April 16, 2024
In Blogs
As societies around the world start to acknowledge the importance of mental health and well-being, brands across all categories are developing innovative products aimed at alleviating stress. From soothing teas and supplements to neuroscientific wearables and skincare solutions, these brands are racing to address the growing demand for accessible and effective stress relief.
To recognise Stress Awareness Month, we’re taking a closer look at how different brands across the growing Health & Wellness market are approaching the topic of stress. Read on to explore the diverse strategies and offerings that are reshaping the landscape of stress management.
“From soothing teas and supplements to neuroscientific wearables and skincare solutions, these brands are racing to address the growing demand for accessible and effective stress relief.”At the beginning of 2024, we noted the evolving category of specialised skincare, with a focus on products infused with vitamins and minerals designed to address different skincare goals. As such, there has been a significant growth of serums and creams designed to treat stressed skin. These products not only nourish the skin but also encourage consumers to invest time in their self-care, thereby prompting individuals to take a break from their busy lives and enjoy a moment of calm.
JĀSÖN, for example, has developed CBD-infused creams claiming to calm dry, stressed-out skin and a range of products helping to alleviate stress through the calming scent of lavender.
Meanwhile, a variety of brands, such as Simple and TruSkin, have approached the category not with new products but with educational resources and content informing consumers about the stress-reducing ingredients of some of their existing products. This is an excellent way to appeal to the stressed skin niche without the need for further new product development.
While it’s widely understood that various vitamins, minerals, and supplements (VMS) can help reduce anxiety, today’s nutrition brands are highlighting these benefits more prominently than ever.
NuMind has based its entire business and ethos on stress support. With three main all-in-one formulas that combine 23+ scientifically-backed ingredients to comprehensively support the anxious body and mind, the brand has developed the world’s first all-in-one stress support supplement and is basing its roots on becoming the stress expert in the VMS category. NuMind also provides a 6-week anxiety course, a library of educational content resources that promote holistic solutions to stess, and direct contact links to healthcare pracitioners.
Other brands, such as Country Life, OmniBiotics, and R3SET, have enhanced their broader VMS product portfolios with crafted supplements tailored specifically to strengthen the body’s resilience to stress, incorporating adaptogenic blends and mood-boosting nutrients. Even VMS brands like Strong Nutrients, have redesigned their product packaging, positioning, and messaging to underscore their existing stress-relieving properties and effectively compete in the stress-relief market.
Overall, whether they are emphasising the stress relieving properties of common vitamins, minerals, and supplements, or innovating cutting-edge stress support supplements, VMS brands are boosting consumer awareness and understanding of the interconnectedness of nutrition and stress.
Similarly to VMS businesses, a fast-growing number of tea brands are combining ancient remedies with modern science to formulate stress relief teas, often containing adaptogens and herbs known for their ability to promote relaxation and balance within the body.
Chamomile tea has long been a go-to aid for sleep and anxiety reduction, but now, the supermarket and health store shelves are bursting with various blends claiming to calm, soothe, and relax the user.
Yogi offers a large collection of stress teas and blends, which combine chamomile or ashwaghanda with various herbs, botanicals, and flavours to appeal to every palette. From Blueberry Sage to Honey Lavendar and Elderberry Lemon Balm, these innovative, organic blends are said to relax the mind, relieve stress, and promote sleep. Yogi also excels in raising consumer awareness and understanding on the benefits of their teas, with an active presence on Instagram and Amazon Live, often featuring customers in their videos talking about their favourite stress relieving blends.
Meanwhile, mushroom blends are fast taking over the health drinks category, with teas, coffees, and shakes containing varying combinations of mushrooms to promote different health benefits. Dirtea, a relatively young brand that specialises in organic mushroom drinks, offers a Reishi Mushroom Powder Pouch for calm, sleep, and immune health, describing it as an “all-day soothing wonder that will provide an overall relaxed state.” While not yet scientifically proven to support stress relief, Reishi mushrooms are rich in triterpenoids which are said to benefit the parasympathetic nervous system and promote calmness.
Mushroom products have been trending only for a short time and as research in this area advances, we are likely to see many more brands and businesses launching mushroom products of their own, with blends to strengthen the immune system, calm stress, improve focus, or even increase energy.
Advancements in technology have paved the way for wearable devices designed to monitor and manage stress levels in real time. These wearables utilise biometric data such as heart rate variability and skin conductance to provide users with insights into their stress responses.
An increasing range of brands are launching wearables that help to relax the mind and body with pulses and vibrations. For example, Apollo offers a wrist/ankle band and clip that improves consumers’ resilience to stress through novel touch therapy, sending the user vibrations to either improve their energy and focus or reduce stress and help them relax, depending on which setting they use in the connected app.
Likewise, Roga’s earphones use pulse electrical stimulation developed by neuroscientists to reduce physical and mental symptoms of stress and restore balance to the nervous system. The band also offers an app that works alongside the earphones to tackle stress with a range of AI-generated therapies, guided meditation videos, soundscapes, and educational guides.
Embr Wave wearables are also said to calm consumers’ stress, but instead of delivering vibrations, these bands work by regulating the wearer’s temperature. They were designed primarily for women going through menopause to counter hot and cold flashes. Yet, the brand also markets the wearables as a stress and sleep aid.
These are only a few examples of stress-relieving wearables developed in recent years and as technology and neuroscience progress further, we are likely to see a wider variety of wearable solutions to stress hit the market.
“As technology advances, we’re likely to see new and heritage Health & Wellness brands alike launching personalised stress management products tailored to every consumer’s unique needs, lifestyle, stress triggers, and genetics.”Personalised promotions, services, and products are making waves in every global market, including Health & Wellness. A wide variety of brands have developed their offering to include personalised solutions to stress management.
For example, Apollo, the wearable device brand we visited earlier, has recently launched a premium annual membership, SmartVibes, which learns about subscribers’ health, how they feel and what their body needs and personalises “Apollo Vibes” that play throughout the day to tune their nervous system and help them feel their best, balanced self.
Meanwhile Holistic Therapies has developed a “Stress Solution Finder” which suggests personalised stress-relief solutions to address consumers’ unique needs, preferences, and well-being goals.
As technology advances, we will likely witness the launch of many more personalised stress management products and services. Ranging from VMS and nutrition strategies to skincare and hair care solutions, these approaches will take into account lifestyle, genetics, and stress triggers to offer stress management products tailored to each customer.
“As consumer understanding grows of the interconnectedness of mental and physical health, many more exciting collaborations between companies are likely to emerge in a race to offer an all-in-one, holistic solution to stress.”We’re starting to see a growing emphasis on holistic approaches to stress management that address not just the symptoms but also the underlying causes of stress. Many brands across categories are collaborating to offer comprehensive solutions, including preventative interventions targeting lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, and social connections, as well as alternative therapies like acupuncture, yoga, and mindfulness.
Leading the way, Fitbit, whose smart watches help to track users’ stress via heart rate, has partnered with Calm, a popular meditation and mindfulness app, to offer customers access to Calm’s library of guided meditations, sleep stories, and relaxation exercises directly through the Fitbit app. This means that when a user’s Fitbit signifies a high level of stress, they can take instant action to reduce it and incorporate Calm’s mindfulness practices into their daily routines. The Fitbit-Calm collaboration also includes joint marketing efforts and co-branded initiatives to raise awareness and encourage customers to prioritise mental wellness alongside physical fitness.
Meanwhile, the fitness influencer and founder of Blogilates, Cassey Ho, has collaborated with supplement brand, Olly Nutrition, on a range of content campaigns and product promotions focusing on the importance of both physical fitness and nutrition in managing stress and promoting overall well-being.
This is only the beginning. As consumer understanding grows of the connection between mental and physical health, many more exciting collaborations between companies are likely to emerge in a race to offer an all-in-one, holistic solution to stress.
The landscape of stress management within the Health & Wellness industry is undergoing a transformative shift to address the increasing demands of today’s high-stress lifestyles. From innovative skincare solutions to cutting-edge wearable devices, brands are taking proactive steps to offer holistic approaches to stress relief.
If you are looking to develop a new brand or tailor an existing one to the growing category of stress prevention and management, get in touch with our brand-building experts. With 30 years of industry experience and end-to-end brand management capabilities, Ceuta Group has empowered hundreds of brands to grow a strong, omnichannel presence across the global Health & Wellness market.
To find out more about how to unlock the true potential of your brand, get in touch.
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