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Social media influencers are reshaping India’s wellness culture, Ipsos finds
MUMBAI: Social media influencers are no longer just selling protein shakes and yoga mats. They are increasingly setting the tone for how Indians think about diet, fitness and mental health. A new Ipsos Market Essentials study shows that across generations, people are tuning into influencers for health advice, from smoothie recipes to sleep hacks.
Millennials top the charts, with 81 per cent saying they pick up health and dietary trends from influencers, closely followed by Gen X (76 per cent) and Gen Z (74 per cent). Even among boomers—traditionally thought sceptical of online chatter—a striking 57 per cent admitted to drawing wellness cues from influencer feeds.
“Influencers with credible qualifications and relevant expertise have cemented their position as trusted voices in health and wellness,” said MSU Global Ipsos senior vice president Allyson Leavy.
Yet the same platforms that dispense health wisdom are also fuelling unease. More than half of Gen Z (54 per cent) confessed to feeling anxious about the negative effects of social media on wellbeing. The worry is less pronounced among millennials (47 per cent), Gen X (37 per cent) and boomers (28 per cent). The tension underlines the double-edged nature of social media: a source of connection and information, but also of misinformation, comparison and stress.
India paints a paradoxical picture. A robust 71 per cent of Indians say they feel good about themselves mentally and physically—far higher than the global average, where only one in two citizens express such satisfaction. But optimism coexists with strain. Nearly half (47 per cent) of Indians report that stress is embedded in their daily lives, mirroring global patterns where 50 per cent of respondents feel the same.
Helplessness in the face of global crises is another unifying theme. 61 per cent of Indians, identical to the global average, admitted to anguish over challenges that feel too large to solve—whether climate change, geopolitical turmoil or economic uncertainty.
Asked about their biggest health concerns, Indians singled out “mental vitality”—a catch-all for sharper focus, resilience and energy. Some 59 per cent cited it as their top priority. The specific complaints: low energy (32 per cent), mental health struggles (29 per cent), fatigue (16 per cent) and insomnia (13 per cent).
Global citizens echoed these worries, with 57 per cent prioritising mental vitality. But fatigue (26 per cent) and insomnia (29 per cent) registered at higher levels globally than in India, suggesting that Indians, while stressed, may be faring marginally better on rest and recovery.
“The July edition of our tracker offers a deep dive into health and wellness by age group and consumer cohort—a goldmine for marketers tailoring their communication,” said Ipsos India group service line leader market strategy and understanding Archana Gupta. She added that previous editions explored leisure travel, examining motivations, preferred destinations and the very definition of leisure—whether adventure, luxury or immersive experiences.
Ipsos conducts the Market Essentials survey across 15 countries including India, the US, the UK, Germany, China, Japan and Brazil. Around 1,000 respondents are sampled in large markets, 500 in smaller ones. In India, the sample skews more urban, affluent and connected than the general population.
Results are presented as a “global country average” rather than a world total, since large parts of the global population remain outside the survey. Ipsos notes that its online polls carry a credibility interval of +/-3.5 percentage points.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
