The Wellness Recession isn't what it sounds like. Instead, Gen Z is leading a charge in pursuit of health and happiness as life-critical.
Wellness has become the new status symbol.
In fact, it’s always been a braggable lifestyle choice, but research has shown that, as the twenty-first century ticks on, so too does the appeal of wellness as a status symbol. It’s the Hermes bag of the daily grind.
For Gen Zs, and even other generations, this means it is about kombucha over cocktails, matcha, mindfulness apps and meditations.
The Global Wellness Institute reported in late 2024 that the wellness industry is worth more than R118 trillion globally and could reach R169 trillion within the next three years.
The growth is being fuelled by millennials and Gen Z, who have made health and well-being part of their everyday identity rather than a luxury or occasional indulgence. McKinsey research has shown that millennials spend three times more on fitness than Gen Z households, and Gen Z in turn spend almost three times more than baby boomers.
Bye booze, hello workout
It’s goodbye binge drinking, hangovers, clubbing till dawn and hello workouts, gym memberships and matcha and kombucha brews instead of cocktails. This generational realignment is highly visible. Non alcoholic beverages are enjoying a demand-side boom.
In China, the US and the UK, more than 80 percent of consumers now say that issues such as gut health is a priority, with more than half planning to give it even greater attention in the next few years.
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Annemarie Viviers of wellness and healing centre Heavenly Healing in Benoni said that the reasons for the change in habits are straightforward.
“People are realising that illness often has emotional origins and that Western medicine treats the symptoms but not the cause. As such, they are reaching for more meaningful alternatives. The stress of modern life is forcing them to look to disciplines such as hypnotherapy, massage, reflexology, meditation and yoga. Western medicine fragments. Holistic wellness does not.”
Cultural currency of wellness
At the same time, digital platforms have turned wellness into a kind of cultural currency. Netnographer and trend analyst Carmen Murray said that TikTok and Instagram are “the classrooms, lifestyle catalogues and identity hubs for Gen Z. The algorithms reward virality not veracity. That means ideas that feel good often spread faster than those grounded in science,” she said.
It has created a coin that’s flipped for benefit at both ends.
On one side, there is a booming appetite for high-end retreats, supplements and biohacking gadgets, while on the other, there is a back-to-basics embrace of rituals like walking, breathwork and journaling.
“The wellness recession is not about abandoning wellness, it is about redefining it,” Murray said. “Younger generations are challenging the idea that wellness is a luxury or a status symbol. Instead, they are reshaping it into something more authentic, intentional and sustainable.”
Viviers sees this a lot. “When clients leave, they generally say that they feel reset and lighter. These are feelings that are foreign to them, but ones that they like and want to re-experience.
“People are realising that traditional support systems are not cutting it anymore. Numbing antidepressants are no longer the answer. Clients want more mindful ways of managing their stress and their wellness in general.”
Gen Zs driving the change
Viviers suggested that Gen Z’s mindset is driving much of the change.
“They are way more in tune with themselves and their emotions. Older generations tend to suppress, Gen Z allow emotions to surface.”
She added that they are unafraid to follow unconventional paths. “They put themselves first, sometimes selfishly so, and pursue whatever they feel gives them the most benefit.”
Murray said Gen Z is widely described as the most anxious generation in modern history.
“Many are seeking alternative paths to healing, one of the most significant being the rising use of psychedelics and plant medicines.
“Research shows that more than half of people who use psychedelics do so for spiritual growth rather than purely recreational purposes.”
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