Self-care.

This term means so much today – $191,644 million, to be exact, based on the latest Statista data.

Despite other industries and global economies experiencing a steep drop in 2020, the wellness sector appears to be doing the opposite. Statistics show that these numbers will continue to grow at a rate of 5.7 percent annually through 2025, when it is expected to flourish into a $240,000 million-sector.

When did self-care become so popular? And what will be the future of this fruitful industry?

You’ll get the answer to these questions and more by the end of this article.

The Self-Care Boom (and Why You Should Care)

Salons, spas, beauty clinics, and even medical equipment suppliers are aware of the upward movement in the industry they are in, and no one is taking a break in case they miss the
“golden hour.”

While they were not considered essential in the past, self-care offerings like cosmetics, beauty products, and wellness services are now seen as a vital part of a happy and healthy life. Many believe that this is because the global pandemic has forced people to stay home.

Another possible trigger is that people suddenly have more time in their hands than they know what to do with. After toiling day in and day out to become successful for years without pause, they finally have the time for some self-pampering.

While there’s no clear-cut reason, the fact remains that the self-care boom affected many, particularly business owners in the beauty and wellness industry. This trend is crucial for businesses as knowing how self-care works fosters a deep understanding of the future of consumer shopping.

Below are some key points about self-care in 2021:

• Self-care is a subjective matter, which makes it unique to every individual.
• Because of the subjectivity, people require more diversity in their favorite brands.
• It also means there is a need for selection and personalization and a continuous discovery of a person’s self-care practice.

Of course, this doesn’t only apply to product-based businesses. For service-oriented wellness companies, this translates to having a wide variety of professional spa products and equipment to expand their offerings for almost any concern, including skincare and weight loss.

If you’re a consumer, this also means you’ll have a lot more choices and an opportunity to get more “done” for less. Talk about a win-win situation.

5 Self-Care Trends to Expect in 2021

Standing front and center in 2021 are these five self-care trends that consumers, retailers, and wellness service providers should all anticipate to see:

• Simplicity in skincare routines

Gone are the days of skincare routines when there were more steps than you can count with your fingers. With priorities shifting and budgets adjusting to accommodate economic changes in the “new normal,” people are expected to go for skincare that can be easily done at home.

However, people eventually realized that most products they use may be too much for their skin or are redundant. This resulted in confusion and cynicism for some at-home skincare offerings.

This paved the way for products with simple ingredients to become more preferred across the board. Companies focused on promoting products with organic ingredients that also flaunt their ingredient sourcing will be most appealing.

According to experts, there will be two types of skincare products that will be most popular this year:

• Relaxing skincare, particularly those that contain ingredients that promote calmness and relaxation
• Gentle skincare that offers hydration without harming the skin

• Food and drinks as new categories in beauty

This year, the cosmetic aisle is no longer exclusive to makeup and beauty products. Now, food and drinks are becoming more than a source of energy – they are also expected to become vital components of many people’s beauty regimens.

Food and drink products also tout the beautifying benefits of the ingredients they contain. The perfect example of this is collagen.

Known for improving skin, hair, nail production, collagen is now infused in bars, broths, teas, and even coffees. Besides the already-booming sales of collagen supplements in the market, these products are also gradually becoming more marketable in 2021.

• Touchless spa

Some researchers found that the fear of getting sick now outweighs the need for a relaxing massage. However, the need for self-care is still strong as innovations emerge to accommodate a safer and worry-free means of relaxation. One particular innovation is a touchless or no-touch spa.

This new form of spa offerings lives up to its name as those categorized under it require little to no human contact. Some examples of this are:

• Cryotherapy
• Compression therapy
• Salt caves
• Infrared saunas (you can even do this at home with MiHigh's infrared sauna blanket)
• IV drips
• Hyperbaric chambers
• Float tanks

All these promote relaxation and rejuvenation and are expected to become more preferred because of the no-worry wellness service.

• Cold therapy

Cold-water immersion and cold showers are also expected to become popular in 2021. Upon its introduction, cold exposure therapy received unwavering support from performance coaches, biohackers, and recovery experts due to its benefits, ranging from wide availability and affordability. Biohacking optimal health & performance itself has become a major trend and is starting to gain worldwide attention.

• At-home self-care

Think people are tired of at-home self-care? Think again.

The truth is that self-care done in the comforts of your home has become more appealing following the lockdown. People realized that even without health clubs and gyms, they could stay fit and healthy. As a bonus, they get to save money, too.

Besides, having a way to perform their regular workout routines without having to go through the commute is something many didn’t know they needed (but truly did).

To do this, all you need is a gym mat (even a regular mat would work), a clutter-free exercise space, and a monitor for workout routine streaming. Many people also opt to enroll in fitness classes or subscribe to fitness apps that can be accessed online, making this another thriving sub-sector in the self-care industry.

Other products or services that are expected to bloom are:

• Online wellness coaching
• Fitness equipment
• Sports attires
• Automatic massage machines

LED lights and aroma diffusers will also be more popular, as many people try to achieve that spa-like ambiance in their homes.

Self-Care at Its Peak

Self-care is an industry that is quickly becoming a worthwhile investment for a lot of businesses. With more wellness innovations coming to light, it’s not surprising that people will make this part of their essentials list.

AUTHOR BIO

Elias Chabtini is the Founder and CEO of Medica Group, a leader in providing complete beauty solutions for medical aesthetic clinics, dentists and beauty aesthetic centers, setting high standards and providing high-quality products. Chabtini is renowned for his international leadership and expertise in non-invasive cosmetic surgery, and his 20 years of experience and consumer-centered practices have placed him as one of the 100 Inspiring Leaders in the Middle East by ArabianBusiness.com.