United States: Industry Updates & Analysis

A comprehensive study reveals that beauty, health, and wellness has transformed from discretionary luxury into an identity cornerstone, with young men emerging as the fastest-growing demographic and nearly 13,000 medspas now rivaling McDonald's locations across America. The research exposes a critical disconnect between what industry executives believe consumers want and what consumers are actually doing with their time, money, and trust.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is implementing a nationwide expansion of its environmental sampling program for ready-to-eat establishments, requiring inspectors to collect food-contact and non-food-contact surface swabs alongside existing product samples.

The vast majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana in some way, which has been the case for years now. Whether that general support translates into ballot measure victories and wins for cannabis-friendly candidates, remains to be seen. Below are some notes on our coming elections, from U.S. Senate seats on down.

On 9 September 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers published a supplemental proposal to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act.1 The supplemental proposal builds on the agencies’ November 2025 proposed rule and responds to the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA, which significantly narrowed the scope of waters subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and established a new framework for determining which waters fall within that jurisdiction.

A New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate advocates for legalizing adult-use cannabis to keep tax revenue in-state, while Nebraska's Supreme Court upholds voter-approved medical marijuana laws and NASDAQ opens its doors to cannabis business listings. International travelers receive a stark reminder about the risks of crossing borders with cannabis products, regardless of home state legality.

The U.S. House passes a bill delaying the federal hemp ban, while a lawsuit challenges Medicare coverage of hemp products and older adults increasingly turn to cannabis for recreation. Plus, marijuana complaints return to the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Explore Ankura's latest insights spanning cybersecurity threats, AI's impact on retail, stablecoin regulation, and research integrity challenges. Discover how emerging technologies and regulatory frameworks are reshaping industries from financial services to healthcare, while sophisticated cyber threats continue to evolve across critical infrastructure and enterprise platforms.

Ankura's insights hub showcases their latest research and analysis across cybersecurity, retail trends, healthcare compliance, and industrial joint ventures. From tracking malware threats targeting critical infrastructure to analyzing consumer behavior shifts and insurance M&A activity, these reports reveal emerging risks and opportunities across multiple sectors. The collection demonstrates how organizations are navigating complex challenges in technology, finance, and regulatory compliance.

Ankura's insights hub showcases expertise across cybersecurity, joint ventures, life sciences transactions, and regulatory compliance. From industrial joint venture exposures to emerging malware threats and China pharma dealmaking, these analyses reveal critical risks and opportunities facing organizations today.