What Kering and L’Oréal’s wellness alliance says about luxury’s future

Two decades ago, luxury houses learned that loyalty came from sharing clients’ passions, investing in art, culture, and sustainability. Patronage became strategy, and exhibitions or sustainability initiatives engaged clients as much as runway shows.

Today, priorities have shifted: the most coveted possession isn’t a handbag but health. With ultra-luxury handbags now costing over $10,000 — the price of a wellness retreat — consumers increasingly prioritise vitality and longevity. Wellness has moved from personal pursuit to social marker.

This shift is now formalized. L’Oréal and Kering announced a 50/50 joint venture to explore opportunities “beyond beauty,” combining innovation and luxury expertise to craft wellness and longevity experiences. Around the same time, Lanserhof announced a €95 million investment, marking its transformation into a scalable longevity platform.

According to Laurent Ohana, the Lanserhof deal is mainly a real-estate investment, illustrating how wellness spans ingestibles, topicals, testing, and resorts. Credibility in wellness comes from places like Lanserhof, SHA, or Clinique La Prairie.

Others see these moves as a cultural evolution redefining luxury. Christine Dagousset describes a shift “from the surface to the system,” with brands building long-term well-being ecosystems that unite emotional power and scientific credibility. Luxury’s sensory experience now intersects with health.

Client behavior reflects this evolution. Lupe Puerta notes that HNW and UHNW clients are spending less on excess and more on how they feel, live, and age. Wellness has become a mindset, reinforced by working from home and a growing focus on prevention. Personal shoppers now support well-being as much as fashion.

Dr. Christian Kurtzke sees wellness as a new core value within experiential luxury, requiring brands to rethink supply and service chains to deliver highly personalized experiences.

Together, these perspectives reveal that the future of luxury lies in transformation, not transaction. As consumers invest in living longer and better, luxury groups must evolve portfolios built on product desire toward experiential wellness — places, programs, and services that deliver measurable impact. The next chapter of luxury will be defined not by what people buy, but by how they choose to live.