Sun Feb 02 11:42:28 UTC 2025: ## Wellness Industry Masquerades as Front for White Nationalist Movement
**San Francisco/London** – A seemingly innocuous wellness industry is secretly fueling a surge in white nationalist activity, according to a new Al Jazeera investigation. The report reveals a network of businesses, influencers, and online platforms using health and wellness rhetoric to subtly promote and normalize white supremacist ideology.
The investigation focuses on companies selling products like natural soaps, herbal remedies, and teas, often marketed with seemingly apolitical language emphasizing natural ingredients and traditional lifestyles. However, these businesses are frequently advertised on far-right platforms and listed in white nationalist directories, revealing a hidden connection to a broader movement.
One prominent example is Arcadian Wellness, founded by Kyle Hunt, who also runs the far-right Renegade Broadcasting radio station and Renegade Tribune blog. Hunt’s past includes promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and organizing white supremacist marches. While Arcadian Wellness’s online presence avoids overt political messaging, its connection to Hunt’s other ventures exposes its role in the white nationalist ecosystem.
Other businesses highlighted in the report include the Mighty White Soap Company, Havamal Soapworks, Dissident Soaps, and Clean & Pure, each demonstrating varying degrees of overt and covert white nationalist messaging in their branding, product names, and online presence. Some openly embrace racial terminology, while others rely on coded language and imagery associated with far-right movements.
The report also identifies influencers like Jason Kohne, who uses wellness themes to promote white nationalism through online platforms, podcasts, and books, attracting tens of thousands of followers. His approach emphasizes “white wellbeing” and building insular communities, avoiding overt hate speech while subtly promoting white supremacist ideals.
Extremism researchers express concern that the use of wellness language and imagery creates a deceptive veneer of wholesomeness, making it easier for white nationalists to operate and spread their ideology. The investigation reveals the strategic use of wellness as a recruitment tactic, targeting individuals who may be more receptive to subtle messaging than overt displays of hate. The report emphasizes the difficulty in tracking these groups due to their online presence and the diverse ways in which they present themselves. The ease of producing wellness products at home, particularly by those with homesteading skills, further contributes to the proliferation of these ventures.
The report concludes that while the white wellness industry may not be financially vast, its impact on recruiting and normalizing white nationalist ideology is significant, representing a worrying trend in the intersection of extremism and consumer culture. The investigation calls for greater awareness and vigilance in identifying and countering this deceptive tactic.
First Piper 