Why Creators Are Launching Wellness Brands Instead of Taking Sponsorships

Mar 11

The influencer business is real, but is it sustainable?

You’ve grown a loyal following. Your content delivers real value. You’ve landed some decent brand deals and affiliate commissions. But at some point, you start to wonder:

Why am I still promoting someone else’s product when I could be building my own?

This question is reshaping the wellness creator economy. More influencers — especially in health, fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness — are moving away from short-term sponsorships and toward owning their own product lines. And with turnkey solutions like Mitteo, the barriers are lower than ever.

Let’s break down why this shift is happening and what it could mean for your next move.

Affiliate links don’t build equity, brands do

Yes, affiliate revenue can feel easy. You post, you get a cut, and it adds up (sometimes). But affiliate commissions are limited. The brand owns the customer, the product, and the margins.

When you build your own brand, you own the entire value chain — the product, the store, the customer data, the story.

Example:
An influencer with 75K followers promoting a greens powder might earn $3,000/month in affiliate sales. The same audience could support a custom product that brings in 2–3x more in profit — with long-term brand value and customer retention.

“Affiliate marketing can be great for testing product-market fit. But the real upside comes when creators monetize through ownership.”
— Typeform, Get Real Report, May 2025

Wellness is the fastest-growing DTC product category

Wellness isn’t a niche anymore — it’s a $5.6 trillion global economy growing at nearly 10% per year, according to the Global Wellness Institute.

Within that, nutrition, functional beverages, adaptogens, and supplements are exploding — especially in DTC (direct-to-consumer) channels where influencer-led brands thrive.

If you’ve already built trust with an audience around your wellness journey, you’re perfectly positioned to lead a product-based brand that feels more personal than the average Amazon listing or big-box SKU.

“Consumers increasingly seek wellness products with transparent sourcing, relatable brand stories, and trusted advocates. Creators are filling that gap.”
— Nutrition Insight, June 2024

Sponsorship fatigue is real, and audiences feel it too

Sponsored content still works — but it’s losing credibility fast when overused.

According to the Pew Research Center (2024), 68% of social media users say they “often or sometimes” skip influencer content they know is sponsored. The same study found that trust increases when creators share products they’ve created themselves.

In other words, your audience knows the difference. When you launch something of your own — especially in wellness, where trust is everything — you’re building a deeper connection, not just conversion.

“The line between creator and entrepreneur is blurring. Audiences want to support people, not platforms.”
— Forbes, Creator Economy Trends, April 2025

You don’t have to do it all yourself anymore

If building your own product brand sounds intimidating — you’re not alone. Formulation, sourcing, fulfillment, compliance, customer support — it’s a lot.

That’s exactly why turnkey solutions like Mitteo exist. We help influencers launch custom wellness products with:

Done-for-you operations
Funded inventory options
Co-branded or white-labeled product paths
Strategic brand and store development
Fulfillment, customer service, and reorders handled

You bring the audience and the vision — we handle the rest.

Why creators are shifting from sponsorships to ownership

Affiliate and sponsorship income is limited. Brand ownership builds equity.
Wellness is booming. Creators are in a prime position to lead.
Trust is moving toward authenticity. Audiences prefer founder-led brands.
Support systems exist. You don’t have to go it alone.

Ready to explore your own wellness brand?

Mitteo’s Launchpad program was built specifically for wellness creators who are ready to stop selling other people’s products — and start building their own.

Learn more at mitteo.com
Or reach out to see how we help creators like you turn vision into ownership.

Sources:

"The Global Wellness Economy: Country Rankings"
Global Wellness Institute
January 2024
https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/industry-research/global-wellness-economy/
Credible nonprofit producing leading wellness economy research.
"Get Real: What Influencers Want in 2025"
Typeform
May 2025
https://www.typeform.com/reports/get-real-2025/
Survey-based report from a trusted SaaS brand with deep creator insights.
"U.S. Social Media Users Increasingly Tune Out Sponsored Posts"
Pew Research Center
February 2024
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/02/14/sponsored-content/
Pew is a nonpartisan, highly trusted source for digital media and public opinion data.
"Creator Economy Trends to Watch in 2025"
Forbes
April 2025
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2025/04/04/creator-economy-trends/
Forbes Business Council offers credible business insight with a focus on creator-led innovation.
"Consumers Want Real Wellness Products from Real People"
Nutrition Insight
June 2024
https://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/2024-wellness-products-trust.html
Nutrition Insight covers global trends and data in health product marketing.