Holland & Barrett’s Trends for 2023: Women’s Health, Health Tech, Ayurveda And Cosmeceuticals

Women’s health, tech-driven personalized nutrition, traditional remedies like Ayurveda and “beauty from within” are the biggest UK wellness trends to watch out for this year, according to a new report from multinational health food chain Holland & Barrett.

“Holland & Barrett has long been at the forefront of emerging wellness trends, with our annual trends report providing a snapshot of what see being the next big themes and products to shape the nation’s wellness in 2023,” commented H&B’s global product director April Preston.

“Our team of experts are continuously scouring the globe for new, efficacious ingredients to create market-leading products across all our areas – beauty, food and supplements,” she added.

Trend #1: Women’s Health

H&B saw a 23% increase in UK sales of its own-branded products supporting the menopause in 2022. Meanwhile sales within its pregnancy and fertility range were up 21.9%.

H&B attributes this growth to a general increase in awareness of women’s health, symbolized by the UK government’s launch in 2022 of its first Women’s Health Strategy for England.

“Add in celebrity campaigners and female MPs, TV and social media discussions, and the tide is finally turning: women’s health is getting the attention it deserves,” H&B commented.

This trend will continue into 2023, the company says. “We’ll continue to break down the menopause taboo and we’ll become more focused on a range of specific women’s health issues, with personalized solutions and femtech founders continuing to help lead the revolution on breaking down taboos around menstrual health, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, fertility, miscarriage and more.”

Specific ingredients to watch out for in future, H&B suggests, include probiotics – both for gut and vaginal health – “nootropics,” which it described as “brain-supporting botanical ingredients” and adaptogens: “plant-based substances that can help our body deal with stress.”

“Improving women’s health sits at the heart of H&B,” insisted the company’s wellness futures lead Fiona Sweny. “From their first period, to their last and beyond, we’re here to support women’s health and wellness journeys.”

Via its Parla business, acquired in 2022, H&B can now offer online, expert-led group programs to help with conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and infertility, plus miscarriage, grief after pregnancy loss and menopause, Sweny pointed out.

Trend #2: Personalized Nutrition

Consumers are becoming increasingly holistic in their approach to health, H&B says, for example understanding the importance of genetics and microbiome health in immunity.

In 2023 medical research will continue to explore the gut-brain and gut-immune axis, the company predicts, with “more breakthroughs in understanding the powerful effects of the microbiome and diet on the immune system and how to apply this knowledge to develop therapies, testing platforms and personalised nutrition models.” 

Personalization driven by apps, wearables and at-home testing will also become more widely used by both the wellness industry and its consumers, H&B thinks.

“From patches tracking dietary biomarkers to using carbon levels in the breath to determine metabolic function, the future is all about using health data for optimum health,” it notes. “Health tech innovation is also becoming more focused on key target groups, such as those suffering from, or at risk of, chronic conditions.”

Men’s health is a particularly important area of personalization to watch out for in 2023, H&B suggests.

In 2022, H&B launched its Expert Male Sexual Health supplement, containing “saffron to support libido, green tea to support blood flow, plus zinc to support testosterone levels.”

Sperm health checks are also growing in popularity as a general health marker for men, the company continues, with advances in technology making it easier for men to monitor this aspect of their sexual health.

“Regular checks for volume, motility and concentration are being used as a marker of vitality and not just fertility,” H&B commented. “Supplements and changes in lifestyle can help to support sperm health and we’re seeing more social media conversation around this topic.”

Trend #3: Traditional Remedies

“We’re seeing a resurgence of interest in remedies and ingredients of the past, with many once dismissed as old wives’ tales by Western medicine now experiencing a rise in popularity as they’re being combined with scientific scrutiny,” H&B reported.

H&B expects the traditional Indian health tradition of Ayurveda – “which believes that health problems happen when our mind, body and spirit are out of kilter” – to become more popular in future.

Ayurvedic ingredients that support cognitive health like ashwagandha, turmeric/curcumin as well as traditional Chinese medicine ingredient ginkgo biloba, are ones to watch out for in 2023, H&B says.

There is also evidence to show that Asian spice saffron may improve pre-menstrual stress symptoms, linking it to other trends like women’s health, H&B notes.

“We’re seeing ancient wisdom blend with modern scientific evidence across a number of traditional ingredients,” commented H&B senior nutritionist Alex Glover. “It’s an exciting step forward in being able to substantiate their natural effectiveness.”

Trend #4: Beauty From Within

Sales of skin-enhancing cosmeceutical H&B collagen products increased by 59% in 2022.

This demand is “here to stay,” the company claims. However, in 2023, consumers will “want their collagen fix to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly – and that means looking beyond marine versions.”

The solution, H&B suggests, is vegan collagen. “New formulations are being engineered to match type 1 collagen – the main form of collagen found in our skin – so the body will recognise them and use them more effectively.”

“At H&B, we’ve launched our bio-structure collagen supplements, formulated with a blend of four key amino acids, sourced from plants, which have been combined to similar levels to those found in human type 1 collagen,” said head of vitamin and beauty development Geraldine Waterton.

“People are starting to better understand the broader benefits of collagen, so we’ll also see younger customers using type 2 collagen supplements to keep their joints in optimal health,” she added.

Other key beauty from within ingredients to watch out for in 2023 are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) – a molecule found in the body that plays a key role in generating energy – and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG): “This compound is found in green tea and some research shows it may promote longevity and protect against ageing.”