Pharma Wants In

Uh, have you taken a trip down the cold & flu aisle lately? Plus: the latest wellness industry news and trends

Some news: I spoke with the Financial Times about “meno-preneurs,” i.e. entrepreneurs getting in on the menopause market. I’m glad there's finally more awareness, but the risk is that this menopausal movement becomes just another way to encourage women to buy products & services. As I explain,  “It’s not feminism if you’re selling them bunk.”

The menopause makeover — what to make of a ‘gold rush’ of new products

I’m also on several more podcasts to discuss my book The Gospel of Wellness, including the brilliant fair fashion campaigner Venetia La Mann’s All The Small Things and Intelligence Squared. Give a listen!

When A Cough Syrup Isn’t Just A Cough Syrup

I was sick with the flu last week, which means I was busy hugging a tissue box and trying every flu remedy available. I was also more attuned to cough and cold medication advertising, which is why this Robitussin ad in the February issue of ELLE magazine caught my attention:

Apart from the fact that this bottle looks like it's suffering from a Biblical plague, I was surprised at the iconic brand’s wellness makeover. (My husband says it looks like a druidic god, with ivy arms and grape fingers, wearing honey pants.) Robitussin's new Naturals+ collection sports health buzzwords like “immune health,” and “non-GMO,” alongside vague claims like “powered by nature” (whatever that means.) 

This isn’t the dark purple sludge I remember downing as a kid. 

Robitussin, like many other brands, is capitalizing on the wellness bonanza. GSK Consumer Healthcare is trying to rebrand its clinical-seeming products into something a little more palpable for the green juice-gulping generation. Robitussin now even has its own line of gummy supplements. 

But I was curious: are other drugstore brands jumping on the wellness bandwagon? And what other categories are they targeting? Let’s take a look:

Metamucil now sells prebiotic gummy supplements to “nourish the good bacteria in your gut.” How one can measure or define “nourish” is beyond me, but such an ambiguous term keeps a wellness brand out of legal trouble.

Better yet, Metamucil got in on the “beauty from within” skin supplement trend with a collagen-infused fiber powder. That’s right — now you can poop and glow! I remember when Metamucil was but a mere laxative. Now it’s becoming a beauty influencer.

Of course, I just love the kicker, which is listed at the very bottom of these product pages: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” 

In other words: we imply results, but we refuse to actually guarantee them. 

OK, but what about my all-time favorite VapoRub? They’re just a eucalyptus oil rub. Surely there’s nothing for them to change?