Anxiety, depression, insomnia: the French have low morale. To the delight of anti-stress product sellers, who promise anxious people a little serenity thanks to their more or less cheap products. With the health crisis, the sales of these wellness merchants have skyrocketed in the last two years.
And it is not the founder of Morphée who will say otherwise. With its little box offering sophrology and meditation sessions to help insomniacs fall asleep, the Aix-based startup is a hit on the shelves of Nature & Découvertes, where it rubs shoulders, on the shelves of the brand, with a panoply of wellness products (essential oil diffusers, connected relaxation bands, phototherapy lamps, etc.). In the space of a year, its sales have thus doubled, reaching 12 million euros in 2021.
And it is not the only one to line up record figures. On the other hand, the food supplements sector is also registering good results, with a market that reaches 2,300 million euros, 6.3% more than last year. And as expected, products to combat stress, mood disorders and insomnia are on the podium of the most consumed food supplements.
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On the bookstore side, it is in the personal development section where anxious people gather to take care of their moods. According to data from the market research company GfK, many are walking down the aisle looking for a practical solution. In 2021, the segment recorded almost 6 million copies sold. Among the stars of the department, essential as The Four Toltec Agreements (Youth), by Miguel Ruiz, or The key to your energy (Albin Michel), by Natacha Calestrémé, but also newcomers, such asAntistress, the simple method to treat anxiety and depression (Marabout, 2022, 224 pages, 18.90 euros), by the psychiatrist David Gourion.
Even more surprisingly, the card boxes, inspired by the tarot but declined in the fashion of personal development, have been enormously successful, says Charlène Guinoiseau-Ferré, editorial director of Jouvence, a house specializing in wellness books.
And the catalog of items for use by anxious people does not stop there. All sectors are converting to this wave of well-being products, including the large food distribution chains (Monoprix, Franprix, etc.) that sell relaxing drinks and infusions with CBD, until then the prerogative of specialized stores, or of tour operators that they offer anti-stress retreats, offering yoga and meditation in all regional flavors (surfing and yoga in Biscarrosse, mountain therapy retreat in Haute-Savoie, etc.).
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