physical and mental health.

Prioritizing these aspects and taking proactive measures to safeguard, maintain and expand them lies at the root of the $1.5 trillion self care industry world-wide, and this figure is growing by leaps and bounds.

What Is Self Care?

For the uninitiated, the term self care may bring to mind a variety of thoughts - is it about pampering yourself in a fancy spa? Retail therapy? Could it be refusing to do the household chores and locking yourself up in your room to binge watch your favorite OTT shows? Perhaps treating yourself to lunch at the newest deluxe eatery in town? Getting plastic surgery? Traveling to exotic locations?

The reality is something very different. Self care is not about seeking and indulging in short term gratification. The goal is to ensure optimal personal development while staying connected to your social environment, maintaining physical and emotional wellness, making lifestyle choices that impact yourself and your environment and practicing self awareness, reflection, kindness to self and others, gratitude and positivity.

This idea is by no means new. If you remember the 1960s when the Beatles promoted Transcendental Meditation, or the 1990s when Jane Fonda launched her famous aerobics cassette tapes, or the ebb and flow of information on fat-free, gluten-free or fad diets, the explosion of self-help books, you would know that self-improvement has always been popular.

The difference today is that there is a massive intersection of information, research, technology, science and marketing that have pushed the self care industry into the modern marketplace. Experts have also pointed out that the modern self care industry is focused on data provided by the myriad devices we have access to - this is at variance from the true “self” that we hold within our bodies and minds. Our devices tell us what our heart-rate is, how much sleep we need or had, when and what to eat, exercise and more. This almost makes self care a “project” that we have to undertake and succeed at, and an approach like this is self-defeating.

Self care is a holistic lifestyle choice that reduces your anxiety and promotes feelings of happiness and peace. 

7 Self Care Industry Trends To Track in 2024

Trend spotters have been tracking the major shifts in how the industry has responded to self care consumers.

Proactive Consumers: More than ever before, the self care industry today witnesses the rise of the proactive, informed, choosy and socially connected consumer. In 2024, industry watchers have noted that big brands don’t have the big impact they used to - instead, consumers actively look for, compare and contrast, read up on and select products from lesser-known, niche product and service providers.

The rise of “healthusiasm” : While this trend actually took off in the 1980s, today it is well-established and deeply entrenched in the self care industry. It embraces the concept of working towards personal health and happiness, with the macro goal of ensuring that the environment around you is in sync too. Boundaries are now blurry between health, fitness, lifestyle, self care industries and consumers now seek and demand more meaningful products, services and experiences. This trend is powered by wearable devices, AI, mobile phones, internet, VR, genetic testing, biofeedback, and big data.

Probiotics and Healthy Nutrition: Enormous research is being funded and conducted into gut biome studies as this is considered to be one of the fundamental aspects of maintaining good health. Probiotics play a major role in protecting gut health and this trend embraces products such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso, kimchi, turmeric latte, vegan and gluten free diets. Healthy eating and drinking includes concepts such as intermittent fasting and rejection of processed foods. This trend will surely have a big impact on the existing food and beverage industry in general, and many of the well-established brands will have to provide products that align with the self care movement.

Affordable Mental Health: The aftermath of the pandemic left millions of people suffering from not only physical problems, but also mental and emotional issues in equal measure. Left untreated, these problems can morph into serious and long term conditions such as clinical depression, phobias, neuroses, substance abuse, anxiety and panic attacks and consequently affect physical health too. However, the cost of mental health care, problems of insurance coverage and the social stigma attached to it prevent many people from acknowledging that they need help. This trend is set to shift significantly in 2024. The rise of many reputed NGOs, local community groups, church and other religious institution-led programs, low cost government funded programs and self-help groups has provided good alternatives to expensive mental health services.

Product Lines: The self care industry is set to experience a boom in products that promote wellness and health. Kits, hampers, sleep aids and remedies, analog alarm clocks aromatherapy products, natural fiber products, journals, handmade products for personal and home use, home remedies, natural cosmetics, exercise and yoga products, handcrafted jewelry, specialty foods and beverages, teas and soothing drinks, natural supplements, mandala coloring books, crystal art and painting by numbers are some of the products that will harmonize with the future of the self care industry.

Non-Human Interventions: More and more procedures and processes have become automated. Today, a reputable website uses chatbots, virtual reality, Twitter bots and more. Robots are used in microsurgery, psychological counseling, social encounters, personal care and more. This trend will continue in the future and become a part of our lives in 2024. Robots are already being used to assess self care skills in the elderly and persons with intellectual disability. Health care is set to become more transactional in nature with more value based assessments, interventions, rewards from  insurers, fitness coins and more. Some industry experts opine that consumers will be able to buy and sell health data, including personal information to achieve their own self care goals.

Emotional Self Care: Increased personalization and customization of your own unique self care needs will address emotion, mood, responses and more. Coaching and individualized therapy are set to take off in a big way in 2024. You will focus more on setting boundaries, build and maintain relationships, center yourself in your social circle and also be more open about erstwhile taboo topics such as death and mental illness.

For more self care ideas, visit restanddigest.com.au/blogs/self-care/self-care-ideas