The Future of Smart Society
The Future of Smart Society
From Cream to Code — Wellness in the Age of AI
At IFA 2025, you’ll see just how much our idea of wellness is changing – becoming smarter, more connected and more personal than ever.
Your mirror now greets you with a skin score, your smartwatch tracks your stress levels, and an app schedules breathing exercises for late afternoon. Welcome to wellness in 2025 –
personalised, data-driven and always within reach. Once, wellbeing meant a trip to the spa, the beauty salon or the gym. Today, it’s just as likely to happen digitally. Beauty is no longer shaped by creams alone, but by AI, smart sensors and self-tracking tools.
“Future of Smart Society – Living Better with Tech” – one of this year’s IFA focus themes – represents a digital lifestyle that blends comfort, resilience and health. Nowhere is this more evident than in Wellness Tech, one of today’s most dynamic fields of innovation. According to industry analysis, the market is set to grow by 16% in 2025 alone, reaching almost US$80 billion*. That’s not quite enough to buy every person a Dyson Airwrap – but easily covers billions of sheet masks and a handful of high-tech tools for every household.
Author: Julia Christian
Illustrator: Antimimosa
Wearables
Fitness & Digital Health
Wearables like Whoop, Ultrahuman, Luna, Ring Conn or WearM are making body data more visible than ever – and helping turn it into actionable choices, from training plans to better sleep routines. But it’s not just about optimisation. It’s also shaping a new understanding of self-awareness: how well we feel is becoming both measurable and manageable
When Skin Becomes a Data Interface
Wellbeing is going digital in beauty too – powered by AI-driven skin analysis, personalised treatments and smart devices. In 2025, L’Oréal introduced Cell BioPrint, a wearable mini lab that analyses actual skin samples, delivering insights on retinol tolerance, protein structure and age-related cellular changes.
Built on the Longevity Integrative Science™ research platform, it combines environmental factors, lifestyle data and genetic markers to expose inflammatory processes at a cellular level. The aim: preventative, tailor-made skincare. Pilot projects are already underway in Asia and the US.
Then there are tools like SkinConsult AI and apps such as Beauty Genius, which analyse selfies to create personalised skincare plans – already used by more than 20 million people worldwide.
A Digital Look in the Mirror
In beauty, the bathroom has become a real use case for augmented reality: people can now try on lipsticks, eyeshadows or hair colours virtually. Tools such as ModiFace, YSL Rouge Sur Mesure and Shu Uemura’s 3D Shu:brow analyse makeup results or outfit scans and create perfectly matched lipstick shades. With HAPTA, a computer-assisted applicator featuring a gyroscopic sensor and adaptive grip has been developed for people with limited fine motor skills.
In Asia, this new way of analysing skin and body has already become part of everyday life. In China and Korea, AI-powered kiosks, app-based frizz analysis and beauty coaches are firmly integrated into retail. Platforms like Revieve and Perfect Corp. are scaling their solutions for local markets – with an added entertainment factor.
High-Tech for At-Home Beauty
Across Europe, high-tech treatments for skin and hair are becoming a staple of home routines. What was once standard only in professional studios is now available for personal use: LED treatments, microcurrents and radiofrequency devices from brands like NuFace, Spacetouch, and Lyma.
Energy-based facials featuring hydro-peeling, Laser Genesis or HIFU technology promise smoother, firmer skin at the touch of a button – safe, efficient and tailored to individual needs.
Balancing Metrics and Instinct
In 2025, wellness is being redefined as an intelligent interplay of technology, data analysis and lifestyle. Digital tools offer recommendations, smart mirrors reveal new sides of ourselves, and AI systems help personalise treatments – while also making packaging more sustainable and meeting clean beauty standards.
But with greater possibilities come new challenges: data privacy concerns, the mental pressure of constant self-tracking and the growing need to switch off from the digital world. The future of wellness will hinge on balance – between progress and intuition, metrics and gut feeling. What do we truly need – and what does the app tell us we need? IFA provides inspiration for navigating both
What Is Wellness Tech?
Digital technologies designed to support holistic wellbeing – from health data and AI coaching to personalised skincare and stress-regulating tools.
Global Market: Volume:
→ US $80 billion by the end of 2025
→ +16% growth*
Key Technologies:
→ Artificial Intelligence & GenAI
→ Augmented and Virtual Reality
→ IoT & Sensors
→ Biotechnology & Green Sciences
Trends from Asia – retail meets AI:
→ Skin analysis kiosks & smart mirrors
→ HIFU & RF technologies
→ Clean K-Beauty and AI-powered retail systems
*Source: Statista / CB Insights
Explore at IFA
Key exhibitors in the wellness sector:
Whoop
AmorePacific
Beurer
Zahnheld
Ulike
Braun
And many more!
Programme Highlights:
Scene Setter – The Future of Smart Societies
Carol Aquino, Head Of Consumer Tech At WGSN, Explores The Innovations Set To Shape Smarter Societies
7 Sept, 10:45,
Dream Stage