- Wellbeing
- SELF CARE
Time to reclaim selfcare
The trouble with “selfcare” is that it’s been stretched so far it now covers almost anything: bio‑hacking routines, turmeric lattes, scented baths, gratitude journals, even the right kind of leggings.
Pukka’s recent campaign, “Self Care in a Cup,” both taps into the trend whilst also poking fun at the craze.
The word has been diluted by overuse, and its sister terms (wellness, wellbeing, balance) have been happily hijacked by beauty, fitness, leisure and lifestyle brands until they’ve lost any real connection to health at all.
And this is where the consumer healthcare industry needs to take the high ground. If everyone else is using “wellness” as a mood, an aesthetic, or a marketing flavour, then CHC brands have a responsibility to restate what genuine health support looks like. To draw a line between comfort and care, between lifestyle and legitimacy.
Maybe it’s time for a new moniker altogether: Well‑health, a term rooted in evidence and outcomes, not trends.
Because while other sectors have ridden the wellness wave for clicks, sales and cultural cachet, they’ve also rendered the word almost meaningless. If everything is wellness, then nothing is.
How consumer healthcare can reinforce self-care: a few ideas
| AREA | QUICK CHECK |
| Claims | Does each claim map to a behaviour, symptom, or function? |
| Product Tiers | Can users tell instantly which category they’re in? |
| Transparency | Have we stated what this cannot do? |
| Content | Are clinical and lifestyle topics clearly distinguished? |
| User Autonomy | Does this help users make better decisions without nudging unnecessary buying? |
