We can now – on average – expect to live twice as long as we would have in 1900. Global average life expectancy is around 73 years, thanks to improvements in medicine, nutrition and sanitation. This ability to live longer has also sparked a cultural movement around ‘longevity’ that prioritises not just living longer, but living well for longer. There are many cultural approaches to the pursuit of longevity and the concept of wellness – each one tells us something about our cultural moment, and its collective anxieties and aspirations, more broadly.

The Blue Zones

Blue Zones are regions in which people live exceptionally long (i.e. regularly living to over 100). They include Ikaria, Okinawa, Sardinia and Loma Linda, California. These regions have been framed as a source of deep fascination and intrigue, and codified in programme-style books and methods, via books including: The Blue Zones Challenge, The Blue Zones Solution, and Blue Zones Secrets.  

Dan Buettner, the National Geographic-backed explorer who founded Blue Zones LLC, has emphasised that in his view, Blue Zones are more about ecological conditions and community approaches than individualised actions. He’s stressed that Blue Zones all have a strong sense of community and mutual support. They also don’t prioritise exercise as a structured, gym-based physical activity, or diets as time-limited restriction – instead, exercise is naturally incorporated into everyday life. As a result, the semiotic codes of the Blue Zones are very holistic: circular diagrams suggesting renewal, green shades suggesting natural growth, and, of course, blue tones suggesting neutrality and medicinal healing. At the same time, the messaging is fairly National Geographic-inspired: imagery of travelling the world to uncover ‘secrets’ of longevity, happily embracing visible signs of aging, and long, sunlit horizons that suggest a relaxed, innately enjoyable approach to the good life.

Biohacking and Podcasts: The Body as Tech

Elsewhere, the longevity conversation is much less about exploring the world, and much more about exploring one’s own body as a scientific phenomenon. Biohacking promises a more quantifiable, science-led approach to longevity, emphasising constantly tracked biomarkers (glucose monitors, body fat ratio tests, etc.). Two of this space’s leading advocates, Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman, both have podcasts that tap into this messaging. The ‘Huberman Lab’ podcast name already subtly situates us within Huberman’s Stanford neurobiology laboratory. ‘The Peter Attia Drive’ podcast suggests both targeted speed and optimised performance, with the term ‘drive’ evoking long distances, exploration, and in a more conceptual sense, determined ambition. Both Attia and Huberman interview scientific experts for each episode, but the overall message that emerges from each is consistent: discipline, control, and rigorous self-improvement. When it comes to longevity and biohacking, for many people, there’s a comfort in being given clear rules and personal actions to follow.

Another podcaster in this space is Melanie Avalon, an actress and screenwriter who started ‘The Melanie Avalon BioHacking Podcast’ in 2019. The hand-drawn podcast artwork features a glass of red, a pink dress, and a conventionally feminine cursive font, implicitly framing biohacking as a route to personal beautification alongside everyday enjoyment, rather than emphasising the clinical precision and heavyweight impact of Huberman and Attia’s podcast branding.

Meanwhile, entrepreneur and longevity evangelist Bryan Johnson moves even more toward a body as an optimisable machine positioning. Johnson’s ideology is both clinical and existential; his podcast promises to “usher in a new era of being human”. While Peter Attia’s book is called ‘Outlive’, Johnson’s book is ‘Don’t Die’. Every element of his regimen is based on living to 120+, and his morning routine (shared on Instagram) includes a hyperbaric chamber, sauna, UV light exposure, and a stack of supplements. While Johnson’s regimen and philosophy are extreme, they are part of a broader, often more casually accepted cultural moment that seeks to bend and control time. Botox, deep plane facelifts (see Kris Jenner and Lindsay Lohan), and various supplements (see Resveratrol) all semiotically suggest we can achieve mastery over the effects of time itself. The irony is that to access these methods for ‘bending time’, one usually requires a large amount of disposable time. Modelling the pursuit of longevity has become an aspirational lifestyle marker – a very different approach to the Blue Zones model, which avoids excessive structure and prioritizes community health and purpose.

Longevity in Skincare

Longevity concerns find a natural home in skincare, with anti-aging being among the industry’s primary promises. Retinol (active Vitamin A) products have been growing in recent years, with many praising their ability to renew skin and stimulate collagen production.

Among retinoids, Medik8 has launched ‘crystal retinal’ – the implication of the product name being, you and your skin will become like a chiselled, firm, and geometrically perfect crystalline material. The brand name referring to the word “medicate” with a numerical digit “8” reinforces associations with clinically-backed healing and mathematical precision. The tube almost looks like a prop from the Ice Palace in 2002 James Bond movie Die Another Day.

3 Key Takeaways for Brands:

  1. Longevity has been divided between “secrets” vs “systems” positioning, with Blue Zones focusing on worldly exploration and hidden knowledge that can be uncovered and incorporated into our everyday lives. Biohacking, on the other hand, uses systems language (“protocols,” “optimization,” “data”). Brands can choose between positioning their longevity solutions as wisdom to be discovered, or precise systems to be implemented.

  2. Brands need to be conscious of signalling exclusivity in the context of health, and framing time as a luxury commodity. There’s an opportunity to open up healthy longevity to a greater number of people, through non-premium methods and materials accessible to those without extensive disposable time/income.

  3. Post-pandemic, codes of health expertise have shifted away from DIY wellness and social media advice, moving instead toward research-backed, clinical evidence and transparently monitored and shared results. How can your brand demonstrate evidence-led messaging, showing results rather than telling of results?

Katrina Russell, Director

Decoding Longevity: Cultural shifts in defining forever