Celebrity wellness advice is everywhere. Cold plunges, ginger shots, breathwork before breakfast. But how much of it actually works?
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Let’s be honest, you know that most celebrities, influencers, and bloggers use cleverly curated content that is intentionally staged to look perfect, and they are most likely getting paid to do it, whether they know anything about the product or actually use it. This is one of the reasons that you should not follow celebrity health advice because it frequently lacks scientific evidence, is often financially motivated, and can cause severe physical or financial harm.
Social media influencers, bloggers, and celebrities usually share personal anecdotes rather than qualified, evidence-based medical research, making their recommendations unsuitable for the general public. This is not saying that it is all bad, but don’t fool yourself, the vast majority of it is.
Here is Why You Should be Skeptical
- Lack of Expertise: Celebrities, influencers, and bloggers often lack medical qualifications or relevant health knowledge, leading to the spread of misinformation.
- Unsafe “Wellness” Trends: Advice can be dangerous, such as promoting unnecessary, risky, or unproven treatments like extreme detoxes, unapproved supplements, or dangerous dietary trends.
- Hidden Financial Motives: Many recommendations are sponsored, where celebrities are paid to endorse products regardless of their efficacy.
- Unrealistic Standards: Following celebrity lifestyles can lead to unnecessary financial costs on useless products and create unrealistic, harmful comparisons for your own physical or mental health.
- Misleading Information: As seen in cases with products or health advice from products pushed by celebrities, such as those which are often not validated by scientific data, and can sometimes be harmful, such as over-supplementation with vitamins, notes.
Deep down, you know that instead of following social media or celebrity advice, it is crucial to consult qualified and licensed professionals for health decisions. Even though they make it seem so appealing, next time you are considering something trending, use your head and think for yourself.
What Most Celebrities Get Right About Health, and What They Don’t
A February 2026 review by Ben’s Natural Health matched the most popular celebrity-endorsed wellness habits against peer-reviewed research to find out which ones have measurable health outcomes. They found that while habits like yoga and Pilates have strong clinical backing, others like cold plunging and ginger shots are more trend than proof.
Here is what they found:
1. Dua Lipa’s Yoga and Pilates for Depression
Looked up over 13.5M times a month, yoga and pilates are the strongest clinically backed habits on the list. Research found that yoga practitioners were 3.2 times more likely to reach remission from depression compared to those who didn’t practice, making it one of the most popular celebrity workouts that actually work.
2. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sauna Sessions for Heart Health
Averaging over 983K searches a month, sauna bathing is among the most popular wellness trends of 2026. A study of over 2,300 people found that using a sauna 4 to 7 times a week was linked to a 63% lower risk of sudden cardiac death and 40% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who went just once a week.
3. Paloma Elsesser’s Morning Meditation for Stress
With over 1.5M monthly searches, Elsesser’s routine is simple: a glass of water and guided meditation before looking at her phone. Studies found that even app-based or online guided meditation produces small-to-moderate reductions in stress compared to people who didn’t practice.
4. Kendall Jenner’s Positive Self-Talk for Performance
Searched over 1M times, Kendall’s “free wellness trick” for getting through fashion month is backed by science. Across 32 studies, those who used direct, task-focused phrases like “stay steady” or “keep going” consistently outperformed those who stuck to vague affirmations like “you’re amazing” or “you’ve got this.”
5. Selena Gomez’s Daily Ginger Shot for Digestion
At over 625K searches a month, ginger shots are everywhere in celebrity wellness content. But scientific evidence behind this trend is limited to one area: nausea and digestion, particularly during pregnancy. Everything else celebrities claim it does, from reducing inflammation to boosting immunity, is not backed up by research.
6. Kendall Jenner’s Cold Plunge for Recovery
At over 409K monthly searches, cold plunging is one of the trendiest wellness habits right now, but it has the weakest evidence in the review. A 2025 systematic review found some effects on inflammation, stress, and sleep quality, but flagged limited clinical trials and small sample sizes across the board. If you enjoy it, there’s no harm in continuing, but the science doesn’t justify the discomfort for most people yet.
Expert Advice
“Most people assume that if a celebrity does it, it must work. But celebrities are in the business of appearances, not evidence. The habits with the strongest science behind them, yoga, strength training, and breathwork, cost almost nothing and don’t photograph well. Meanwhile, the ones that look best on camera, like cold plunges and ginger shots, have some of the weakest research to back them up. Stop picking your wellness routine based on what looks good in a story and start picking it based on what actually holds up in a study.”
This article was written at the WHN News Desk in collaboration with Emma Brown on behalf of Ben’s Natural Health, a team of doctors, researchers, and dietitians working with the latest research to formulate high-quality, scientifically proven, and clinically effective supplements to provide effective support for your health.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN neither agrees nor disagrees with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
