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Metabolic health, brain food, and fibre among Holland & Barrett’s top wellness trends for 2025

UK health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett has published its top wellness trends for 2025, including metabolism support, brain food, fibre, fertility, and functional tea.

In 2024, life expectancy and longevity have taken centre stage, with Gen Z clearly demonstrating on social media platforms like TikTok that they are interested in taking preventative measures to ensure they remain healthy into old age.

Reflecting this, searches for magnesium glycinate were up on H&B.com by 180%, while searches for turmeric supplements resulted in one product being sold every second by the retailer, a jump of 67% compared to 2023.

Personalised solutions define the space

April Preston, the retailer’s product director, said that the company’s more than 150 years of expertise in the health and wellness space gives its fourth annual report, the Wellness Trends Report, a deeper context to its forecast for what products will be the most important in the year ahead.

“Our team of scientists, nutritionists, forecasters and innovators scour the globe to find the latest trends allowing us to develop market leading products, services, diagnostics, and personalised solutions that broaden our customer’s health horizons,” said Preston.

Holland & Barrett experts believe that all of this is likely to culminate in products and trends that combine nutrition, movement and mental wellbeing, helping to define what health and wellness will be about in 2025.

Metabolism, brain food, and tea

While the conventional view of metabolism has focused on whether it was ‘fast’ or ‘slow’, in 2025 that notion will be redefined to more accurately reflect the complexities of metabolic health, covering everything from energy levels to fighting disease and skin appearance.

That means that, “in 2025 maintaining, ‘resetting’, or ‘retraining’ metabolism for a longer, healthier life will be on the trend,” the Holland & Barrett report highlights.

Next year is also likely to see a bigger emphasis on brain foods, with technology, supplements, and fortified foods likely to play a significant part in helping this area shine.

As one in three people in the UK are likely to develop dementia, consumers are making brain health more of a priority by focusing on preventative measures. In line with this, Holland & Barrett is expecting to see a jump in demand for brain-healthy ingredients like omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, choline, and nootropics.

Tea is also expected to be reimagined, as an increasing number of younger consumers make the switch to fortified drinks with specific health benefits. According to Holland & Barrett, this is contributing to annual growth of 6.1% for the functional food and beverage market, with a forecast value of $12.2 billion by 2032.

Gen Z consumers are driving this growth, and when it comes to teas, consumers are looking for innovative flavours with ingredients that provide science-backed health-promoting benefits.

Spotlight on the right fibre mix and fertility

While it is common knowledge that fruit and veg are the best source of fibre, statistics from the Global Burden of Disease Study show that most people eat less than two-thirds of the recommended daily target.

Brands are trying to help meet this shortfall by promoting high-fibre products with a more enticing format that includes shakes, bars and drinks such as fibre-infused water – the latter proving to be a popular recent addition to retail shelves.

Meanwhile, with fertility rates dropping worldwide and the average age of expectant mothers rising in most developed countries, it is not surprising that there is a renewed emphasis on female fertility.

To answer this, Holland & Barrett is expecting to see a spike in brands targeting women with products containing choline, a water-soluble vitamin that is supports foetal brain development, and one that only 11% of women in the EU meet current guidelines.