Step Aside Travel - Health Is Becoming the One Thing Southeast Asian Consumers Refuse to Cut Back On

When consumers start tightening their budgets, the categories they continue spending on say a lot about what matters most to them. For Southeast Asia this year, one category stands out clearly: health and wellness.

The Milieu 2026 Consumer Study, which surveyed 3,000 consumers across Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, found that just 3% of respondents would cut spending on health and body care first if they needed to save money. That is the lowest figure across every category tracked, and notably, unchanged from our 2025 data. Even as consumers pull back in other areas, health spending appears remarkably protected.

Across the region, spending habits are clearly becoming more selective. Twenty-four percent of consumers say they are spending less compared to three months ago, up from 19% in 2025. Categories like travel, fashion, and entertainment are seeing softer demand as households become more careful with discretionary spending. Health, however, seems to sit in a different category altogether. In fact, 31% of consumers say they spent more on health and body care in the past month. The figure was especially high in the Philippines (36%), Malaysia (35%), and Vietnam (34%).

What makes this particularly interesting is that it comes at a time when financial confidence across the region has weakened noticeably. Only 30% of consumers say they feel confident about their financial outlook over the next three months, down from 40% a year ago. And yet, health spending continues to hold steady.

The contrast with travel is especially telling. In 2025, travel ranked among Southeast Asia’s biggest spending priorities, with 33% planning to spend more on it over the following three months. In 2026, that figure had dropped sharply to 17%. Travel has also become one of the first categories consumers say they would reduce if inflation pressures continued — Health has moved in the opposite direction.

Rather than being treated as optional spending, it is increasingly being viewed alongside essentials like groceries and utilities, something consumers feel they simply cannot afford to compromise on. Part of this shift may be generational. Younger consumers across Southeast Asia have spent years building stronger wellness habits, from fitness and supplements to skincare, nutrition, and mental wellbeing. What began as lifestyle spending increasingly feels embedded in everyday routines. At the same time, broader global uncertainty may also be reinforcing this behaviour.

With ongoing geopolitical tensions and economic concerns shaping consumer sentiment, many people may see health and wellness as one of the few areas where they still feel a sense of control. In the study, 51% of consumers say they have already reduced non-essential spending because of wars and political conflicts. Against that backdrop, prioritising personal wellbeing feels less like indulgence and more like protection.

For health and wellness brands, this consistency across two years is significant. While many categories are dealing with softer consumer demand, health continues to show resilience. The opportunity also extends beyond traditional healthcare or wellness brands. Food and grocery companies focused on nutrition, fitness-related technology, and even mental wellness platforms all sit close to a category that consumers continue to prioritise. As spending becomes more deliberate across Southeast Asia, most brands are competing harder for consumer attention and wallet share. Health brands, meanwhile, are operating in one of the few categories consumers still seem unwilling to let go of.

Based on findings from the Milieu 2026 Consumer Study. Survey conducted in April 2026 across Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. N=3,000.