The path to wellbeing is lined with good intentions, but there is a gap between personal priorities and everyday execution. That is the overarching finding from a new Circana report, The Global Health & Wellness Market: The Next Wave of Growth.
Circana’s research shows that although wellness is a massive, everyday economy — pegged at $1.16 trillion across industries including food and beverage, health, beauty, apparel, home, and consumer tech — consumers still need help acting on it. The research shows that wellness matters to more than 93% of U.S. consumers, but only 38% are satisfied with their wellbeing and just 18% consistently follow a structured routine. In the UK, 91% of consumers place a priority on wellness and only 42% are satisfied, while in Australia, 93% prioritize wellness and just 29% are satisfied.
The wellbeing universe continues to grow across regions and categories. The U.S. wellness market increased 5.2% for the 12 months ending July 2026, versus a year ago, per Circana data. Moreover, self-care now encompasses six dimensions: in addition to traditional areas of physical and emotional health, wellness spans social/relationship, spiritual, home/environmental, and sensory health.
In this broad-reaching environment, brands and retailers can connect with consumers to translate their spending and interest into routines that work for them. “We need to help consumers make progress feel achievable with support that fits people's lives and the barriers that they face,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor at Circana, during a recent webinar that explored the report’s insights and implications. “Consumers have already made wellness a priority. The next wave of growth will come from making that priority easier to live out every day.”
The report spotlights other key trends among wellness-minded consumers:
The Appeal of Manageable Routines
To sync intent with satisfaction, wellness is becoming more outcome-led, targeted, and inclusive of real life, Circana’s report reveals.
There are several examples of this move to balance, such as the shift from reactive responses to aging to an emphasis on healthy longevity. Nearly a third (32%) of U.S. consumers say that healthy aging is one of their biggest personal health and wellness priorities, and 29% intend to focus more on healthy aging in the next 12 months. In the coming year, 43% plan to exercise more regularly, 35% intend to reduce stress, and 31% want to improve nutrition.
Similar to mindset changes in aging, women’s health now takes a longer, deeper view. “Women's wellness is dynamic. It's a lifelong journey, but it's not a linear path as women move in and out of key life stages like prenatal, post-natal, and menopause. Shelf sets are evolving and continuing to grow to include a variety of new and existing brands that are diving into the women's wellness space with a suite of products for every stage,” said Kristin Hornberger, EVP and practice leader for wellness, beauty, and homecare at Circana. Such innovation is well received: Women’s health now represents more than $11 billion in sales and has grown 3% from a year ago.
Men’s wellness follows a similar outcome-oriented track. Circana data indicates that male buyers fueled 7% dollar growth in men’s wellness categories in the past year. More than a quarter (27%) of men say that having more energy is a top priority and an equal share cite reducing stress or anxiety as a goal.
Metabolic Health a Key Focus of Physical Health
When it comes to the managed pursuit of physical health, metabolic health is emerging as a common goal. “Think of metabolic health like a smart thermostat for your body. It is constantly monitoring and adjusting important systems such as blood sugar, energy use, and fat storage to keep everything in balance. It's not really about eating less — it's about making the body work better,” explained Hornberger.
Circana data bears out the strength of metabolic health attributes. For example, half (50%) of adults are trying to consume more protein, up eight percentage points from last year. Among women, 54% are trying to consume more protein, up nine points year-over-year (YoY) and among men, 46% are trying to consume more protein, up seven points from 2025. Reflecting such demand, “proteinification” is moving into unexpected categories.
At the same time, fiber is regaining relevance. Circana finds that 37% of adults are trying to consume more fiber, up four percentage points YoY.
Meanwhile, people are keen on hydration, with 69% of U.S. consumers indicating that “staying hydrated” is a regular action to support their overall health and wellness. Nearly half (45%) of adults shared that they are trying to consume more water/hydration, up five percentage points YoY. As they work toward that goal, their attention is turning beyond beverages and into segments like hydration-linked appliances and housewares.
How Emotional Wellbeing Shows up in Real Life
Striving to improve their overall wellbeing, consumers are finding different and manageable ways to take care of their emotional health. Circana insights confirm growing interest in products that provide stress, sleep, and mood support.
Daily activities are likewise helping to optimize emotional wellbeing. Nearly a third (30%) of consumers told Circana researchers that they take part in hobbies or creative activities for mental and emotional recharge. These include “Grandma hobbies” like knitting, card games, and reading books.
In another indication of the desire for manageable routines, Circana’s insights point to beauty routines as a form of emotional regulation. Nearly half (47%) of consumers say they make an effort to look and feel their best, and 16% plan to focus more on personal care and grooming during the next 12 months.
Also within the self-care space, fragrance is a category that people are gravitating to in a bid to improve their mood and follow helpful rituals. Circana finds that nearly one-third of consumers now report wearing fragrance every day. “Products aren't just solving functional needs anymore. They are delivering an experience, and fragrance may be the clearest example of this shift. It is now one of the fastest-growing beauty categories in the mass market and one of the strongest performers in prestige,” said Larissa Jensen, SVP and global beauty industry advisor at Circana.
In addition to personal fragrance, scent is a mood-booster across a wider lifestyle. Nearly four in 10 consumers report that they use sensory experiences such as aromatherapy or mood lighting in their homes as part of their self-care routine, with that number rising to close to 50% for women.
Narrowing the Wellness Gaps for Growth
With consumers aiming to connect the dots across the dimensions of wellness that also include social, spiritual, home, and sensory health, Circana’s experts recommend that brands and retailers focus on reducing friction, not boosting intention already present in most cases. “A shopper should leave with a clear choice, an affordable next step, and less work to do themselves,” said Lyons Wyatt.
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