From prediction to product: Mintel’s Rebecca Vella on the trends shaping household products in APAC in 2026

Most shoppers breeze through supermarket aisles on typical grocery runs. Rebecca Vella is not one of them. The vice president of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Insights, APAC at market intelligence giant, Mintel, is “the person my family hates taking to the supermarket,” she says with a sheepish grin.

She spends “way too much time scanning shelves for new products”, searching for clues on how brands have incorporated consumer insights.

Instinctively, she applies the 6Ps check: Proposition, Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and Packaging. The 38-year-old can’t help but scrutinise whether household products, spanning food and drink to beauty and personal care, deliver on their promise.

The Melbourne native, who has been based in Singapore for four years, says: “For me, it’s like a mini case study every time I walk down an aisle — I’m curious about what brands are trying to achieve and whether the execution really connects with the consumer.”

Understanding what consumers want lies at the heart of Vella’s work as a trend forecaster. A growing desire for authenticity as a pushback against the mounting influence of algorithms on social media feeds and the blurring of traditional life stages are among the trends highlighted in Mintel’s 2026 Global Consumer Predictions report.

It is part of hundreds of intelligence reports generated every year that chart what lies ahead in diverse industries, from CPG to technology and financial services. These insights help companies develop new products and craft long-term strategic plans. 

The London-headquartered company Mintel adopts a multi-layered methodology that combines robust consumer research, desk and trade analysis, social listening, and advanced statistical modelling to help brands adapt, innovate, and lead. To bolster its predictive social media insights, Mintel acquired market research firm Black Swan Data last June.

Forecasting trends in the CPG sector requires a deft synthesis of historical data, emerging consumer signals, and macro factors, including a holistic emphasis on health and wellness, economic uncertainty driving value-driven and multi-functional products, and a balance between tech-driven innovation and the human touch.

What consumers want

With a heightened focus on health, Mintel has highlighted a food trend, “Maxxing Out, Diversity In” — consumers will be looking for more diverse sources of nutrients in food products — something traditionally reflected in cuisines in Asia.

Instead of single-function products, they will gravitate towards products with more varied sources of fibre and protein, and other nutrients. It predicts that demand for food products made with trending ingredients such as chlorella, mung beans, and hemp seeds will increase over the next two years.

Consumers will also look back to ancient remedies and traditional food practices to seek refuge in today’s volatile world. Practices such as seasonal eating, fermentation, and natural preservation will be back in vogue.

Millennials, now navigating the “extended middle” years of life, will be especially drawn towards heritage food and drink, such as sotol, a distilled spirit made from the Dasylirion plant, native to the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico. 

On the beauty and personal care products front, Mintel predicts that 2026 will see the rise of metabolic beauty — consumers will move beyond surface-level beauty to prioritise measurable, inside-out well-being.

Solutions include innovations such as biomarker testing, metabolic monitoring, and bio-intelligent technologies to create personalised skincare and haircare products. 

Research matters

According to Vella, one of the biggest misconceptions of trend forecasting is that “research slows things down”, especially in an industry where brands demand answers yesterday and a culture of speed in APAC.

“Research is not a roadblock — it’s a risk-reduction tool. Businesses can avoid costly missteps by ensuring ideas are grounded in real consumer insight,” she says.

To that end, Mintel has launched its AI-powered platforms, such as Mintel Leap and Spark, to accelerate trend identification and generate data-driven product concepts and mock-ups.

She explains: “AI handles the heavy lifting, freeing us to focus on the ‘why’ behind the data and the ‘so what’ for the business. That’s where experience and empathy come in — turning data into decisions that resonate.”

The human story behind trends

For Vella, who has a food science background and has worked in sensory research and consumer insights roles in Kraft Heinz and Fonterra, predicting trends in the CPG space isn’t just about spotting what’s next, but creating meaningful value for people in the long run.

Over the years, she has witnessed trends such as the rise and reset of plant-based foods, which are evolving into clean-label and whole-food options, and the boom in functional beverages. 

When a trend she has identified early eventually appears on shelves or in campaigns, she gets a warm sense of satisfaction. She shares: “It comes from seeing the human story behind the trend. It’s about understanding why it matters to people and how it fits into their lives.”

She says: “This industry isn’t just about products — it’s about people, culture, and how everyday choices evolve. When we anticipate trends, we’re not just forecasting numbers; we’re shaping experiences that will matter to consumers years from now.”