, or experience design and still seeing wellness as a vertical, you’re already falling behind. I’ve never seen wellness as a category but more as a code or a symbolic expression of what people value, fear, or even hope for. It’s one of the best examples of an emotional default. A soft protest against the speed, anxiety and fragmentation of our modern life.  Wellness today has become less about six-packs and more about psychological safety. Less about the product and more about our identity and who we are. Less hype, more healing. So let’s break down the key signals. Not just what McKinsey found in its findings, but what they actually mean. Wellness is now a generational identity McKinsey’s research revealed that Millennials and Gen Z, while making up 36 per cent of the US population, account for 41 per cent of all wellness spending. But this isn’t just about age or trend adoption, it’s about emotional alignment. These generations are experiencing record levels of burnout, decision fatigue, and sensory overload. For them, wellness isn’t self-improvement. It’s very much about self-preservation now. It’s not a luxury, it’s a lifeline. They aren’t ‘into wellness’ because it’s cool anymore. They’re into it because the world around them doesn’t feel safe and wellness gives them a sense of control, clarity and connection. This comes as a clear indication that brands that miss this emotional subtext are now missing the point. One thing I have always learnt in business is to stop asking “What are they buying?” and start asking “What are they trying to feel?” Wellness now is no longer a sector. It’s a psychological strategy. A market that defies gravity Historically, wellness has always shown remarkable resilience. Even during the 2008 financial crisis, US vitamin sales grew by 6 per cent, even as GDP dropped. In 2020, right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, supplements rose another 10 per cent. So what does that tell us? It tells us that in times of uncertainty, people turn inward. It’s that simple. Wellness is no longer discretionary. It’s defensive. When the world feels chaotic, we grasp for anything that gives us agency. We saw that with toilet paper, I’m sure you remember, but we also saw this with supplements. A skincare routine. A structured morning. These aren’t just products, they’re personal rituals, and they provide us all with the emotional structure needed. This is exactly why I argue that experience design in wellness needs to create the feel of a sanctuary. Retailers should not be optimising for transactions; they should be engineering for peace. What’s the emotional architecture of your store, your website, your packaging? Are you calming a nervous system or adding to its stress? The six zones of growth – if you know how to speak human McKinsey outlines six key subcategories within wellness poised for further expansion: Functional nutrition Healthy aging Beauty In-person wellness services Weight management Mental health If we think of each of these, they can easily be misunderstood if viewed purely through a product or solution lens. But here’s what we see when looked at through an emotional lens. What we see are six emotional territories: Functional nutrition = Control Healthy aging = Hope Beauty = Belonging In-person services = Human contact Weight management = Empowerment Mental health = Relief There’s a question for any brand or retailer looking to win in these zones, and it isn’t: “How do I sell more of this?” It’s: “What does this area feel like for the person experiencing it, and how do I meet them there?” I think most of us will agree that wellness communication is still far too clinical, transactional, or aspirational. What we need now more than ever is empathetic, emotionally literate messaging. Brands that can speak to the emotional posture of their audience will always outperform those that just describe benefits. From segments to selves McKinsey’s report identifies five distinct consumer segments in wellness, each with different priorities and different spending habits. It’s useful, but we need to go deeper.  If we use psychographics, not just demographics, we can get into the profiles and emotional defaults, not just income brackets. Today, demographics are simply not enough if you want to know why someone buys supplements. You need to know whether they’re doing it to feel in control, reduce anxiety, build identity or signal status. If you know which of these is at play and build every experience, product description, and campaign around it consistently, you won’t be selling anymore or ever need to do so. The global pulse is human It’s no coincidence that 94 per cent of Chinese consumers, 84 per cent of US consumers, and 79 per cent of UK consumers say wellness is a top priority. However, we mustn’t mistake this as a race to sell more products. It’s a well-written invitation to understand human needs and, in particular, your target audience. Let’s not get this twisted. We’re in an era of convenience, and it’s everywhere, but what’s still super rare is presence. What’s scarce is what gains value. In this hyper-automated environment we live in now, the thing that wins hearts isn’t faster shipping or smarter AI. It’s the brand that listens, that slows down a little, and that shows it sees you. That’s where wellness brands, CPGs, and retailers must go next, not toward more frictionless funnels, but straight toward frictionless trust. Wellness is the new religion – but it’s missing ritual Here’s the truth that few dare say out loud: Wellness has become a kind of secular belief system for many. It replaces the traditional community with apps. It replaces ritual with routine. But in the absence of deep emotional design, it risks becoming hollow. Brands have a choice. You can either sell wellness as a trend. Or you can design it as a modern mythology – a set of values, a shared language, a place where people feel seen, safe and supported. The future of wellness isn’t about vitamins. It’s about vitality, as is all retail, not just physical, but emotional, cultural and relational. I hate to say it, but if you’re not designing for that, you’re not in the wellness game at all.