The Biggest Wellness Trends of 2024 (So Far)

We all want to be well, feel well, or at least not feel bad. We generally know how to do it: eat nutritious food, exercise, get enough sleep, manage stress, and take care of our relationships.

But eating leafy greens, going for walks, and keeping a journal aren’t nearly as exciting. New trends that promise to revolutionize our health and well-being are more intriguing. Often, these trends are old ideas wrapped in shiny new packaging (e.g., detoxing). Sometimes, they’re genuine breakthroughs whose implications may not yet be fully understood (e.g., microbiome testing).

It can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to wellness. Here are some of the biggest health and wellness trends of 2024 (so far) and what to do about them.

Magnesium

Earlier this year, magnesium became a buzzword on TikTok in the wellness space. Content creators claimed that taking magnesium supplements had helped them reduce their feelings of anxiety. The mineral is essential for the body to function, and research suggests it can help inhibit stress and have an overall calming effect.

But more research is needed to fully understand its effects. While there is likely no harm in increasing the amount of magnesium in your diet (foods such as salmon, avocado and legumes are good sources), check with a doctor before taking it as a supplement, and don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t help. “In our research, as with any other intervention, it didn’t work for everyone,” one researcher told The Guardian.

Raw milk

Another trending topic that emerged from the depths of social media this year was raw milk, or milk that has not been pasteurized. Proponents of the practice claimed that raw milk has more vitamins and minerals than pasteurized milk, something the CDC denies.

Demand has grown so much in the US that more than two dozen states have legalized the sale of raw milk. But food safety experts are “absolutely horrified” by the trend, Dr Marion Nestle, professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, told the Guardian in January. “The likelihood of getting sick from raw milk is greater than the likelihood of getting sick from pasteurized milk,” she said.

Microbiome analysis kits for home use

Maybe your Instagram feed, like mine, has recently been flooded with ads for at-home microbiome testing kits. Many of the companies selling these kits (which cost between $120 and $400) claim that by analyzing a customer’s stool sample, they can offer personalized dietary recommendations that will help manage conditions like anxiety, joint pain, and low energy.

Experts agree that the gut microbiome is important for human health, but many also agree that it is not yet possible to draw meaningful conclusions from microbiome data and that most of these companies cannot deliver on the big promises they make. As one researcher told the Guardian, these tests are currently a useful diagnostic tool for a “limited number of diseases”, such as Crohn’s disease and type 2 diabetes, but using them to make dietary recommendations is “extremely difficult”.

Aura Points

On TikTok, users have been calculating the strength of their auras (a nebulous term describing a person’s energy and charisma, or “rizz,” to use contemporary parlance) using “aura points.” As reporter Alaina Demopoulos explained in July, “gaining aura points is usually achieved by acting carefree and nonchalant yet self-assured,” while one loses aura points by being cowardly and insecure.

The phenomenon is largely a joke, but philosophers trace its origins back to Aristotle’s virtue ethics. “It also seems to be a kind of strange contemporary code of honor,” said philosopher Julian Baggini. So before you cut someone off in traffic or share a secret someone confided in you, think: Can you afford to lose the aura points?

Psychedelics for mental health

The potential of psychedelics for mental health is not a new trend, but rather a continuation of an existing trend. Research into how drugs like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin can improve mental health continues to grow and evolve. Companies and researchers are focusing on topics like the possibility of patients using psychedelics without experiencing a trip to treat depression, and the possibility of psilocybin helping terminally ill cancer patients come to terms with death.

It’s not all plain sailing, though. This summer, the FDA rejected MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD. But as Ross Ellenhorn and Dimitri Mugianis, founders of the Cardea psychedelic program, wrote in the Guardian in July, thinking of psychedelics as drugs may not be helpful. “It is a means of accessing an experience; it is not a medicine,” they wrote.

Core of underconsumption

Is it about “consuming less” or just living normally? Several TikTok creators have begun to push back against the culture of buying and flaunting material goods, and have instead embraced the “core of underconsumption.” While other “cores” are generally associated with certain aesthetics and the acquisition of certain clothes or other products, this trend encourages reuse, recycling, and reducing waste.

Critics point out that this is not unusual for most people. “A lot of people are responding[to this trend]by saying that this is what it’s like to be working class,” Georgina Johnson, an editor and environmentalist, told the Guardian in August. It can still be a positive message, she says. “It’s just about how it’s contextualised and who’s given visibility around it.”

Skin care for children

The skincare market is booming, and some reports say the rise is due in part to the Alpha generation — those born between 2010 and 2024. This year, parents and dermatologists reported that children as young as nine were adopting complex, multi-step skincare regimens and using their holiday wish lists to ask for eye creams and anti-aging serums. Part of this can be attributed to the experimentation and identity formation that are a normal part of tween and teen development.

Experts warn that fear of ageing and setting unrealistic beauty standards can be damaging to children’s mental health, not to mention the risks to their skin. “Most pre-teens have few or no skin problems, so using these products can cause irritation and often lead to skin conditions such as periorificial dermatitis,” Dr Shreya Andric, a dermatologist, told the Guardian.

Digital detox

While smartphones have become a staple of modern life, more and more people and organizations are reexamining their relationship with them. Some people are undertaking digital detoxes or swapping their smartphones for “dumb phones” — old-school flip phones with no email or distracting apps. In the U.S., some schools are banning smartphones and seeing tremendous results.

Related: What happens when a school bans smartphones? A total transformation

There is still some debate about how harmful our phones are to us, but many people want to use them less, or at least more consciously. Earlier this year, The Guardian launched the Reclaim Your Brain newsletter to help people spend less time on their phones. More than 100,000 readers signed up in less than three months. In a survey in March, subscribers said they reduced their overall screen time by 40%. “I’m reading more books, doing more housework and sleeping better,” said one respondent.

Voluntary celibacy or being “boy-sober”

You may not have heard of the term “boysober,” but you’ve probably encountered its nonsexist synonym: celibacy. In February, one woman told the New York Times it was “this year’s hottest mental health trend.” A few months later, actress Julia Fox revealed she had been celibate for more than two years. In the spring, the dating app Bumble issued an apology after its anti-celibacy ad campaign received widespread backlash. This movement — mostly by straight women, but not exclusively — comes amid a broader purported “sex recession.” Some of this disinterest in sex has been attributed to dating-app fatigue. Others see it as a reimagining of sexual politics and dynamics.

Egg freezing

Fertility clinics in the United States and the United Kingdom have seen a huge increase in the number of patients freezing their eggs. In the United States, this rise is due in part to an increase in the number of employers offering fertility treatment benefits that cover the enormous costs of the procedure. These services can offer a sense of freedom and security, a way for those who use them to make decisions about their lives without feeling pressured by their “biological clocks.”

Related: You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to buy sperm.

However, egg freezing is no guarantee, one fertility clinic doctor told the Guardian: for women over 35 who can retrieve 20 eggs, the chance of pregnancy is 50%. For those with five eggs, it is 6%. Finding sperm for the eggs presents its own challenges. And even if all goes well, social and professional support for parents is often lacking.