The most popular wellness trends of 2018, according to Pinterest
We mined the food, beverage, health and self-care trends from Pinterest’s 2018 monthly reports. You’ll never guess which top-saved trends rose to the top.
![The most popular wellness trends of 2018, according to Pinterest The most popular wellness trends of 2018, according to Pinterest](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blte35740844dd84086/64ff1cfff8cb2a069e6ad36a/Untitled_20design74.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Pinterest seemed to combine the data analyzed for January and February of 2018, and we suspect that searches were heavily focused on helping pinners achieve their New Year’s resolution goals. Top searches included hot yoga and desk yoga, aromatherapy and self-care retreats. Natural personal care searches gained particular popularity. Searches for vitamin C serum were up a whopping 3,379 percent from the previous year—not surprising considering the proliferation of beauty bloggers writing about the ingredient’s skin-toning properties; and cleansing oils were up an impressive 555 percent from January and February, too. Serving as a harbinger for the butter coffee trends to come later in the year, searches for healthy coffee had a strong showing, too.
Word on the street is that game-day sporting events are popping in March (just don’t ask us which ones), and Pinners were very interested in finding recipes for hors d'oeuvres fit for a rowdy crowd. Chicken wings were particularly popular—especially searches that included Jamaican jerk spice and parmesan garlic. Keto-friendly bacon-containing recipes also experienced a spike, such as bacon-wrapped asparagus and bacon chips.
Wellness searches such as meditation (up 96 percent from the previous year) and inquiries for better-for-you desserts were trending in April. Pinners were particularly smitten with a recipe that used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to make a raspberry almond pound cake. Additionally, searches for pickles—especially Fried Pickles—were up 160 percent over last year, perhaps indicating an understanding of the benefits of fermentation, or the idea of permissible indulgence: fried pickles must be healthier than fried mozzarella, right?
Natural lifestyle tips dominated May searches and saves on Pinterest. Tai chi, the calming, low-impact traditional Chinese martial art was searched for 83 percent more in May 2018 than in May 2017; natural deodorant pins were up 116 percent—a testament to the oodles of next-gen, efficacious brands such as Native and Schmidt’s. Additionally, searches for organic makeup were up 350 percent. Also of interest, dinner for breakfast ideas spiked this month. Popular recipes included breakfast nachos, and delicious-looking eggy pizzas—hand-hewn pizzas with an egg baked on top of it.
With backyard barbecue season well underway, Pinners were seeking a blend of both classic and novel condiments to compliment picnic tables of all ilk. Classic BBQ sauce was a top food search, as was cowboy butter, a keto-friendly blend of melted butter, herbs, mustard, horseradish, hot sauce and spices extolled by a delish.com writer designed to drizzle over steak. On a side note, pins for white wine slushies spiked 3,037 percent from June 2017 to June 2018, suggesting that summer livin’ is the time for living it up.
Similar to June, Pinterest fans were all about the summer party indulgences. Among the top-pinned foods were buzzed cherry bombs, dipped pretzels and Rice Krispie bites, indicating that some normally health-minded consumers relaxed their health goals to partake in 4th of July festivities, BBQs, pool parties and more.
Fun foodie ideas continued to permeate Pinterest towards the end of the summer, including beautiful charcuterie board ideas (which were searched for 190 percent more in August 2018 than in August 2017). And perhaps due to the Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week programming, pins for shark cakes were up 29 percent.
A focus on healthy eating and wellness spiked on Pinterest in September, as pins for crustless pies and custom bikes increased. Searches for grazing tables—essentially cheese, meat, bread and crudité platters on steroids—were up 127 percent over the previous year.
Self-care tips proliferated on Pinterest boards in October, which seemed to be influenced by imagery often seen on the pages of beauty and lifestyle Instagrammers. Among top-searched for items included epsom salt baths and bubble baths, jade rollers (used for rolling across cheekbones for … actually we’re not quite sure for what) and the distinctive-leaved monstera plant—a staple house plant in zen décor everywhere.
We expected to see Thanksgiving recipes galore in November—and mini pumpkin pies were certainly trending. But November 2018 also saw an increase in trendy foods and recipes such as cauliflower gnocchi (which saw a spike of 6,499 percent from last year) and Celery Juice (which was up 1,383 percent from last year). Pins for immune boosting essential oils were up 79 percent, too, indicating that consumers are interested in finding natural flu and cold prevention.
Fun, special foodie hybrids were popular in December, such as burrito casseroles, cake cookies and mochi—a traditional Japanese dessert that American versions fill with ice cream—which saw a 59 percent spike in interest over the last year.
Fun, special foodie hybrids were popular in December, such as burrito casseroles, cake cookies and mochi—a traditional Japanese dessert that American versions fill with ice cream—which saw a 59 percent spike in interest over the last year.
With 250 million monthly users and more than 175 billion pins spanning the home décor, DIY craft, fashion, art, health and especially food categories, Pinterest has a pulse on which forward-thinking wellness trends are sparking the interest of savvy consumers everywhere.
Unlike other social media platforms, people who use Pinterest don’t necessarily do so to connect with others. Rather, they use the platform to incrementally improve various aspects of their lives. A Nielsen report found that “Pinners” do actually try some of the items they pin—98 percent, in fact. (No word on how many of those projects are worthy of a #PinterestFail tag, however.)
Luckily for us, every month in 2018 Pinterest chronicled the ideas that garnered particularly high popularity. We sifted through them to find interesting food, personal care and wellness trends so you can prophesize which diets, ingredients and eating mentalities resonate with the Pinterest community.
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