From “smart mattresses” to MCT oil, the latest health trends pay off for entrepreneurs.
By Rieva Lesonsky
As baby boomers continue to age—many reluctantly—and millennials stay concerned about being fit, the health and wellness fields are filled with opportunities.
Well + Good (W+G) features 14 top wellness trends in their annual report. Here are some highlights:
Home tech: Smart speakers (used by 20% of American adults) are the “gateway to outfitting entire homes with smart products.” Home tech has moved beyond entertainment and is focused on “making life less stressful.”
W+G cites mattresses that help your sleep, refrigerators that offer meal suggestions, a mirror that doubles as a virtual fitness instructor or a trash-can-looking machine that folds your laundry.
There’s more to come. Chris Chan, Google Home product manager, told W+G consumers are starting to expect that tech will make their home lives easier.
The Rihanna Effect: A few years ago music (and now beauty) icon Rihanna “revolutionized the beauty game with the ‘Fenty 40’ spectrum of shades,” proving that marketing to the many skin colors of American women is a smart move. In fall of 2018 she introduced a “body-diverse” lingerie line.
Many other companies, new and old, are now embracing the size-inclusivity/diversity message and expanding size options, which makes sense considering the average American woman wears a size 16-18.
There’s a lot of opportunity here. W+G says, “The size-inclusive market (meaning XXS to 5XL) is currently generating $21 billion a year worldwide, a fraction of the $46 billion that Coresight Research CEO Deborah Weinswig predicts is possible.” By 2020, Weinswig expects the value of this market will jump to $60 billion.
MCT Oil: MCT oil is not new, but is now everywhere, thanks, says W+G, to the keto diet. The goal of the ketogenic diet is to put your body into ketosis, so your body will burn fat instead of carbs. The path to that is eating as few carbs as possible. MCT oil “is really good at helping you stay in that state.”
Grand View Research says the MCT market will likely reach $2.46 billion by 2025. More “MCT-oil-laced products, such as ready-to-drink lattes and smoothie-ready gels and powders” are hitting the market.
Rihanna stock photo by Debby Wong/Shutterstock
