The youth of today are serious about combating health and wellness challenges at an early age: Manish Chowdhary, WOW Life Science

Google data suggests that the highest searched volumes are coming from health and wellness products. Consumers explore products to address their problems sooner rather than later and have alternatives. There are tonnes of influencers who are now influencing so many other consumers towards the same, and therefore we are seeing this category do really well.

Shahid Akhter
  • Updated On Jan 5, 2023 at 06:14 AM IST
Read by: 100 Industry Professionals
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Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld, spoke to Manish Chowdhary, Co-founder, WOW Skin Science and WOW Life Science, to learn about current developments in the health and wellness industry.

Health and Wellness Market
Health and wellness are a $1.5 trillion business globally and are growing rapidly. Google's data analytics for 2021 are enough to indicate what an exciting category it is. Today, we thrive in a digital era where consumers turn to social media as their go-to advisors. Another interesting thing that has emerged today is how concerned the youths are to look good and feel good. They are serious about combating health challenges at an early age that could otherwise arise in their later years. This is a significant trend that has changed the industry overnight, be it the skin or wellness industries. We truly believe one needs to be amazed from within. As a brand, we are also witnessing many innovations being adopted in Indian industries as well, and the trend will continue.

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Health and Wellness: Emerging Trends
We believe, and there is data to support this, that wellness is one of the fastest-growing industries in this country. As shared earlier, Google data also suggests that the highest searched volumes are coming from health and wellness products. As I previously mentioned, young Indians desire to feel and look good at a young age. As a result, consumers explore products to address their problems sooner rather than later and have alternatives. We continue to be extremely bullish on this sector, although it’s very early. There's a revolution in this country to look good because you're under social media pressure today. There are tonnes of influencers who are now influencing so many other consumers towards the same, and therefore we are seeing this category do really well. Twenty years ago, family members would only look for survival. However, given how the economy has evolved, younger Indians are now spending money on products that make them look and feel good earlier in life, which is very encouraging for companies like us who are innovating to bring the best to consumers.


WOW Life Science: Innovations
All our products are driven by innovation and backed by nature. We can say quite confidently that we were among the first few brands in the Indian market to be open about the ingredients that go into our products. We created a competitive edge by developing products without any harmful additives like silicone, sulphates, mineral oil, parabens, and artificial fragrances. We have always strived to stay ahead by trying to understand the wants and challenges of our consumers as the first step in innovation planning. This also made us the pioneers in introducing the affordable shampoos that are free of sulphates. We also re-introduced and re-established onion as a potent ingredient in promoting hair growth, which is well known from time immemorial as a potent ingredient in treating hair challenges.

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Under WOW life science, we introduced apple cider vinegar after taking a lot of inspiration from the Western market. We personally flew down to the US 8–9 times to meet scientists and formulators to find a way to brew the best apple cider vinegar drink. The product proved to be our hero product and received overwhelming love from consumers, pushing us to bring forth an entire category of skincare and haircare products. We launched Omega 3 capsules with the right EPA and DHA, which breaks technological barriers with other supplement manufacturers in this country. We are always looking at how we can continue to solve consumer problems and also bring differentiators to the table.

Health & Wellness: Future
I think the next five years are going to be one of the most interesting phases. It's an exciting time to be a consumer in this country, with tonnes of innovation coming at a rapid pace and formats becoming more convenient, desirable, and enjoyable to them. I would love to say that it’s great being under pressure to innovate while focusing on solving an Indian consumer’s problem, making things easier, delightful and also affordable for them.

However, this will be a year of consolidation, trials, and consumer experimentation, with a clear focus on building something large and sustainable over the next few decades. So, you'll see a lot of new formats emerge to make products quicker, faster, and easier to use. Also, I believe that brand building will revolve around building a lot more trust with consumers and helping them understand how our products stand out from the rest in the market. However, the next five years are going to be the best time for Indian consumers.







  • Published On Jan 5, 2023 at 06:14 AM IST
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