As the new post-pandemic normal settles in and people adapt to a context of uncertainty, constant adversities, and pessimism, we are moving away from a moment in which consumers expected brands to rise up to society's challenges and into one when they’re demanding genuine allyship from businesses.

We can’t get enough of supplements – half of Americans take them regularly – but with little evidence to support their health claims and worries over their contents, people are looking for clarity and transparency. Ritual delivers both, providing a ‘clean label’ vitamin for the wellness movement.

Wellness brand Goop has come under fire for peddling ‘alternative medicine’ with pseudoscientific claims – yet the backlash had little effect on fans. Amid increasingly unaffordable healthcare and falling pharmaceutical trust, how are unconventional remedies giving people a sense of control?

‘Green beauty’ is taking on new meaning as a flock of skin care brands begin to experiment with cannabis. Herb Essentials’ moisturizers and lotions draw on the oil-regulating properties of the plant, but will the persistent stigmatization of cannabis and slow-moving legislation stand in its way?

Leading weight-loss brands such as Atkins and Weight Watchers are using celebrity ambassadors to promote a more holistic way of living, as people favour larger lifestyle changes rather than quick-fixes. And it's working; the strategy is winning over those once stigmatised by the industry.