The strategy: With health and wellness the only category where plans to increase spending outweigh plans to cut back in 2026—per a December CivicScience survey—brands and retailers are testing whether a “wellness” framing can drive demand in an otherwise cautious consumer environment.

The examples: Younger consumers are turning away from “diet” soda in favor of “zero sugar” options, even though both are artificially sweetened, per Bloomberg. The shift reflects a broader mindset change, as consumers seeking to reduce their sugar consumption are also rejecting diet culture and calorie counting.

PepsiCo is leaning hard into that shift as it moves wellness from a niche positioning to a growth lever. The company recently acquired prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion, unveiled a prebiotic version of Pepsi cola, and is rapidly expanding its sugar-free beverages.

That push is part of a broader “better-for-you” strategy, defined by no artificial colors or flavors, simpler ingredient lists, and higher protein, fiber, and whole grains. The strategy is already showing up on store shelves. PepsiCo redesigned Lay’s packaging to highlight that the chips are “made with real potatoes” and is reformulating products to remove seed and corn oils and artificial coloring.

Zooming out: The wellness reframing is spreading beyond consumer packaged goods.

Walmart and Target are expanding their health and wellness assortments amid rising visibility of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which has boosted interest in clean-label skincare, supplements, organic foods, and wellness-adjacent products.

Ulta Beauty is taking an even more immersive approach.

• The retailer has rebranded its Wellness Shop as Wellness by Ulta Beauty, carving out dedicated 300- to 600-square-foot boutiques in three stores, with a fourth opening in April.
• The spaces feature updated branding, navigation, education, and dedicated wellness advisors, aligning with Ulta’s shift to four simplified wellness pillars—nutrition and supplements, intimate care, rest and reset, and essential routines—anchored by the tagline, “Find your feel-good.”
• “Wellness by Ulta Beauty is evolving from a category into an experience,” Laura Beres, VP of wellness at Ulta Beauty, told Chain Store Age. “Our first-ever wellness boutiques will deliver discovery, education, and trusted guidance together in a way that helps guests easily find what works best for them.”

Implications for retailers and brands: Roughly half of US adults have increased their focus on health and wellness since the pandemic, per KPMG—making wellness one of the few remaining levers brands can pull to encourage spending or at least blunt sharper pullbacks.

The reality is that “wellness” is broadly defined, and more about positioning rather than purity. The grocery aisle makes that clear; zero-sugar and prebiotic sodas, like many chips and salty snacks made without artificial colors or flavors, aren’t inherently “good for you.” Still, the presence of wellness cues—such as “simpler” ingredient lists, “cleaner” labels, or functional benefits—is often enough to drive consumers to add an item to their cart.

That creates a clear incentive for brands to be explicit about why a product is “better,” whether that’s fewer ingredients, added protein or fiber, or the removal of certain additives—while avoiding overreach. As more products lean into wellness language, shoppers may grow more skeptical, raising the bar for credibility and increasing the pressure on brands to offer real formulation changes, not just refreshed packaging.