When wellness marketing gets ahead of the evidence
How many times have you seen an ad or influencer post for “I cured my … with these three things” paired with a link to buy this, that or the other thing? The health and wellness industry has a global revenue estimate in the trillions per year. That is unfathomable.
How any times have you spent $20 here, $40 there and $79.99 on products that are meant to revolutionize your health care journey? But, ultimately do not move the needle very far.
About 6 months ago, everyone was marketing and selling Creatine. Then it was collagen. Both have been around for ages, yet a viral marketing technique took off and every household had to have both to function optimally.
Now, it is not to say that you would or would not benefit from either, but marketing trends did a really great job at targeting vulnerable populations.
Case in point: collagen for stretch marks post pregnancy.
Post-partum is already a vulnerable time, and now new-moms are being marketed ‘the magic skin fixer’ that is collagen. Take collagen daily, lose your stretch marks and loose skin post-pregnancy. Except, the research behind collagen on its own for these realities is pretty poor. Yes, collagen is supportive for skin health and elasticity. Maybe it will change the look of your skin by 10% (that is just an assumption I am making)? Or maybe it won’t do anything noticeable, you will continue buying it because they say it takes 3-6 months and after 6 months you give up on your subscription.
This is not even discussing the lack of regulation around the ingredients in these products.
Do I have a magic product for looser skin post-pregnancy, no. Is there great research out there discussing multiple supportive options? Also, no.
At the end of the day, we can all fall in the trap of beautiful marketing ads that make us feel seen and heard. But it is always important to ask the question about whether or not these marketing claims are backed by anything, or are we falling prey to a snake-oil salesman.
-Dr Hall, ND