The interactive report pulled together 240 hours of in-app, private text and voice notes about what Gen Next spends, what (and who) they trust, and which products start to feel like a scam.

NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Cafeteria, the only consumer intelligence platform built on continuous, private conversations with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, has published its Next Gen Spenders: Health + Wellness Report.

The interactive report pulled together 240 hours of in-app, private text and voice notes with 1,400+ Gen Z and Gen Alpha participants. They told us how they spend, what they trust, and which products start to feel like a scam in the wellness category. The comprehensive report, featuring actual voice notes, includes insights on brands they are buying, AI vs. doctors, red light therapy and more.

Here are a few highlights from the report:

¹ Gen Z is skeptical of GLP-1s and Peptides. Many are philosophically opposed.

When Cafeteria asked if they are planning to include GLP-1s in their health plan, they overwhelmingly passed. 72% said no. While previous surveys of GLP-1-curious adults showed rising interest through 2024-2025, Cafeteria's general-population data signals disillusionment in 2026. Jump to this section →

The core objections aren't only about safety. Young people are asking:

→ Is it fair to create shortages and price increases for a drug originally developed for diabetes?

→ Are GLP-1s bringing back extreme Y2K-era beauty standards?

"Big no from me. I think it's really dangerous, and it's literally started the skinny 2000s epidemic, which is so dangerous to young girls…I just worry about the implications on our society that people are using drugs to look like skeletons."

— [c] Female / 20 / Los Angeles, CA

Additionally, 85% of Gen Z females reject peptides. They negatively associate the injections with frat-boy steroid users and looksmaxxers. Jump to this section →

[2] Lululemon is peak "wellness brand" for Gen Z, but they spend elsewhere

When asked what brands are synonymous with health & wellness, athleisure brands accounted for 36% of all brand mentions - ahead of all other categories, including Vitamins, Health Food, and Gyms. Top named brands were: Lululemon, Alo, Nike, CeraVe, and Whole Foods. Jump to this section →

Yet given a $300 wellness budget, they would allocate up to 15% toward activewear.

Significance for retail: Athleisure has the youth's mindshare, but is losing walletshare. Jump to this section →

"Maybe $50 on supplements or energy drinks or like creatine if I want to try. $150 on like skincare, haircare, and then the last $100 on like hair removal."

— [c] Female / 18 / Livingston, NJ

[3] Young consumers say wellness marketing is starting to sound like a scam.

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are spending on wellness, but they are increasingly skeptical of vague claims, paid creators, AI-sounding ads, and shortcut messaging. Nearly 1 in 3 females flag coupon codes and affiliate links as instant disqualifiers, about 2x the male rate.

Jump to this section →

Overall, Gen Next distrusts wellness claims that feel too perfect, too fast, or too sure of themselves. They do, however, reward restraint (what the product cannot do, what proof exists, and what the customer still has to bring to the table).

"what makes a product believable is not making any wild statements like 'take this pill and you'll lose fat in 30 days' i want something that'll go alongside my efforts rather than it do all the effort"

— [c] Male / 26 / Humble, TX

[4] Wearables are shaping their decisions & identity

Over 57% of Gen Next has a wearable on their wrist or on their wishlist. When it comes to data, steps and heart rate are the most tracked by Gen Next. 1 in 7 also name sleep. They love that the data helps make sense of their patterns and mood, but it also sets the dial for lifestyle and behavior. Jump to this section →

"I train a lot and what really matters is how well my body is recovering and whether I'm ready to push hard again, so things like heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and sleep consistency would be the most useful since they give a better picture of how my body is adapting over time, and I'd use that more to adjust intensity and avoid overtraining rather than obsessing over numbers." — [c] Male / 20 / Bloomington, IN

Here's how Gen Z maps the top wearables to personality and identity:

• Apple Watch → life integration
• Oura → fashionable
• Whoop → athletic identity
• Garmin → the serious runner watch
• Fitbit → entry point

[5] Skin is everything

For Gen Z, skin has become the body's wellness receipt.

More than generations before them, young consumers value healthy, clear skin for more than appearances. To them, it is a reflection of sleep, stress, diet, hydration, and self-care.

When asked for the most noticeable difference between when they are taking care of themselves versus when they are not:

• 1 in 4 females and non-binary respondents name skin as the body's most visible feedback loop.
• 15% of males also name skin as a diagnostic of overall health.

"The most noticeable difference, when I'm taking care of myself or not, is probably my skin. You can tell if I've been eating good or how my health is based on how dull my skin looks, I guess. Or if I'm getting acne, then I know I'm not eating good."

— [c] Female / 19 / Lynnwood, WA

Read the full report → 

About Cafeteria

[cafeteria] is the definitive intelligence platform for understanding young consumers and the largest private network of Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the US. [cafeteria] users share text and voice responses about the brands, products, habits, and cultural moments shaping their lives, and earn for their time. Those conversations give brands a direct connection into how the next generation thinks, feels, and behaves, helping teams make better decisions across product, marketing, and growth.

[cafeteria] is co-founded by Leeann Sheely (Chief Design Officer), Mark Silverstein (Chief Business Officer) and Rishi Malhotra (CEO). The team previously led teams at JioSaavn, Spotify, Luminary, and Huffington Post.

[cafeteria] is backed by premier consumer, media, technology, and AI investors including Collaborative Fund, Imaginary Ventures, Bertelsmann, Marquee Ventures, Listen Ventures, Thayer Investment Partners, and music executive Guy Oseary -- manager of U2, Madonna, and founder of Sound Ventures.

Media Contact

Teresa Bigelow, [cafeteria], 1 6462230402, teresa@revelsociety.com

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SOURCE Cafeteria