For the Wellness Briefing, Glossy rounded up the wellness activations planned for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival kicking off this weekend in Southern California. This includes activations or sponsorships from Kenvue-owned Neutrogena, P&G-owned Always and Secret, Medicube, Wizard Wellness, Lifeway Foods, and more brands. Additionally, Technogym surpasses $1 billion in revenue, a new GLP-1 pill launches in the U.S., and wellness festival District Fit returns to South Florida.
The highly-anticipated Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival is back for its 25th year this Friday with headliners Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G.
The festival takes place over two weekends, April 10-12 and April 17-19, with more than 100,000 attendees expected each day. This headcount doesn’t include nearby mini festivals and parties, like the Revolve Fest headlined by rapper Don Toliver, and large-scale parties, like Kourtney Kardashian’s Camp Poosh, The Nylon House and Neon Carnival headlined by rapper Ty Dolla $ign.
There’s no shortage of creative ways for brands to market their wares to attendees, from clever billboards placed along the 10 freeway to official sponsorships to the many proximity-focused influencer houses, pool parties and gifting suites, which experienced an uptick in 2025.
For example, Neutrogena is back for its fourth year as the official sun-care partner of the Coachella festival. The brand will kick off the first weekend with a party at the Palm Springs Surf Club, a newly-opened adult waterpark in nearby Palm Springs, for 200 guests including 31 creators on an official Neutrogena press trip. The brand is focused on product immersion and brand storytelling at scale, according to Neutrogena, and will focus on its Hydro Boost Water Gel, Hydro Boost Lip Oil and the newly-launched Evenly Clear Hypochlorous Acid Spray, on top of its range of sun care.
Kenvue-owned Neutorgena will also launch OOH advertising at the Palm Springs airport, featuring messaging and sunscreen stations, and will pop up at the Nylon House afterparty, where the brand is the official sponsor. Meanwhile, at the festival grounds, Neutrogena plans to distribute 250 gallons of Beach Defense SPF 70 sunscreen across eight free SPF dispensers placed inside the grounds and across campgrounds, plus an estimated 145,000 samples of its Ultra Sheer Invisible Gel SPF 40.
Procter & Gamble will also show up in an official capacity with its new “porta party” restroom concept. With “the refresh room,” the company hopes to appeal to attendees seeking an elevated bathroom experience at the festival. The standalone, 30×30 room will feature air conditioning, hand sanitizer, water stations, an adjacent luxury toilet trailer, complimentary period products, including the Always Pocket FlexFoam pads, and Secret Fresh Mocktails deodorants. Both brands are owned by P&G.
Medicube, the festival’s official skin-care sponsor, will have a sampling booth inside the festival grounds as well as stations inside the adjacent camping area. The K-beauty brand will also host an invite-only “glow oasis” pool party on Thursday evening for influencers and other VIPs.
When it comes to proximity marketing, Wizard Wellness, the allergy brand launched earlier this year with investment from True Beauty Ventures, is planning to pop up at several events with a converted, branded school bus dubbed internally as the “happy nose bus.” The bus will shuttle influencers to the festival grounds and parties while distributing free products along the way.
Meanwhile, Lifeway Foods, maker of kefir-focused probiotic drinks and foods, plans to host a pool party at a private residence during the first weekend. The event will be headlined by ‘90s icon Debbie Gibson and electro music band Autograf. The brand will use the event to sample its products to attendees.
After a rough year of ticket sales in 2024, its slowest in over a decade, Coachella tickets sold out in less than an hour for this year’s festival, which could mean a more excited and engaged audience.
Executive moves:
Hamid Saify is the new chief growth officer at Armra, maker of colostrum supplements. His CV includes serving as the chief marketing officer at Lucky Beverages and as the svp of digital retail at the Liquid Death water brand.
Ulta Beauty executive Kristin Wolf has been promoted to chief strategy and growth officer. She has been with the retailer for six years, most recently as svp of enterprise strategy and new growth. She is the first to fill this newly-created role.
News to know:
Italian fitness equipment maker Technogym surpassed $1 billion in revenue for the first time in 2025. The company launched in 1983. Attributing the milestone to organic growth, the company’s recent highlights include innovative smart equipment, its first line of pilates reformers and “complete wellness ecosystems’ on Virgin Voyages luxury cruise ships. “We view this record not as a finish line, but as a springboard to continue improving and growing,” CEO Nerio Alessandri said in a statement.
Regulators in the U.K. may soon lead a crackdown on injectable research peptide therapy, according to reporting in “The Guardian.” The primary issues facing wellness clinics include unsubstantiated claims around the benefit and safety of the trending wellness therapy. A spokesperson for The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told The Guardian that it was “important to acknowledge the current reality: a significant number of individuals in the U.K. are already accessing peptide products through unregulated channels (including informal online networks such as messaging platforms), where there is little to no clinical oversight, quality assurance or safety screening.”
Speaking of peptides, the FDA has approved a new, once-daily oral GLP-1 called Foundayo. The new prescription pill is made by pharma giant Eli Lilly, maker of injectable GLP-1s Mounjaro and Zepbound.
District Fit, a large-scale wellness and fitness festival, will return on April 7 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The festival spans four days and will feature pop-up activations from Pvolve, Equinox, Hyrox and more brands, plus expert panels, influencer networking events, booths and live music. This is the festival’s ninth year.
Nike has shuttered its boutique fitness concept, Nike Studios, which had locations in California and Texas that offered HIIT, running and strength training. The pilot program was launched in 2023 as a partnership with lifestyle fitness brand FitLab to test consumer demand for boutique gyms operated by Nike.
Stat of the week:
The U.S. wellness economy just passed $2.1 trillion in value, according to new data from non-profit trade organization Global Wellness Institute. Growing at an annual rate of 7.9% from 2019 to 2024, the U.S. ranks among the 10 fastest-growing wellness markets worldwide and holds the largest market share in nine of eleven wellness sectors, according to the report. What’s more, per capita spending in the U.S. wellness economy surpassed the $6,000 threshold in 2024, reaching $6,293, while the sector now accounts for 7.33% of the nation’s GDP, according to GWI.
In the headlines:
Amazon to issue 3.5% surcharge on fulfillment services as fuel, logistics costs rise [Digiday]. The Unilever-McCormick deal ushers in a new era for condiments [Modern Retail]. The tyranny of the Oura Ring [WSJ]. Looking for a natural solution to cope with everyday stress? Try adaptogens [Vogue]. How Hyrox became the everyday athlete’s Everest [NYT]. Heart Association clashes with RFK Jr. over red meat, dairy and beef tallow [WSJ]. Legacy CPG updates its wellness strategy [FittInsider].
Listen in:
Thorne chief science officer Dr. Nathan Price joined The Glossy Beauty Podcast to break down the strategy, implementation and future of generative AI wellness chatbots – and why they’ll soon be table stakes for every supplement brand.
Need a Glossy recap?
Fenty Beauty launches WhatsApp AI advisor as messaging becomes beauty’s next commerce channel. The billion-dollar business of Bath & Body Works’ Japanese Cherry Blossom. Google says its AI-powered ads helped Aritzia lift online sales by 80%. James Franco co-founded Paly snags first official collaboration through Selfridges partnership. Alix Earle’s CEO says Reale Actives prepared for a mixed response to the brand launch. WNBA player Lexie Hull launches Forta, aimed at creating a new category of performance-driven makeup. How Batiste turned a viral TikTok into a campaign in 5 days. What’s driving the beauty bag charm trend. ‘Culture is moving at the speed of swipe’: Why E.l.f. Beauty considers itself an entertainment company as much as a beauty brand.
