Chill Generation

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility… But, do we?

tranquility noun: quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.

Antonyms for calm: care, concern, perturbation, strain, stress, tenseness, tension

Americans are among the most stressed-out populations globally, in fact over 20% higher than the rest of the world.

A report found that one-third of teens say that stress caused them to lie awake. American Psychological Association

These high numbers have an immense effect on the health and well-being of the American population; 60-90% of doctor visits in the US are for stress-related conditions (Harvard Business Review).

Stress, It’s in Every Body

Stress takes on many forms in the body, for everybody. This diagram illustrates how, below will connect product concepts to address these concerns.

See more on the correlation of stress and sleep to learn how you can incorporate your brand into a nightly routine for a more beautiful tomorrow.

De-Puffing Eye Mask Formulation

De-Puff + Brighten Eye Cream Formulation

Additionally, see our Oral Care Trends which contains ingredients to combat dry mouth.

Bliss Up, Stress Down

Given the high level of stress carried by Americans, there is no surprise to see an influx of mobile apps, like Calm to help whenever and wherever. In fact, it takes 60 seconds to course correct in moments of stress and break out of flight-or-fight, see below for practices to quickly reduce stress. It is equally important to engage in long-term stress relief through activities that boost your mood or relieve tensions. For some that is:

Working off that angst through running, yoga or the gym

See Active Concepts

Melting the worries away with a good book and warm bath

Learn about the Bath Renaissance

Self-care through spa treatments, salon visits or at-home pampering

See Concepts for Self-Care

Stress Relief CBD Moisturizer Formulation

Practicing Complementary and Alternative Medicine, such as massage, meditation and the incorporation of products containing ,adaptogens, and crystals

Holistic Healing or Hocus Pocus?

A Holistic Approach to Health and Wellness is to take part in practicing overall physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being. The old Norwegian have practice this since the late 19^th century through what they call Hygge, meaning well-being and translating to a moment in your daily routine you carve out for yourself to elicit relaxing, soothing, warming, caring, and pampering for comfort.

Millennial and Gen-Z both put a higher focus on Holistic Wellness, with 53% of millennials saying health and wellness is most important to them, and 72% of Gen-Zers say managing stress and mental health is their most important health and wellness concern.

Submit your information to download the whitepaper for Millennial and Gen Z Influences and Motivators

But how do entire generations move away from pharmaceuticals and “dealing with it” to igniting a Global Wellness industry worth $4.2 trillion?

The key to indulging in this self-care experience is mindfulness, reflection, and acceptance resulting in more happiness, confidence, fulfillment, and awareness. This includes everything they eat, do, consume, spend money on and which aligns with their values.

Part of not feeling stressed is feeling good physically, a larger part of it is feeling good mentally. In this regard, brands are expected to help consumers in the pursuit of eco-consciousness. Claims such as cruelty-free, vegan, and sustainability are practically a must-have. See more about how you can incorporate those drivers.

These formulations features both physical and emotional feel-good attributes to get you started:

Soothing Aloe-Turmeric Lotion Bar

It’s not all Common Sense

How we feel or perceive to feel has a lot to do with our senses. The awareness we have of our physical and mental reactions can cause negative thoughts and behaviors. For instance, of those reporting having stress, 36% also reported feeling nervous or anxious, and 35% also reported feeling irritability or anger. With that, two-thirds of U.S. workers say they engage in drinking or crying regularly in order to deal with stress.

Awareness when these physical and emotional feelings come up, is creating adoption of positive behaviors for immediate course correction such as topical oils and balms, pressure therapy especially on the face and hands, and aromatics which can be incorporated into breathing exercises. All which are readily accessible and effective quickly. Think of roll-on and stick formulations for application to pressure points.

Netflix and Chill-Out with the Exorbitance

At a time when you can stream a documentary on just about anything, and information overload is the norm, it is fitting that a series on bringing joy and removing clutter quickly became the #1 watched series on Netflix. Excess=Stress, this mentality is not only applied to the physical products cluttering one’s bathroom and make-up bags, but the ingredient lists of those products as well. The thought is to pare down as a way to feel less overwhelmed, the Swedish actually have a word for this way of life, known as “Lagom” meaning an overarching approach to life, not too much, not too little, just right. Here are two ways to channel Lagom in your formulation inspiration:

1. What is the point of having so many products when one multi-purpose product will do the trick? Unless, it has super cute packaging and a fun texture, because Instagram, hello. K-Beauty anyone?

2. Stressing out about the safety of the ingredients put in your products is a major concern for the US population, over 50% of consumers expect 10 or fewer ingredients in skin and hair care products. What’s more is that they want those ingredients to be recognizable. See how to combat this “research generation” by visiting our section on Clean Beauty where we share formulations that fit these criteria.