News 08.11.2024

Need to Know

Global Wellness Summit 2024, Padrone’s AI-powered Primera ring reinvents the mouse and Dan Hastings’ Foresight Friday.

Global Wellness Summit 2024: A deep dive into water’s transformative role in wellness

Global Wellness Summit 2024, UK
Global Wellness Summit 2024, UK
Global Wellness Summit 2024, UK

Scotland, UK – The 18th Global Wellness Summit, centred around the theme A Watershed Moment for Wellness, was hosted at the iconic Old Course Hotel in St Andrews – a location renowned for its coastal beauty and exceptional water resources. The resort, acquired by the American company Kohler in 2004, is synonymous with high-end wellness and features Kohler-branded spas and premium amenities. It was a fitting choice for an event focused on the vital role water plays in our environment and wellbeing.

Susie Ellis, chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit, is also an influential commentator and the president of Spafinder. Her leadership has helped the summit become a gathering place for industry experts, including spa professionals. This year, the summit addressed the critical issue of resource scarcity, particularly the looming water crisis.

It is estimated that 2bn people globally do not have access to safe drinking water and half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of the year (source: UN).

Efforts to provide clean water to underserved areas were showcased by J Carl Ganter, founder of Circle of Blue, who encouraged attendees to embrace roles as explorers, storytellers, leaders or enablers of change. Sarah Livia Brightwood, president of Rancho La Puerta, a wellness retreat in Mexico, discussed how the company is involved in a new project in which municipal waste water from a nearby village is purified and used to irrigate its gardens and vineyards.

The summit’s theme not only addressed the growing scarcity of water but also celebrated its healing potential. While some health attractions such as thermal spas have faced slow recovery post-Covid, largely due to delayed reopening in regions including east Asia, wild swimming, saunas and communal baths are popular in western countries, where water is harnessed for its restorative and preventative capacities.

A full debrief of the Global Wellness Summit 2024 will be available in our Global Events section soon. In the meantime, explore how the beauty industry is tackling issues like water scarcity and toxicity.

Strategic opportunity

Brands have the chance to lead in water conservation and wellness by creating products or services that address the dual challenges of water scarcity and its healing properties

Padrone’s AI-powered Primera ring reinvents the mouse

Switzerland – Swiss tech start-up Padrone has launched a Kickstarter for Primera, an AI-powered wearable ring mouse that turns any flat surface into a touchpad.

Weighing only 8g and powered by Padrone’s TipVision technology, the ring’s tiny camera tracks finger movements, letting users click left or right, scroll and more while maintaining ergonomic comfort.

Designed for creatives and tech enthusiasts, it’s compatible with PCs, Macs, tablets and VR headsets, and requires no software installation – just a Bluetooth connection.

Developed over 10 years, this innovation is part of Padrone’s mission to revolutionise digital interaction. Early supporters on Kickstarter gain have access to custom features, including engraving, and free shipping. Physical previews are available in Zürich and Zug or through a live-stream demo. 

From Voice-Activated Wearables to Smart Glasses, we’re tracking the latest technology innovations that matter across key lifestyle sectors in our Technology sector on LS:N Global.

Padrone Primera, Switzerland

Strategic opportunity

Padrone’s TipVision enables surface-independent navigation. Consider exploring non-traditional touch-based interfaces so that users can interact with any environment as a functional input surface

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Photography by RDNE Stock project, US Photography by RDNE Stock project, US

Every Friday, we wrap up the topics, issues, ideas and viral moments everyone’s been discussing. This week, deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings delves into the results of the US election and the critical lessons to be learned.

: Who is to blame for Donald Trump’s victory in this pivotal US election? In the aftermath, we’re quick to assign blame: in my algorithmic bubble, we’re debating whether it’s the fault of white men, white women or Latinx voters. But perhaps we’re looking in the wrong direction: what led these voters to support Trump? In my view, no force is stronger than the right combination of hatred, ignorance and lies. No amount of fact-checking, media literacy or rational campaigning can outmanoeuvre a system that rewards voter provocation and fear-mongering.

: Women in the US are among the biggest losers of this election. They face not only the potential erosion of agency over their own bodies but also the indignity of seeing the most qualified candidate lose to a convicted felon and reality tv host. The fact that 60% of white men, 55% of Latino men and 21% of Black men voted for Trump (source: NBC News Exit Polls) reminds me of how men’s love for their partners, mothers, sisters and daughters often depends on these women remaining in submissive roles. That’s not love; it’s ownership – a desire to control those expected to provide care, support and affection without reciprocation.

: Gen Z men’s voting patterns were particularly disconcerting. It would be easy to blame figures such as Joe Rogan, Elon Musk and Andrew Tate for their radicalisation, but we forget that they are men first, regardless of age. Loneliness, social media addiction and incel culture – all unrestrained by algorithms – have deepened divides between young men and women globally. In South Korea, for instance, women have launched the 4B movement (standing for ‘four nos’). To protect themselves, they are committing to no sex with men, no childbirth, no dating men and no marriage with men.

: But as Kamala Harris said, ‘Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is, don’t ever give up.’ Amid the setbacks, there are victories: Sarah McBride was appointed as the first openly transgender state senator in Delaware; Andy Kim is set to become the first Korean American in the Senate; Angela Alsobrooks is now Maryland’s first Black senator and only the fourth Black woman ever elected to the US Senate.

Quote of the week

‘Harris is every competent woman who had to jump into a project at the last minute, clean up a huge mess she didn’t create, turn it around in superhuman time with near flawless execution and the patriarchy still insists she’s unqualified and incompetent’

Christine, an American citizen (source: Threads)

Stat: L'Oréal Paris breaks sales records on TikTok’s first UK Super Brand Day

Photography by Shingi Rice, UK Photography by Shingi Rice, UK

UK – L’Oréal Paris has achieved a landmark success in TikTok Shop UK’s inaugural Super Brand Day, amassing over £770,000 ($1m, €930,000) in sales. This extraordinary outcome resulted in a 466% increase in weekly purchases, an impressive feat for a label that only joined TikTok Shop three months earlier. To create this success, TikTok Shop assembled a cross-functional team to coordinate between consumers, creators and L’Oréal Paris, fostering seamless engagement at every touchpoint.

The Super Brand Day, held from 16–21 September 2024, featured exclusive discounts, product launches and a live beauty shopping event promoted by L’Oréal Paris ambassadors including model Kendall Jenner. Throughout the week, more than 1,900 creators rallied behind the brand, garnering over 7m views.

With one beauty product sold every two seconds on TikTok Shop, this event showcases the platform’s powerful potential for brands aiming to amplify their reach in the rapidly growing world of Content Commerce.

Strategic opportunity

To maximise reach, businesses should gear up to offer instantaneous retail opportunities through the platforms people spend the most time on: gaming, streaming and social media

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