Disruption has shifted from episodic to permanent. The conditions that once enabled long-term predictability in global business — including health and nutraceuticals — no longer exist, according to global industry commentators, Gillian Fish and Rick Polito, who authored the Trends 2026 piece published this week.
In response to this new reality, Gillian Fish, founder and CEO of The 6AM Agency, and Rick Polito, formerly with Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ), have released the Trends 2026 Report: Wellbeing and Nutraceuticals.
This strategic overview is designed to serve as a thought starter for industry leaders as we welcome 2026 – a decade defined by volatility, acceleration, and transformation.
Geopolitical instability, trade fragmentation, tariff uncertainty, regulatory divergence and rapid technological acceleration — most notably the AI revolution now in full swing — are reshaping global operating environments at unprecedented speed.
For the nutraceuticals and well-being sector, this volatility is further amplified by scientific progress advancing at scale, heightened scrutiny of health claims, increasingly complex global compliance requirements and the need to navigate diverse cultural sensitivities across markets.
At the same time, healthcare systems worldwide are under mounting pressure. Chronic disease is emerging in ever younger demographics. Consumers are more informed, more sceptical and more emotionally driven than ever before — demanding greater evidence, transparency and meaning from the brands they trust and, ultimately, product efficacy.
“Disruption is no longer something that happens to the industry from time to time; it is the operating environment,” said Fish.
“The well-being and nutraceuticals sector sits at the intersection of science, trust, regulation and human need. Trends 2026 is designed to help leaders make sense of permanent disruption and respond with clarity, confidence and purpose.”
“It was a deep honour to invite Rick Polito, industry leader with more than a decade of knowledge and insight to join me in compiling this report.”
Rather than offering predictions, the report frames trends as signals, early indicators of where culture, consumers and commerce are converging.
“This report is not about forecasting a single future,” said Rick Polito. “It is about helping leaders recognise the signals that matter most, understand their implications and make smarter, more resilient decisions in an increasingly complex global health landscape.”
About the report: 20 trends shaping 2026 and beyond
The Trends 2026 Report outlines 20 critical macro and micro trends that nutraceutical business owners, brand leaders and supply chain stakeholders should keep firmly in view as they plan for the year ahead and beyond.
These include
• ubiquitous AI and responsible use
• trust as the most valuable commodity
• connecting to consumers in the age of rage
• enter the impatience economy
• consumer empowerment and the advent of the "health CEO"
• heightened regulatory and claims scrutiny globally
• rising focus on mitochondrial function, endothelial health, kidney health and the eye–brain axis
• increasing importance of culturally sensitive health positioning
• shifts in consumer trust, emotional decision making and demand for evidence-based well-being
• ingredient updates.