Meet the category-defining movers and shakers

Now that you’ve been introduced to the 11 major categories that define the global wellness economy, let’s map out the industry a little further.

As we’ve already demonstrated, it’s the businesses and individuals who are responsible for pioneering new approaches and capturing the imagination of consumers. But who’s leading the charge?

Here, we highlight some of the stalwarts, insurgents, and changemakers that are creating category-defining products and services –– and in doing so, are making wellness more dynamic, mainstream, and accessible.

Fitness and Mind-Body

Brand: TALA

Founder: Grace Beverly

Founded in May 2019 by fitness influencer and entrepreneur, Grace Beverley, TALA’s mission is to create ‘on-trend, affordable, high-performance activewear that is 100% up-cycled and honest’.

For Beverley’s 1 million-plus followers, the brand’s ability to understand their motivations –– such as accessibility, affordability, and style –– and in response, disrupt the status quo of a category that, on the whole, hasn’t been listening to their needs, has captured their attention and transformed it into sales.

Read more about Grace Beverly in the See Also section.

Brand: Moreyoga

Founder: Shamir Sidhu

First launched in 2016, Moreyoga has scaled quickly by offering affordable classes at studios conveniently located for people’s day-to-day lives. The UK-based yoga chain currently serves over 5000 customers, works with over 200 yoga instructors, and generates an annual revenue of £2.5 million.

Founder, Shamir Sidhu’s, vision of providing a stripped back yoga studio concept on the British high street has resonated with consumers searching for high-quality teaching in an accessible environment, at a price that isn’t an obstacle.

Read more about Shamir Sidhu in the See Also section.

Personal Care, Beauty and Anti-Aging

Brand: Hims

Founder: Andrew Dudum

From its tongue-in-cheek branding to its $1billion+ valuation, Hims has been anything but understated since it entered the market in 2017.

The lifestyle brand, which aims to address problems most men are too embarrassed to talk about –– including male pattern baldness, erectile dysfunction, and acne –– hit $1 million in its first week, and has enjoyed rapid growth ever since.

Dudum’s bold attempt at reinventing the men’s wellness category has secured his status as one of the wellness world’s biggest disruptors.

Read more about Andrew Dudum in the See Also section.

Healthy Eating, Nutrition and Weight Loss

Brand: Allplants

Founders: Alex and JP Petrides

Since launching in 2017, Allplants has served over 1 million meals, opened a 20,000 square foot kitchen dedicated to plant-based innovation, and raised £7.5 million in funding. Its mission is to mainstream the plant-based food movement by making it easier and more exciting for consumers.

By 2025, the plant-based food startup aims to develop distribution partnerships and launch into new markets in Europe and North America.

Read more about Alex and JP Petrides in the See Also section.

Brand: Deliciously Ella

Founder: Ella Mills

From blogger to businesswoman, Ella Mills, more popularly known as Deliciously Ella, has a CV that’s nothing short of extraordinary.

Today, an award-winning cookery author and entrepreneur, and an influential champion of eating well, she began her journey with the popular blog, deliciouslyella.com, as a way to address and manage a recently diagnosed health condition. The website has since garnered over 130 million hits.

More recently, Mills has created a #1 app, and with her husband, launched multiple food product lines across the UK and US.

Read more about Ella Mills in the See Also section.

Mental Wellness

Brand: Just Breathe

Founder: Michael James Wong

Having grown up in fast-paced Los Angeles, Michael James Wong never imagined a career in meditation and yoga. In fact, even in the early days, it was just a chance to prove people wrong.

This soon developed into a deep passion for community, transformation, and creating quiet spaces for everyday people to connect inwardly. Today, the wellness expert is a leading voice in the global movement for modern mindfulness, a community activist, yoga and meditation teacher, speaker, and author. His event series Just Breathe, regularly attracts more than 1000 people.

Read more about Michael James Wong in the See Also section.

What do you think?

When thinking about the brands and people highlighted here, can you spot any similarities? Despite operating across different wellness categories, what are some of the themes linking them or their success?

Do any of the examples inspire you? If so, why? If not, can you think of any other leading wellness brands or people that do?

Use the Comments sections below to share your thoughts.

References

[1] Natural Cosmetics Market