Trending in 2026: When Authenticity Becomes Strategy

In an era of curated feeds and Instagram filters, consumers are demanding something different: less polish, more proof. This trend is dubbed by Euromonitor International as “Fiercely Unfiltered,” and it’s one of four global consumer trends the market research firm predicted for 2026. 

We’ve already explored Euromonitor’s first trend, “Comfort Zone,” but Euromonitor describes this next trend as: “A heightened era of self-expression, radical honesty, and individuality [that] is reshaping the landscape.” Along these lines, today’s bold, unique consumers are expected to prioritize personalized products, curated experiences, and brands that challenge mainstream norms in favor of bold, unique solutions. As we continue this series, let’s explore how insights and tactics for this trend bleed into the way we feed and care for our pets. 

Speak Your Truth, But Prep for Backlash 

Radical honesty is trending as a way to achieve self-expression, connect with others on a more authentic level, and deepen self-awareness. This concept has been applied to the workplace, marriages, and friendships. If our pets could talk, it would probably be applied to our relationships with them, too.  

“[Consumers] are placing greater trust in voices that challenge mainstream narratives, acknowledge hardships, and validate their own experiences or worldviews,” Euromonitor stated in its report. This tracks with the concept of radical candor, but there’s one key problem. When presented with radical honesty in the real world of consumer product goods, most people still prefer lukewarm half-truths. 

Another way to look at this: It’s nearly impossible to please everyone. And if we did, we’d kind of be missing the point. 

Take The Honest Kitchen’s recent campaign as a timely example. Leading up to the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the brand ran a loud campaign featuring giant inflatable dogs positioned near the Statue of Liberty in New York City.  

According to the brand’s founder, Lucy Postins, the goal of the campaign was to “celebrate dogs of all shapes and appearances and to be a little self-deprecating about our own food,” Wholemade™ Dehydrated dog food, which is an air-dried kibble alternative that “isn’t always the prettiest,” Postins shared. The campaign, titled “The Best Isn’t Always the Prettiest,” depicted an English Bulldog and a French Bulldog as less aesthetic breeds that still deserve the best care and nutrition out there. Sound innocent? Think again. 

The campaign backfired almost immediately. Postins issued a formal apology on The Honest Kitchen’s website following widespread criticism that the campaign alienated breeders and belittled the meaning behind Westminster dog shows and the communities that support them. 

This is an important lesson for other brands. Some people want radical honesty, but not always harsh truths (like pointing out your dog is ugly). “Speaking your truth” is bound to resonate with some consumers, but it will never please everyone. Even the most well-intentioned messages can be misconstrued in the public domain, making it important that brands tread these waters carefully.

The Age of Experience 

More than half (58%) of consumers “seek curated experiences tailored to their tastes,” according to Euromonitor’s “Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey” conducted January and February 2025. In other words, consumers—including pet owners—are choosing unique experiences over more of the same products. 

My colleague, Eric Rittenhouse, has authored several case studies to this effect, highlighting how brands have tried and succeeded—or failed—at redefining the way consumers experience shopping for and using its products. One example is Coach, whose luxury legacy has remained resonant with Gen Z shoppers in part through the brand’s transition toward “fully immersive” brick-and-mortar shopping experiences.  

As traditional brick-and-mortar shopping continues to be overtaken by e-commerce and omnichannel shopping options, more and more brands will need to get creative about how they bring people into the stores—not just once, but again and again. This is certainly the case for the independent pet retail channel, which continues to offer pet owners deep, personalized expertise, local relevance, and education. Could the independent pet retail channel take a page from Coach’s playbook to drive more foot traffic and reclaim its once-loyal customer base? 

Regardless, the trend doesn’t end here. This preference for unique experiences dovetails right into our next bucket of innovation: personalized pet nutrition. 

Formulated Just for Fido and Fluffy? 

In the same “Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey,” Euromonitor reported that 50% of consumers “want products and services that are uniquely tailored to them,” while another 47% said they “like to be distinct from others.” Today’s consumers subscribe to individualism, and brands that help us feel unique and distinct are willing dollars. 

Too many times, when asking a company who their target audience is, they say, “Well, pet owners!” Think about that for a second. Can we really lump all pet owners into the same bucket of behaviors, preferences, and needs? Do we really think the single, urban-dwelling Millennial pug owner is going to have the same pet care needs as an older couple with 10 free-range Labradors living in rural Kentucky? Doubtful.  

Savvy brands are segmenting their audiences into distinct pet-owner personas, each with their own proclivities, quirks, hopes, and dreams. Even smarter brands are turning this segmentation into customization—at least, they’re certainly trying. 

The pet industry has evolved vastly from the days of table scraps and alley snacks. Breed-specific formulations have been around for a while, although the body of knowledge around breed-specific dietary requirements for dogs and cats is too small to truly understand what is optimal for each given breed. Additionally, most commercial efforts focus more on optimizing kibble size and shape, rather than specific nutrient levels or inclusions. 

While breed-specific may be less customized than it sounds, many emerging brands are prioritizing personalization in other ways. For most, it involves a quiz that a pet owner takes on the brand’s website, which will ask about their pet’s species, size, weight, age, energy levels, protein preferences, and the like. The brand takes this information and curates product recommendations based on that pet’s individual needs. 

However, it’s currently unclear how much true customization is happening behind the scenes. More feasibly, personalized pet food brands will have a standing portfolio of diets that come in different formats and contain various protein sources, nutrient levels, and purported benefits. Pet owners will take the quiz, and recommendations will be selected from those pre-existing options.  

This begs the question: is it truly customization, or just curation? The distinction here matters—particularly in an environment where consumers are prioritizing radical honesty, authenticity, and individualism. 

Consumers want personalization; brands are promising it. But it shouldn’t happen in a black box, and trust isn’t a guarantee—it’ll need to be demonstrated and earned well after a first order. 

Walking the Walk, Talking the Talk 

If personalization risks becoming performative, co-branding offers a different path to credibility. It’s not a necessarily new approach, but one that’s still largely untapped, particularly in the pet nutrition market. 

Take Zesty Paws for example. The brand has incorporated several proprietary, branded supplement ingredients into its formulations for pets. Its Advanced Calming Bites™ for Dogs contain Sensoril®, an ashwagandha root and leaf extract by Kerry, and Suntheanine®, a proprietary L-isomer-theanine ingredient by Taiyo International, to provide behavioral support. Its Hip & Joint Bites for Dogs contain OptiMSM®, a proprietary methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) ingredient by Balchem Corp. offering joint health and mobility support, while its Allergy & Immune Bites contain EpiCor®, a branded postbiotic targeting gut and immune support. 

Here’s the catch—all  these branded products are also used in human supplements. Sensoril, for example, is also marketed as perimenopausal support for women’s health; OptiMSM, on the other hand, can also add value to sports nutrition and beauty supplements. While it’s important that we fully understand the effects of certain ingredients and formulations in the species they’re intended to benefit, this co-branding strategy allows pet brands to tap into trusted, recognizable ingredients without recreating the wheel. 

But it only works when ingredient suppliers do the work to brand and market their ingredients. Typically, it falls onto the brand itself to create marketing and messaging that sells specific ingredients or components of a formula. However, when dealing with highly functional, technical ingredients—and consumers who may not understand what all the fuss is about—this can be a tall task. Why not rely on the subject matter experts who developed the ingredient to help market it to end users? 

Creating stories around the ingredients that fuel powerful formulations—particularly more novel compounds that warrant more explanation, like insect-derived ingredients—will become increasingly important as pet owners become more and more concerned with how nebulous claims translate to tangible benefits. Through co-branding and strategic partnerships, ingredient suppliers and brands can work together to build consumer trust, justify premium pricing, and boost a product’s integrity in the eyes of consumers. 

So, What? 

Consumers want the radical honesty, but not packaged as hard truths. Pet owners in particular have unique needs and preferences, but are often lumped into too-broad consumer categories. Shoppers are seeking personalized options, but need transparency into the process. 

Targeting individuality at scale is in and of itself an oxymoron, but it’s not impossible. Brands that can successfully showcase authenticity through transparency, lean on hyper-segmentation to drive innovation pipelines, explore co-created solutions, and crack the code on customization that feels truly customized will gain a leg up.  

Our expert team at BSM Partners has guided brands of all shapes and sizes to success, even and especially as this market grows and evolves. Additionally, we’re bringing our deep industry knowledge directly to pet owners, industry professionals, and veterinarians through the Barking Mad podcast, which has already earned a reputation for taking a “no-fluff” approach to trends, headlines, and challenges about pet health and wellness. We’ll continue to analyze these shifts through both a consumer and industry lens, translating trends into practical strategies that move beyond theory and into implementation.  

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About the Author

Jordan Tyler is the Director of Media at BSM Partners and co-host of the Barking Mad podcast. She has more than seven years of experience reporting on trends, best practices and developments in the North American pet nutrition industry. Jordan resides in Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband and their three furry family members.