India’s $72 billion wellness boom sparks a marketing makeover

India’s wellness market, projected to cross $72 billion by 2025, is witnessing a huge transformation on the back of changing lifestyles, heightened health awareness, and a growing emphasis on holistic well-being. No longer just confined to urban consumers, this category is emerging as a mainstream lifestyle choice— and brands are evolving in the way they communicate with their audiences.

Be it new-age players like Superfoods Valley, Kapiva, Auric, The Whole Truth, which are wooing consumers with direct-to-consumer, ingredient-transparent offerings, or legacy players like Himalaya, brands are reshaping their marketing strategies to stay relevant. Himalaya, for instance, has a wide range of wellness, personal care, and OTC products. It initially focussed on herbal remedies and later expanded into personal care, hair care, and nutritional supplements.

Also read: How the health & wellness sector balances AI efficiency and human empathy

Today, the brand combines traditional ayurvedic formulations with modern, convenience-driven formats, appealing to millennials, Gen Z, and urban health-conscious consumers, reflecting a clear shift toward consumer-centric, digital-first engagement.

“Our product development process has become agile and responsive to the evolving stated and latent needs of consumers. The slew of new products we have launched in the last two years is evidence of our strong connection with them,” said Vikas Bansi, Business Director – OTX Division at Himalaya Wellness Company.

One of the reasons, Bansi added, is that “Wellness today is not just about the products we offer, it’s about empowering consumers with knowledge, building trust through transparency, and being a true ally in their daily wellness journey. From explaining how our ingredients are sourced and formulated to sharing the story behind products like Shilajit, we aim to create a connection that is honest, meaningful, and accessible to people across India.”

For many brands, advertising is no longer just about transactions—it’s about building meaningful connections, empowering consumers with knowledge, and creating relevance in everyday life.

Also read: Health & Wellness brands reallocate budgets

The new mantra for wellness brands

According to industry experts, wellness brands are moving away from one-size-fits-all advertising strategies toward approaches that prioritise education, engagement, and authenticity. Storytelling has emerged as a key element in this shift. 

Wellness brands are increasingly focussing their content strategies on short, platform-native videos, real-life storytelling, and collaborations with relatable creators. Community engagement has become central, positioning brands as the first port of call for reliable information amidst the clutter of misinformation. At the same time, advertising is becoming more purpose-driven for brands.

Now, with wellness becoming mainstream, ad spends are also undergoing a marked shift toward digital-first strategies. Industry data shows that digital already commands over 44% of ad budgets, growing at nearly 20% year-on-year, while traditional media like TV and print are gradually losing share. Legacy wellness and personal care players still allocate 30–40% of their budgets to television, but the lion’s share of ad spend today goes to digital campaigns, influencer collaborations, and e-commerce-led activations, according to Anika Wadhera, Marketing Head at Sirona. 

Influencer-driven storytelling has emerged as one of the most trusted formats, particularly in health and hygiene, where consumers seek authenticity and expert voices. Adding to this, Wadhera stated, “At Sirona, our advertising playbook prioritises performance marketing, regional-language digital content, and creator-led advocacy, while maintaining a baseline offline presence for credibility. Unlike conventional FMCG categories, a meaningful portion of our spend is purpose-driven—building awareness around menstrual hygiene, sustainability, and breaking intimate wellness taboos. This dual focus on high-ROI digital growth and long-term educational impact is what distinguishes wellness brands like Sirona in today’s advertising landscape.”

Wellness marketing has moved beyond awareness to focus on accessibility, inclusivity, and everyday relevance. Sirona, for instance, has evolved its campaigns from breaking taboos around menstrual and intimate wellness to innovation-led, experience-driven strategies. The brand launched India’s first WhatsApp-based period tracker, making period management convenient and stigma-free.

Legacy brands like Himalaya have also adapted, making their product development agile and responsive to consumer needs. “Hair gummies and gut gummies cater to consumers who want on-the-go wellness, while Shilajit is offered in multiple formats to serve both convenience seekers and purists,” said Bansi.

Targeting Previously Overlooked Segments

Rising awareness, internet penetration, and curiosity around wellness have expanded the market, creating opportunities for brands to educate, engage, and build trust. Wellness brands are now targeting previously overlooked segments, from Gen Z consumers to populations in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Marketing channels are increasingly integrated and consumer-centric. According to experts, while digital remains the backbone, offline touchpoints like retail activations, pharmacy partnerships, and experiential events complement these efforts. Consumer insights and feedback are also shaping both product innovation and marketing strategy, helping brands address unmet needs and create solutions that resonate across demographics and geographies.

Most brands today are betting on a mix of digital, influencer, retail, experiential, and short-form content to reach and educate consumers effectively. For example, Auric, a D2C brand focussing on digital and influencer-led campaigns, allocates 40% of its revenue to marketing and advertising, with the split between brand-building and performance marketing depending on the consumer problem, according to Deepak. Agarwal, founder of D2C wellness startup Auric.

Similarly, Superfoods Valley balances performance and brand-building initiatives. “For a brand scaling up, marketing spends are significantly higher to stand out in a cluttered ecosystem. Absolute spends have grown 3–4X in the last year, but as a percentage of sales, they have decreased due to improved efficiencies. Early-stage marketing focused on performance, but now we are increasing brand-building investments to create a distinctive memory structure at scale,” said Amarpreet Singh Anand, Co-founder, Superfoods Valley.

Wellness is increasingly becoming a mainstream lifestyle choice in India, and brands are evolving their marketing strategies to keep pace. However, with the market becoming increasingly crowded and competition intensifying, brands will need to constantly innovate and stay relevant to truly capture consumers’ attention and trust in the long run.