Smarter watch, smarter choices

Meet Julian. He tracks his sleep, logs his micronutrients, and consults AI tools for advice on which supplements to try next. He’s in his early 30s, lives in a major European city, and sees prevention less as a routine, and more as a system to optimize.

Julian isn’t a doctor or a scientist. But he behaves like one. He reads scientific health publications, follows specialist influencers, and is willing to pay for personalized, precision-based self-care. For him, prevention is personal, data-driven, and digital-first. He still buys supplements and books the occasional physical check-up. But more often, he’s fine-tuning his health via apps, wearables, and subscription services that promise to extend his health span, not just his lifespan.

He’s not alone. Across markets, a growing number of consumers are adopting similar habits, especially younger and higher-income groups. According to Simon-Kucher’s latest Better Health Report¹, 81% of 18–28-year-olds now use AI tools to inform their preventive health decisions, and 47% of consumers overall use a combination of digital and non-digital products as part of their self-care routines.

Julian’s mindset reflects a broader shift in how a generation raised on technology approaches health: with curiosity, confidence, and control. In this environment, prevention becomes a space not just for products, but for innovation in the self-care space to thrive.

Inside the European prevention mindset

Simon-Kucher’s Better Health Report 2025, developed with the Association of the European Self-Care Industry, highlights three distinct consumer mindsets shaping prevention today. Some, like Luca, remain disengaged, treating prevention as a distant concern. Others, like Sabine, take a proactive but traditional approach, guided by routine and professional advice. And then there are consumers like Julian, digital-first adopters who treat prevention as a personal optimization project.

These archetypes reflect real patterns in how consumers think about prevention - from those who need stronger nudges to act, to those already blending digital tools into their everyday lives.

Bridging tech and tradition

Across markets and age groups, consumers aren’t abandoning traditional health routines. They’re layering digital tools on top of them: tracking steps while taking supplements, using AI to screen ingredient lists, consulting virtual coaches while staying loyal to familiar brands. What emerges is a hybrid model. 

Nearly half of consumers now use a mix of digital and non-digital tools in their approach to self-care – a trend led by younger, tech-driven groups. But even among these digital natives, trust is earned the old-fashioned way, through perceived efficacy, reliability, and routine. Healthcare professionals remain a key driver of trust, playing a decisive role not only in validating products but also in steering purchasing decisions.

Science, strategy, and shelf appeal

As prevention habits evolve, the self-care category is changing with them. What used to be a shelf of standalone products is becoming part of something broader: an ecosystem that blends efficacy, experience, and convenience, online and offline.

For consumer health brands, the challenge is less about chasing the next big innovation, and more about building relevance within a shifting system. One where health is increasingly viewed holistically. Staying relevant means moving beyond individual acute conditions or single diagnostic tests, and instead addressing the broader continuum of prevention, wellness, and long-term care.

That means portfolios that feel connected across digital and physical touchpoints. It means marketing strategies that recognize the difference between a Luca, a Sabine, and a Julian. And it means pricing that reflects product quality.

For brands, prevention isn’t just about products anymore. It’s about being a trusted partner in a system where efficacy, convenience, and digital fluency converge.