The global wellness industry, already valued at 6.8 billion, is in the midst of a transformation. This is confirmed by the Future of Wellness Trends 2026 report", presented by the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) The report is a key document that identifies the profound - and often contradictory - changes that are redefining the way we understand health, self-care and longevity.
According to Beth McGroarty, According to GWS vice president of research and foresight, the industry has experienced more shocks in the last two years than in the previous two decades. “2026 will be a year of great change,” she said during the presentation, underlining a clear polarisation: on the one hand, those seeking to optimise the body to the extreme through technology; on the other, a growing need to back to the human, the emotional and the collective.
Four major axes defining the welfare of the future
The report identifies four major streams that cut across all 2026 trends:
- The revenge of the humanIn the face of the obsession with data and self-surveillance, a wellbeing centred on emotion, sensory experience, emotional repair and embodied care emerges.
- 2026, the year of womenlongevity and well-being are finally beginning to seriously incorporate women's biological and life differences.
- Expanded longevityLong and healthy life care moves out of clinics and resorts and into everyday experiences.
- Well-being in the face of major human and environmental crisesFrom climate change to natural disasters, resilience is becoming a new pillar of wellness.
The 10 wellness trends that will make a mark in 2026
1. Longevity becomes feminised
For years, the longevity market has been dominated by male models. The report says the future lies in understanding how women age, especially after menopause, when systemic ageing accelerates. Research into ovarian ageing, biomarkers and hormone therapies will mark a turning point.
2. The rejection of over-optimisation
The excess of metrics, wearables and biometric data is starting to generate fatigue and anxiety. The answer: experiences that prioritise the safety of the nervous system, pleasure and emotional connection. Social saunas, somatic practices and spaces for emotional release are gaining prominence.
3. The rise of neurowellness
Regulating the nervous system is emerging as the new frontier of health. From vagus nerve stimulation devices to the revaluation of traditional practices such as massage, breathing or yoga, now understood as authentic “nervous system medicine”.
4. The emotional language of perfume
Fragrances are making a comeback as a form of personal expression. The fragrance layering allows olfactory identities to be created according to mood. Technology and artificial intelligence are beginning to modulate aromas in spaces according to activities or emotions, especially in hotels and leisure centres.
5. Preparedness is the new wellbeing
Climate disaster preparedness is integrated into the concept of preventive health. Emergency plans, resilient architecture and interdependent communities become new indicators of physical and mental well-being.
6. Skin longevity redefines beauty
The “anti-ageing” discourse is losing ground in the face of the optimising long-term skin health. Biotechnology, regenerative ingredients and personalised care transform skincare and hair care into strategies for prevention, not correction.
7. The ‘festivalisation’ of welfare
Wellness raves, alcohol-free morning dance sessions, immersive events and collective gatherings redefine self-care as a social, playful and inclusive experience. Wellness is lived, shared and celebrated.
8. Women and sport: an unstoppable revolution
Women's sport is no longer marginalised. More visibility, more investment and a profound cultural shift are driving a new narrative: strength versus thinness, performance versus aesthetics. A physical, social and political shift.
9. Microplastics as a human health problem
It is no longer just an environmental issue. Microplastics are linked to inflammation, hormone disruption and cardiovascular problems. Private clinics are beginning to offer plastic load reduction treatments, while solutions are being sought at source.
10. Housing for longevity
The home becomes an active health space. Healthy architecture, circadian lighting, continuous diagnostics and personalised medicine define the new longevity homes, an emerging category within the real estate wellness sector.
A more conscious, humane and connected wellbeing
The Global Wellness Summit report makes it clear that the future of wellness is not just about more technology, but about balancing science, emotion, community and purpose. In a fast-paced world full of uncertainty, the real luxury will be to feel regulated, connected and resilient.
Because, as the report itself points out, the well-being of the future will not be measured solely in data, but in how we live, feel and relate.
