In the seventeenth century, a apothecary entrusted the French Benedictines of Notre-Dame du Calvaire a secret formula made with sage, rosemary, honey and piperite mint. Four centuries later, the nuns of Bozy-La-Forêt They continue to distill His famous “Emerald Water” as a soothing and energizing lotion. A symbol of how “natural” has always accompanied health care, long before social networks They would make him a trend.
The self -care is fashionable. In Spain, eight out of ten people consider that self -care is key to maintaining good health, According to the Association for Health Self -care (ANEFP). And this perception does not remain in theory: it is promoting a market in full expansion. This is the case of the Italian company ABOCA, which has billed more than 50 million euros in Spain with natural health products for common problems such as coughing, reflux or irritations, According to El Confidencial.
At the same time, supplement fever and nutricheastics It has been installed in supermarkets, pharmacies and social networks. 75% of Spaniards has consumed Some supplement: from collagen to enriched vitamins or coffees. The difference is that older people trust capsules and anti -aging protocols, while young people seek the same in “functional” snacks or drinks.
ANDThe self -care is no longer marginal. The I radiography of self -care in Spain (2025), prepared by ANEFPoffers a clear photograph:
- 85.3% believe that self -care can improve healthcare.
- 8 out of 10 see it fundamental to preserve health.
- Only 1 in 3 associate it directly with disease prevention.
- 42.5% recognize that lack of knowledge is the main barrier to practice it.
The conclusion is evident: there is interest and disposition, but health education is still for a responsible self -care.
Natural yes, but regulated. Not everything that is sold as “natural” has the same base. Natural health products act for physical or support mechanisms (for example, create a barrier against acidity), and have European regulation (Regulation 2017/745) which guarantees your safety and efficacy.
As the EU regulations rememberevery health product must carry the CE marking, which ensures that it meets safety, health and environmental protection requirements. The key, Experts warnIt is not to confuse natural with harmless: any substance, plant or synthetic, has real effects on the body.
But is homeopathy? It should be clarified: natural health products and homeopathy are not the same. The former have European regulation, clinical studies and verifiable mechanisms of action. Instead, homeopathy is based on extreme dilutions without scientific evidence beyond the placebo effect.
In Spain, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) has registered more than 1,100 homeopathic products. Despite this, citizen trust It collapses: In 2020 only 17.2% of respondents claimed to believe a lot or much in this type of treatment compared to the more than 50% that said otherwise. The business, which came to move dozens of millions, is in decline. And experts They coincide: Confusing “natural” with homeopathy is a mistake that can undermine the credibility of responsible self -care.
A cultural change. More than a fashion, self -care reflects a deep cultural change. As we have already written in Xatakaprevention, aesthetics and emotional well -being are mixed in a new culture that promises energy, youth or health control, but also reveals obsessions and social pressures.
Social networks have accelerated this phenomenon and have become shop windows, where self -care appears both as part of the daily routine as in the form of viral tendency. Mental health adds another layer: with high levels of stress and anxiety, many resort to self -care as a personal strategy, although 42.5% recognize the lack of knowledge as the main barrier, According to ANEFP. To this are added social inequalities that condition habits, As investigations of the Clinical Medicine Magazine point out.
What seemed before an eccentricity – a lotion of nuns or a functional shake – today is part of a new culture of health that combines science, tradition and marketing, and reflects the contemporary aspiration of control not only how much we livebut how we do it.
Between tradition and future. From the discreet distillation of Emerald water in a French convent to viral supplements in social networks, self -care has traveled a long way. Today, it represents a solid, regulated and growing market, but also a cultural phenomenon that reflects our obsessions: living more, living better or simply feeling that we have control of our health.
What is clear is that self -care is no longer a marginal practice. It is an industry that combines tradition, science and marketing, and that forces us to ask ourselves not only how we want to take care of ourselves, but with what criteria.
Image | Photo by Logan Gutierrez ON Unspash and Photo by Mariana Rascão ON Unspash
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