The future is about precision self-care: Bayer’s Sandeep Verma

At the e4m Health and Wellness Marketing Conference 2025, Sandeep Verma, South Asia Head of Bayer’s Consumer Health Division, delivered a compelling keynote titled “Nurturing Wellness: How Big Brands are Shaping the Future of Health”. Verma underscored a fundamental truth that India must urgently embrace: wellness is not a luxury, it’s a daily essential.

Verma opened by challenging popular perceptions of wellness, often associated with multi-step beauty routines and aesthetic Instagram trends. “To us at Bayer, wellness is simply what keeps you going, what energizes and makes you happy. It starts with self-care and must become part of daily life,” he said.

Despite the rising chatter around well-being, the actual market penetration of wellness and self-care products in India remains in single digits. Verma highlighted the startling gap in awareness and usage. “We’re a country of workaholics who don’t stop to address basic signs like fatigue or poor sleep. Most consumers ignore early symptoms until they escalate into larger issues,” he remarked.

Bayer’s approach has focused on normalizing self-care, educating consumers about everyday health needs rather than pushing products. Verma cited brand films for Saridon and Supradyn that encourage proactive steps, whether it’s taking a supplement to boost energy or a tablet to address head and body pain. “Our goal isn’t just to gain share, but to grow the category itself,” he emphasized.

Consumer insight remains at the heart of Bayer’s strategy. Sharing examples like the launch of Saridon Head & Body and a period pain solution, Verma noted, “We didn’t create products and then find problems to solve. We spoke to consumers and understood their pain points, be it emotional stress from dry skin or nutritional deficiencies leading to fatigue.”

He also shed light on alarming findings from Bayer’s fatigue and headache surveys. “85% of Indian youth wake up tired. And India ranks among the top countries for micronutrient deficiencies. Yet, many don’t connect fatigue with poor nutrition,” Verma said. “Brands must help consumers draw that link.”

With online search now becoming the first stop in a consumer’s wellness journey, Verma said brands must evolve into “friendly guides”, simplifying science, countering misinformation, and building trust in a world where health influencers are prolific but not always credible.

Verma also emphasized the need to bridge urban-rural health disparities. Bayer’s Nutrient Gap Initiative, currently being piloted in rural Karnataka and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, aims to build awareness at the grassroots level and address dietary imbalances through door-to-door engagement. “Most rural consumers believe their diet is perfect. The data disagrees,” he pointed out.

Looking ahead, Verma highlighted the rising role of AI in personalized wellness. Bayer’s global tools, like the Aspirin Heart Risk Predictor, are steps toward tailoring preventive health strategies based on age, lifestyle, and genetic risk. “Consumers now want to manage health with insight. The future is about precision self-care,” he said.

In closing, Verma urged collaboration across industries, government, and communities to ignite a national wellness movement. “Brands can scale, inform, and connect, but the real change will need a collective push,” he concluded.