Biohacking is a commercialized sub-segment of longevity, which aims to slow aging and lower our biological age.
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Longevity seems to have become the new buzzword of the wellness industry. Where wellness sells the promise of feeling good in the moment thanks to self-care and balance, longevity reframes the value proposition entirely: it becomes about feeling good now and longer. This shift is about time, with the emphasis moving from immediate wellbeing to long-term biological performance. Brands are increasingly positioning today’s routines, habits and products as investments in a healthier future self. In doing so, they are capturing consumers earlier—and keeping them engaged for longer.
This commercial momentum is unfolding within an already booming wellness economy. Simone Gibertoni, CEO of skincare group Clinique La Prairie, recently shared that: “The global wellness economy has ballooned to more than $6tn in value and, within that, the longevity-focused market is forecast to reach around $610bn by 2026.”
Longevity is reframing how wellness is perceived, consumed and commercialized, shifting messaging from “anti-aging” and reactive care to preventive self-care and optimization. In the past two years, an array of brands have turned, and are increasingly turning, to longevity as a way to unlock new growth. From beauty to sports and hospitality, many categories are tapping into this positioning, driving a second wave of growth within the wellness industry.
“Longevity sits within wellness, rather than the other way around,” said Valerie Thomas, wellness hospitality expert and consultant. “But what we’re seeing now is a wide spectrum—from highly commercial, luxury-driven offerings to something much more fundamental and accessible.”
Given the wide range of factors influencing longevity, it is no surprise many categories and industries are tapping into this growth opportunity. “We’re seeing hospitality, residential, and wellness come together much more strongly,” Thomas explained. “In some cases, these are entire communities built around longevity principles, often with a medical or diagnostic component integrated into the experience.”
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Another defining element of longevity and how it is being commercialized is through biohacking, which essentially promises individuals to lower their biological age and increase healthspan and lifespan thanks to a series of metrics, monitored by wearable devices and a series of tests becoming more accessible. The global biohacking market size (which includes wearable devices, testing kits, nootropics and supplements mainly) was estimated at $33 billion in 2025, and expected to grow by 17% until 2031. The U.S. is the leading market, with demand for self-driven performance optimization growing every year.
Recovery trackers like WHOOP and popular smart rings such as Oura lead the biohacking movement, although their positioning is mainly on optimizing our healthspan across a series of metrics such as sleep or stress, which are lifestyle elements that are widely known to impact our overall health. More recently, other sub-segments have emerged and are also focusing on optimizing longevity. Hot and cold therapies with concepts like Othership are gaining momentum globally, and so are genetic testing solutions like Function Health, which monitors early indicators of hundreds of diseases and gives personalized recommendations to improve one’s health.
The money flowing into startups focused on preventive health and quasi-medical wellness indicates the interest and preoccupation for this topic, both from investors and consumers. But, just like with many products positioned around wellness—such as the overall supplement category— they raise a question around reliability and credibility, and the emergence of products and services that might not truly be needed. “There’s a risk that we over-commercialize something that is, at its essence, very simple,” Thomas pointed out. “If you look at Blue Zones, there’s no biohacking; their lifestyle itself is the ‘hack’: community, purpose, movement, and low overstimulation.”
Ultimately, longevity will represent more than a marketing evolution: it is a shift in how wellness is approached and monetized. In moving the focus from reaction to prevention, with long-term outcomes prioritized over short-term results, consumer engagement is likely to deepen.
By going after this opportunity, occasional consumption is not what brands are after, and the implications are significant: the consumer journey will extend, with interaction and frequency increasing to to optimize future wellness. What is interesting is that longevity (unlike wellness) puts brands at the intersection of lifestyle and healthcare, which is one of the most commercially attractive spaces today.
But as longevity becomes an increasingly lucrative opportunity, whether or not its true meaning will translate into accessible, trustworthy and credible solutions and offerings is still unclear. The risk is that just like with the wellness opportunity, a considerable share of market players turn longevity into a wellness offering that is more exclusive and expensive.
As Thomas reiterated, “the real opportunity is to build systems and solutions that genuinely support how people live—not just new ways to sell them well-being.” How brands navigate that balance remains to be seen.
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