What brands can learn when nutritional wellness goes wild.
The irony is not lost on us, but protein is everywhere – in cereal, skincare, even toothpaste. It’s less about nourishment and more about cultural capital and status. For brands, it’s riding the same hype wave kale caught a decade ago.
As our competitive wellness FORUM pointed out, health is no longer simply about balance or longevity – it’s about performance, comparison and aesthetics. Wellness has mutated into a competition, a never-ending leaderboard where protein counts, wearable trackers and marathon-length hot yoga sessions become scorecards for identity. And brands, sensing the obsession, have rushed to monetise it – often brilliantly, sometimes absurdly.
Wellness used to represent mindfulness, slowing down, balance and breathing. But somewhere in the past decade, that whisper got turned into a GIF-loop of “protein everything” — protein waters, protein gums, protein pizza, protein pickles, protein shakes for toddlers – innovation or overkill?
