International Journal of Consumer Studies ISSN 1470-6423

Impacts of health and environmental consciousness on

young female consumers’ attitude towards and purchase of
natural beauty products ijcs_817 627..638

Soyoung Kim and Yoo-Kyoung Seock

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, US

Keywords
Health consciousness, environmental
consciousness, natural beauty products,
importance of product attributes, product
attitudes.
Correspondence
Soyoung Kim, Department of Textiles,
Merchandising and Interiors, 315 Dawson
Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
30602, US.
E-mail: soyoung@uga.edu
doi: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00817.x
Abstract
This study investigated young female consumers’ beauty product shopping behavioural
patterns, their perceived importance of product attributes, and their attitude towards and
purchase of natural beauty products. This study also examines whether consumers’ product
attitudes and shopping behaviours are influenced by their health and environmental con-
sciousness. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 210 female college students
enrolled at a south-eastern university in the US. In order to examine the impacts of both
health and environmental consciousness on other selected variables, the respondents were
divided into four groups based on their scores on the two variables, and a series of analysis
of variance were conducted to compare characteristics of the four groups. The results
showed that health and environmental consciousness significantly influenced the impor-
tance placed on beauty product attributes. Additionally, those with a high level of both
health and environmental consciousness were significantly more positive in their evalua-
tions than those with low scores on both variables in their perceptions of natural beauty
products. Those with low scores on both variables were significantly less willing than the
other groups to pay more for natural beauty products. Analysis of variance results also
indicated that the two groups with a high level of environmental consciousness purchased
natural beauty products more frequently than those with a low level of health and envi-
ronmental consciousness, indicating a relatively stronger impact of environmental con-
sciousness than health consciousness on frequency of natural beauty product purchases.
Health and environmental consciousness were both significantly related to a respondent’s
perceived level of knowledge of beauty products and ability to distinguish natural from
conventional beauty products.

considered as a form of physical capital in modern society. Such

Introduction
Researchers of consumer culture suggested that appearance, body
shape and physical control have become central to an individual’s
sense of self-identity in a highly visual consumer culture (Feath-
erstone, 1991; Domzal and Kernan, 1993; Shilling, 2003, 2007).
According to the corporal theory of body proposed by Domzal and
Kernan (1993), the human body is the most visible expression of
one’s self and bodily behaviour or maintenance is a means of
interpersonal presentation in social activities. They suggested that
being well groomed, while yielding the personal satisfaction of
somatic well-being, reflect social motivations as well, as evi-
denced by the desire to be attractive to others (particularly in the
use of cosmetics and other beauty-related products and services).
More recently, Shilling (2003) suggested that the body is a
‘project’ that is worked on and accomplished as part of the devel-
opment of one’s self-identity. He also noted that the body is often
concepts may help to explain such behaviours as eating, dressing
and wearing make-up. Furthermore, with the body being consid-
ered as a visual self, a heightened concern with one’s body and
appearance leads to an increase in consumption of beauty products
(Gimlin, 2006) and the emergence of many new styles of body
modification (Pitts, 2003). Existing evidence from the research
also shows that perceptions of body and physical appearance influ-
ence people’s behaviour in their role as consumers (Debevec et al.,
1986; Bloch and Richins, 1992; Reingen and Kernan, 1993) and
alter their behaviour in the use of make-up (Miller and Cox, 1982)
and clothing (Solomon and Schopler, 1982).
As beauty and fame have increasingly been celebrated in
American culture, the pressure to look stylish has become stronger
than ever. According to a survey by The Nielsen Company (2007),
30% of consumers worldwide spend more on beauty products and
treatments today than they used to. The report also indicates that

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Natural beauty products
two-thirds of US consumers feel that the pressure to look good is
much greater now than ever before. In 2007, three out of four men
aged 18–64 years in the US wore fragrance and 9 out of 10 women
aged 18 years and older used skin care, make-up or fragrance,
accounting for over 170 million beauty users in the US (The NPD
Group, Inc., 2008). The Nielsen Company (2007) also reported
that the largest beauty expenditure for US consumers is on hair
care, skin care and facial treatment products.
Alongside a growing emphasis on external appearance and the
consumption of beauty products, concern both with the health of
the body and with the external physical environment has emerged
as a recent consumer trend (Shilling, 2007). Over the past few
years, consumers have turned their interests towards a more
natural way of living, often called ‘green living’, a trend that has
amplified concerns for overall health and wellness with an ever
increasing interest in protecting the environment as well as an
awareness of the potential harm caused by chemicals in products
(Invest in France Agency, 2007). People trying to pursue a sus-
tainable lifestyle are likely to consider the health and environmen-
tal impacts of their daily routines (Spaargaren, 2002).
From a sociological perspective, researchers have suggested
that consumers’ concern for socio-environmental goodness has
been the moral basis of some consumption practices (Ellen, 1994;
Minton and Rose, 1997; Shaw and Newholm, 2002). This can be
observed in the market by the proliferation of environmentally
friendly products, services, and package designs and the commer-
cialization of a fair-trade industry (Caruana, 2007). In earlier
research Baudrillard (1981) has framed consumption in postmod-
ern society in the context of a theory of sign value. He viewed
consumption as an active manipulation of signs, indicating sign as
a representation of morality and ethics in the social context. He
also noted that the sign value leads the consumer to a series of
complex choices and explains why particular commodities and
brands become alluring and desirable. According to his theory of
sign value, environmentally friendly or sustainable consumption
turns out to be an outcome of a sign of morality in current society.
In the marketing literature, such moral concerns that consumers
bring to their environmentally friendly consumption practices
were explained in the context of a theory of rational choice behav-
iours. The theory posits that rational consumers maximize utility
from their preferences, anticipating the future consequences of
their choices (Becker and Murphy, 1988). Researchers consider
morality as a process of rational individual decision making,
focusing on ‘right’ and ‘good’ consumption for society and indi-
viduals (Carrigan and Attalla, 2001; Caruana, 2007).
Keeping pace with the trend of green living and sustainable
consumption, global sales of natural and organic cosmetic prod-
ucts grew to about $7 billion in 2007, according to a report by
Organic Consumers Association (2007). With the growing con-
sumer demand for healthy and environmentally friendly products,
consumers have become more interested in beauty product ingre-
dients (Invest in France Agency, 2007), causing the natural beauty
market to expand much faster than the beauty market as a whole.
Today, the natural and organic beauty product market has
expanded significantly and is expected to reach $5.8 billion by
2008 from about $3.9 billion in 2003, with approximately 9% of
an average annual growth rate, according to a report by the US
Market for Natural Personal Care Products (Decision News
Media, 2004). Organic Monitor, the British consulting firm,
628
S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
projects global natural cosmetics market revenues to surpass US
$10 billion by 2010, and the market share of natural and organic
products of total cosmetics is projected to reach nearly 10% in
some countries including Germany and the US (Organic Consum-
ers Association, 2007). The NPD Group’s study showed that 42%
of US female skin care users 18 and older look for products that
are made from natural ingredients and 28% of female skin care
users 18 and older prefer brands that have a physician/doctor
endorsement (The NPD Group, Inc., 2008). Moreover, the study
also showed that 77% of female skin care users aged 18 years and
older reported that they do not mind paying more for a skin care
product that works.
In fact, in response to the increased demands for natural and
organic beauty products, many companies have been either in-
creasing their use of natural ingredients in existing product lines or
else creating new lines that specifically cater to this trend (Deci-
sion News Media, 2005). For example, established cosmetic com-
panies such as Estee Lauder and Revlon increasingly look to
‘organics’ as a new marketing concept (Phillabaum, 2003). Even
large retailers like Wal-Mart Stores in the US have started to offer
their own natural and organic product lines such as body scrub,
face cleanser, lip balm and shampoo (Kolesnikov-Jessop, 2008).
Despite the growing concerns for ‘green living’ and the demands
for healthy and environmentally friendly beauty products, little
research has been conducted to investigate consumers’ beauty
product shopping behaviours and attitude towards natural beauty
products. Thus, this study attempts to investigate young female
consumers’ beauty product shopping behavioural patterns, their
perceived importance of product attributes, and their attitude
towards and purchase of natural beauty products. This study also
examines whether consumers’ product attitudes and shopping
behaviours are influenced by their health and environmental con-
sciousness. In the NPD study (2005), skin care products were the
most used beauty product among young women (89%), followed
by make-up (84%), shaving products/hair removers (84%), bath
products (82%) and fragrance products (77%). The beauty prod-
ucts in this study included skin care and make-up items. This study
focused on consumers in their late teens and early 20s because
teens and consumers in their 20s represent a substantial market
for beauty products, spending more than older generations in this
product category, according to Shuchi Sethi, vice president of
Nielsen Customized Research (The Nielsen Company, 2007).
Environmental consciousness
Today, environmental consciousness is not only a political cause
pursued by environmental organizations and activists but also an
issue bearing significant impact on marketing and sales in the
corporate world (Arvanitoyannis et al., 2003). Consumers’ con-
cerns about environmental issues influence their attitudes towards
a product and purchase behaviours, especially for ecological or
environmentally friendly products (Oude Ophuis et al., 1992;
Bohlen et al., 1993). Such attitudinal and behavioural changes
towards environmentally friendly products have opened a strategic
opportunity for companies to compete in this new market. In
response to a growing concern over environmental issues, a wave
of consumer products has recently appeared on both store shelves
and on the Internet boasting eco-friendly or green labels. However,
eco-friendly, green and organic labels do not create automatic
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S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
sales opportunities despite the substantial rise in environmental
consciousness among consumers. For some, environmental
concern has become a way of life guiding their consumption on a
daily basis. For others, environmental concerns are not always
translated into green consumerism (Hussain, 2000) because of
the conflict between environmental soundness and other benefits
such as prices and convenience (Wandel and Bugge, 1997). In
other words, many consumers are not yet willing, or perhaps
cannot afford, to forego financial and other advantages offered by
conventional products to pursue environmental causes.
Researchers found that consumers’ concerns for the environ-
ment influence their organic food consumption (Kyriakopoulos
and van Dijk, 1997). Studies have found that better-educated con-
sumers and female consumers are both more interested than less-
educated and male consumers in purchasing food produced in an
environmentally sound manner (Wandel and Bugge, 1997; Tiili-
kainen and Huddleston, 2000). Tiilikainen and Huddleston (2000)
also found that those with a higher income and young to middle-
aged persons tend to be more environmentally concerned. Wandel
and Bugge (1997) observed that younger respondents gave envi-
ronmental welfare a high priority in their evaluations of food
quality, whereas the oldest group of respondents, aged 60 years
and over, considered health to be the most prominent reason for
their purchase of ecologically produced food products. While con-
sumers’ environmental concerns clearly influence their attitude
towards and purchase of environmentally friendly products, no
known research is available to date that investigates environmental
consciousness in the consumption of eco-friendly beauty products.
Health consciousness
Health consciousness refers to ‘the degree of readiness to under-
take health actions’ (Schifferstein and Oude Ophuis, 1998, p. 122).
Health-conscious consumers may adjust their consumption pat-
terns because they believe that their actions affect their health
(Schifferstein and Oude Ophuis, 1998). Consumers buy eco-
friendly or environmentally sound products not only because of
their concern for environmental conservation but also out of
concern for their own health (Wandel and Bugge, 1997; Padel and
Foster, 2005). Individuals’ concern for food safety and health
issues have often been discussed in relation to organic food con-
sumption. As mentioned above, Wandel and Bugge’s (1997) study
revealed that older consumers purchase ecologically produced
food primarily because of concerns for their own health rather than
for environmental protection. In a study of Greek consumers,
Arvanitoyannis et al. (2003) found that the large majority of
organic food buyers believed that organic food is healthier than
conventionally grown food and that about half of them were
willing to pay more for the organic version. Schifferstein and
Oude Ophuis (1998), in their study of Dutch consumers, also
found a significant level of health consciousness among organic
food buyers. Among those who buy organic food at organic food
stores, health and environmental issues are mentioned equally
often as reasons for buying organic food. Although several studies
have found health to be a more important motive than environ-
mental protection for organic food buying (Worner and Meier-
Ploeger, 1999; Chryssohoidis and Krystallis, 2005), the results
may be compounded by other factors such as consumers’ level of
organic food buying and age. Schifferstein and Oude Ophuis
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Natural beauty products
(1998) stated that health is a more important motive for incidental
buyers of organic food, whereas heavy buyers consider both health
and environmental issues equally important. They further argued
that both health and environmental consciousness often coincide
and that it is therefore difficult to identify which is the more
dominant motive for organic food buying.
While a substantial number of studies have examined organic
food buying in relation to health and environmental conscious-
ness, no attention has been directed at exploring the consumption
of eco-friendly beauty products. Considering that a significant
portion of organic food buyers also buy other environmentally
friendly or sound products such as green detergents and recycled
paper towels (Chryssohoidis and Krystallis, 2005), it is reasonable
to expect that both health and environmental consciousness may
serve as driving motivations for the purchase or selection of eco-
friendly beauty products. Given the scarcity of published informa-
tion on the topic, this research was designed as an exploratory
rather than a theoretical study to examine young female consum-
ers’ perceptions and their purchase behaviour of eco-friendly
beauty products and to identify and compare different determi-
nants of their eco-friendly beauty product buying behaviour.
Beauty products shopping behaviours
Purchasing beauty products may be a complex and thoughtful
decision because these decisions affect the overall appearance of
an individual. Researchers argue that the importance consumers
place upon various product attributes reflects their personal atti-
tude regarding consumption of the product (Spieker, 1988). Con-
sumers use product attributes as the basis for evaluating a product,
and those attributes promise benefits that consumers seek when
purchasing a product (Puth et al., 1999). An early study done by
Keller (1993) suggested that beauty product attributes, including
the ingredients necessary for performing the product function,
price, product appearance or packaging and usage information, are
the most significant factors for increasing the purchases and con-
sumption of a beauty product. More recently, The Cosmetic
Toiletry and Perfumery Association, LTD (2006) identified basic
and enhanced product functions, ingredients, packaging design,
fragrance and price as product attributes considered important
by consumers when choosing a beauty product. The Nielsen
Company (2007) report revealed that a product’s ‘promise’ is one
of the most important aspects that US consumers placed on beauty
products. Most consumers considering the purchase of a beauty
product first smell the item, which is why many synthetic cosmet-
ics contain synthetic fragrances. In addition to smell, beauty prod-
ucts can be characterized by unique features such as absorbency,
moisturization, appearance on the skin when used, thickness and
residue; its characteristics and performance are the result of the
ingredients of the product and their physical formulation (Wortel
and Wiechers, 2000). These attributes may offer motives to select
one beauty product over another.
With growing concerns about health and the environment, many
consumers today are notably interested in what they put on their
bodies. They try to control their health by looking for healthy skin
care and cosmetic products. As people believe that natural ingre-
dients make the beauty products better and healthier, the use of the
term ‘natural’ on the label is becoming a key sales-driving force
(Decision News Media, 2004). According to the consumer insights
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report by Organic Monitor (2007) regarding consumer behaviour
towards natural and organic personal care products in the UK,
consumers’ concern about synthetic chemicals in beauty products
is the major driver of growth in the natural personal care market,
with 89% of beauty product buyers stating this as a critical factor
in their purchase decisions. The report also indicated that more
than one-third of consumers answered that they look for symbols
and logos of certification, and 79% of consumers said that they
would be willing to pay more for certified products. Retailers also
noted that many consumers already read the labels very carefully
because they want to know whether a product is 5% or 90%
natural. This observation consequentially leads to a significant
adjustment in sales and marketing strategies (Decision News
Media, 2004). Labelling may reinforce the perception of product
quality, conveying messages from the company, and encourage
consumers to purchase a product. As many consumers today rec-
ognize the differences between natural and conventional beauty
products and prefer to purchase natural products, differences in
natural ingredient compositions and labels may dampen consumer
confidence in beauty products.
Product packaging has the power to draw consumers’ attention
as they browse the retail shelves and lead them to take a closer
look at the product (The Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Asso-
ciation, LTD 2006). In the face of the evolution of green living
along with increased environmental awareness, ‘eco-friendly’ and
‘green’ packaging have become popular concepts in advertising.
Existing evidence from the earlier study (Smith, 1990) shows that
people select one product over another because of its environmen-
tally friendly packaging. Consumers’ interests in green living may
not be satisfied only with naturally derived ingredients. Instead,
they are pursuing a new lifestyle through the choice of materials in
packaging and the appearance of products (Bird, 2008). As more
consumers are looking for products and brands that are positioned
to be as green as possible and explore more eco-friendly alterna-
tives in packaging, companies have begun looking beyond product
formulations and looking more at eco-friendly packaging using
biodegradable plastics or recyclable glass (Edgar, 2008). Like-
wise, increased concerns about health and the environment led
consumers to consider eco-friendly ingredients and packaging as
important features of beauty products as well. In this vein, it is
necessary to explore the influence of consumers’ health and envi-
ronmental consciousness on their beauty product shopping behav-
iours and attitude towards and actual purchase behaviour of
natural beauty products.
Perceived self-competence in
purchase decisions
Self-competence is defined as the evaluation of one’s ability to
successfully bring about desired outcomes, often being considered
as one of the important constructs of global self-esteem (Bosson
and Swann, 1999). According to Tafarodi and Swann (1995),
self-competence comprises an individual’s feelings of being
capable, competent, efficacious and in control. They also noted
that self-competence results from the successful manipulation of
one’s environment and from the realization of goals. It is internally
calibrated in that a person knows what he or she wants to do
through behaviour (intentions) and then sees what results from
that behaviour (outcomes). Researchers suggest that high self-
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S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
competence plays a major role in offering motives for purposive
behaviour (White, 1959; Smith, 1968). Low self-competence, on
the other hand, is associated with stunted motivation, anxiety and
depression (Gecas, 1989; Mearns, 1989).
Perceived self-competence in purchase decisions reflects the
self-perceived capability to recognize and understand the differ-
ences of one product over another in order to make a choice
(Kapferer and Laurent, 1983). Self-competent consumers may
have greater subjective and objective confidence in their ability
and capacity to treat information (Miled and Esparcieux, 1997).
In general, consumers with higher self-competence exhibit better
recognition, analysis and logic abilities than those with lower
self-competence.
Choosing a new product may require a certain level of confi-
dence. Someone who has more confidence in his or her knowledge
about the products and purchase decisions will choose a new
product on the shelf instead of the product he or she already
knows. In other words, the reason for choosing a natural product
might be that they know about the products. Such perceived self-
competence, which may differentiate the consumers who actually
purchase natural beauty products from those who do not, can be
influenced by what kind of psychological cues consumers use
when making a purchase decision.
Based on the literature, this study was designed to investigate
how health and environmental consciousness were associated with
beauty product shopping behaviours, importance of various beauty
product attributes, attitudes towards natural beauty products
and perceived self-competence in shopping for natural beauty
products.
Methods
Data collection
The population for this study consisted of female college students.
A structured self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a
convenience sample of 250 female college students enrolled at
a south-eastern university in the US. The convenience sampling
method is defined as ‘a non-probability sampling procedure,
involving selection of the most available subjects for study’
(Portney and Watkins, 2000, p. 742) and often used in exploratory
studies for cost and convenience reasons. Although the use of
student samples has sometimes been criticized, students are con-
sidered valid respondents if the study involves a topic relevant to
them (Shanahan and Hyman, 2003). Even with the recognition that
the use of a non-random sample limits the generalizability of the
results, a student sample was deemed acceptable for the current
study, given the exploratory nature of the study and its topical
relevance. Additionally, college students correspond well in age to
the target population for this study – late teens and young women
in their 20s, an age group representing a key consumer market for
beauty products (The Nielsen Company, 2007). Besides, using a
student sample from only one geographic area it was possible to
maintain a relatively high degree of homogeneity for the sample,
reducing the potential for random errors and variability in the
findings.
The researchers first contacted instructors in different majors on
campus and a time was arranged to visit each class for the purpose
of administrating the surveys. The students’ participation in the
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Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
survey was voluntary and no incentives were given to those who
completed the survey. Of the 250 questionnaires distributed, 210
were returned and used in the data analysis, resulting in a response
rate of 84%.
Survey instrument
Health consciousness was measured with the nine-item scale
developed by Schifferstein and Oude Ophuis (1998, p. 131). Two
examples of the scale items included, ‘I think that I take health into
account a lot in my life’ and ‘I really don’t think often about
whether everything I do is healthy’. Responses were scored on a
five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to
strongly agree (5). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.79.
Environmental consciousness was measured using seven ques-
tions developed by Grunert and Juhl (1995) and three questions
created by the researchers. Examples of Grunert and Juhl’s scale
items included the following: ‘I often discuss environmental issues
with my friends’ and ‘I become incensed when I think about
the harm being done to plant and animal life by pollution’
(1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) (p. 50). Three items
were constructed based on the description of environmentally
conscious consumers contained in articles written by Heimlich
(2008) and Wandel and Bugge (1997): ‘I am concerned a lot about
environmental problems’, ‘I prefer to buy products produced in an
environmentally sound manner’ and ‘I try to make environmen-
tally correct purchases’ (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).
The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.89.
Ten questions measuring involvement in the beauty product
purchasing process were adapted from Chryssohoidis and Krys-
tallis’s (2005, p. 590) study of organic food purchase behaviour.
The original scale, developed to determine the level of involve-
ment in organic purchasing process, was modified to reflect beauty
product shopping behaviours. Examples of the scale are as
follows: ‘I prefer to examine various beauty products before my
final choice’, ‘I am very demanding regarding the beauty products
I purchase’ and ‘I’m willing to devote much time in beauty product
purchasing’ (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).
In order to measure the importance of natural beauty product
attributes, respondents were asked to rate the level of importance
attached to 11 product attributes such as ‘non-allergic reaction’,
‘pure organic ingredients’ and ‘recyclable or biodegradable pack-
aging’ (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). The items were
either modified from Chryssohoidis and Krystallis’s (2005, p. 590)
study or created by the researchers.
Perceived self-competence in shopping for natural beauty prod-
ucts was measured by three questions (‘I know a lot about natural
beauty products’, ‘I know how to distinguish natural from conven-
tional beauty products’, ‘Before I purchase beauty products I
know how to look at the differences between products’) adapted
from Chryssohoidis’s (2000, p. 722) study (1 = strongly disagree,
5 = strongly agree). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.86.
Attitude towards natural beauty products was measured by 11
questions either adapted from studies by Soler et al. (2002, p. 682)
and Chryssohoidis and Krystallis (2005, p. 590) or developed
by the researchers. The scale items were designed to determine
a respondent’s perceptions of natural beauty products compared
with conventional products (e.g. ‘I believe that natural beauty
products are better for health’, ‘I believe that natural beauty
International Journal of Consumer Studies 33 (2009) 627–638 © The Authors
Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Natural beauty products
products are more effective than conventional beauty products’, ‘I
believe that there are substantial quality differences between
natural and conventional beauty products’). Responses were
scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree,
5 = strongly agree).
Finally, the respondents were asked two questions as to how
often they purchased (1) natural beauty and skin care products
and (2) natural colour cosmetics (1 = never, 2 = occasionally, 3 =
often, 4 = regularly, 5 = always). The correlation between the two
items was 0.62.
Results
Correlation results
Pearson’s correlation analyses were used to examine relations
among the selected variables (Tables 1–4). The Pearson correla-
tion coefficient is a common measure of the degree of linear
relationship between two continuous variables (Howell, 1992).
The results revealed that health consciousness was positively cor-
related with environmental consciousness (r = 0.15, P < 0.05).
Both variables were also positively correlated with perceived self-
competence (r = 0.19, P < 0.01 for health; r = 0.34, P < 0.001 for
environmental) but not correlated with beauty product shopping
patterns with one exception: the only item significantly correlated
with the two variables was ‘reading articles and other materials
regarding beauty products to get informed’ (r = 0.15, P < 0.05
for health; r = 0.18, P < 0.01 for environmental). Both health and
environmental consciousness were also significantly correlated
with frequency of natural beauty product purchases (r = 0.17,
P < 0.05 for health; r = 0.25, P < 0.001 for environmental).
As for the importance of product attributes, health conscious-
ness was significantly correlated with ‘pure organic ingredients’
(r = 0.25, P < 0.01), ‘no use of chemical ingredients’ (r = 0.17,
P < 0.05) and ‘use of a relevant sign or mark on the label’
(r = 0.14, P < 0.05). On the other hand, environmental conscious-
ness was significantly correlated with ‘pure organic ingredients’
(r = 0.48, P < 0.001), ‘no use of chemical ingredients’ (r = 0.15,
P < 0.05), ‘no use of preservatives’ (r = 0.21, P < 0.01), ‘use of a
relevant sign or mark on the label’ (r = 0.14, P < 0.05) and ‘recy-
clable or biodegradable packaging’ (r = 0.53, P < 0.001).
As for attitude towards natural beauty care products, health
consciousness was positively correlated with seven items. Health-
conscious individuals were more likely to believe that there were
Table 1 Correlation analysis results (health consciousness, environ-
mental consciousness, perceived self-competence and frequency of
natural beauty product purchases)
V1 V2 V3
V1: Health 1.00
V2: Environment 0.15* 1.00
V3: Self-competence 0.19** 0.34*** 1.00
V4: Purchase frequency 0.17* 0.25*** 0.43***
*Significant at P < 0.05 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
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Table 2 Correlation analysis results (health consciousness, environmental consciousness and involvement in beauty product purchasing process)

V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11

V1: Health 1.00

V2: Environment 0.15* 1.00
V3: Buy at stores near house -0.05 0.07 1.00
Natural beauty products

V4: Examine various products 0.04 0.09 -0.22** 1.00

V5: Visit different outlets 0.03 0.12 0.01 0.33*** 1.00
V6: Buy spontaneously 0.05 0.07 0.16* -0.09 -0.08 1.00
V7: Very demanding 0.01 -0.08 0.02 0.17* 0.18** -0.18** 1.00
V8: Consider many things 0.03 0.12 -0.07 0.45*** 0.40*** -0.03 0.41*** 1.00
V9: Devote much time 0.11 0.02 0.05 0.20** 0.33*** -0.20** 0.57*** 0.57*** 1.00
V10: Consult salespeople 0.05 -0.08 0.16* 0.07 0.19** -0.12 0.31*** 0.24*** 0.31*** 1.00
V11: Read to get informed 0.15* 0.18** 0.05 0.19** 0.31*** -0.33*** 0.36*** 0.42*** 0.48*** 0.31*** 1.00
V12: Consider others’ opinions -0.09 0.00 0.11 -0.17* -0.19** 0.24*** -0.16* -0.23*** -0.27*** -0.24*** -0.43***

*Significant at P < 0.05 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

Table 3 Correlation analysis results (health consciousness, environmental consciousness and importance of natural beauty product attributes)

V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12

V1: Health 1.00

V2: Environment 0.15* 1.00
V3: Unscented -0.02 -0.03 1.00
V4: Non-allergic 0.05 -0.01 0.35*** 1.00
V5: Pure organic ingredients 0.25*** 0.48*** 0.01 0.15* 1.00
V6: Dermatologist tested 0.11 0.12 0.09 0.44*** 0.25*** 1.00
V7: Free of skin irritants -0.02 0.02 0.15* 0.54** 0.13 0.68** 1.00
V8: No chemical ingredients 0.17* 0.15* 0.15* 0.24*** 0.35*** 0.36*** 0.38*** 1.00
V9: No preservatives 0.13 0.21** 0.11 0.27*** 0.39*** 0.36*** 0.35*** 0.67*** 1.00
V10: Relevant sign/mark 0.14* 0.15* 0.11 0.29*** 0.33*** 0.40*** 0.35*** 0.39*** 0.40*** 1.00
V11: Recyclable packaging 0.07 0.53*** -0.01 0.10 0.46*** 0.19** 0.20** 0.24** 0.34*** 0.33*** 1.00
V12: Appropriate appearance 0.09 -0.03 -0.05 0.16* 0.18** 0.32*** 0.23*** 0.09 0.15* 0.37*** 0.20** 1.00
V13: Appropriate scent 0.02 0.04 -0.05 0.19** 0.12 0.26*** 0.24*** 0.06 0.14* 0.25*** 0.15* 0.35***

*Significant at P < 0.05 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
S. Kim and Y-K. Seock

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International Journal of Consumer Studies 33 (2009) 627–638 © The Authors
S. Kim and Y-K. Seock Natural beauty products

Table 4 Correlation analysis results (health consciousness, environmental consciousness and attitude towards natural beauty products)

V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11

V1: Health 1.00

V2: Environment 0.15* 1.00
V3: Substantial quality difference 0.15* 0.27*** 1.00
V4: More effective 0.07 0.19** 0.58*** 1.00
V5: More fashionable 0.20** 0.09 0.18* 0.26*** 1.00
V6: Better for health 0.16* 0.20** 0.52*** 0.51*** 0.33*** 1.00
V7: No secondary effects 0.14* 0.26*** 0.43*** 0.36*** 0.11 0.39*** 1.00
V8: Higher quality 0.13 0.15* 0.47*** 0.45*** 0.25*** 0.50*** 0.42*** 1.00
V9: Work better 0.19** 0.15* 0.42*** 0.65*** 0.25*** 0.44*** 0.33*** 0.61*** 1.00
V10: Technologically advanced 0.18** 0.25*** 0.31*** 0.30*** 0.23*** 0.32*** 0.26*** 0.40*** 0.43*** 1.00
V11: Environmentally friendly 0.06 0.12 0.29*** 0.25*** 0.26*** 0.47*** 0.35*** 0.37*** 0.18* 0.30*** 1.00
V12: Willingness to pay more 0.21** 0.27*** 0.40*** 0.44*** 0.33*** 0.44*** 0.25*** 0.40*** 0.49*** 0.29*** 0.23***

*Significant at P < 0.05 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

Table 5 Comparison of health and environmental consciousness

Low health/ High health/ Low health/ High health/

low environment low environment high environment high environment
(n = 57) (n = 50) (n = 46) (n = 57) F-value
b a b a
Health consciousness 2.98 3.92 3.05 3.89 110.81***
Environmental 2.74b 2.83b 3.83a 3.96a 117.63***
consciousness

***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

a, b
Cell means that do not share a letter in their superscripts differ at P < 0.05 according to Scheffe test.

substantial quality differences between natural and conventional
beauty products (r = 0.15, P < 0.05) and that natural beauty
products are better for health (r = 0.16, P < 0.05), more fashion-
able (r = 0.20, P < 0.01), technologically advanced (r = 0.19,
P < 0.01), cause no secondary effects (r = 14, P < 0.05), and work
better than conventional products (r = 0.19, P < 0.01). They were
also more willing to pay more for natural beauty products
(r = 0.19, P < 0.01). On the other hand, environmental conscious-
ness exhibited a positive correlation with nine items of attitude
towards natural beauty care products: environmentally conscious
people were more likely to believe that there were substantial
quality differences between natural and conventional beauty prod-
ucts (r = 27, P < 0.001) and that natural beauty products were
more effective (r = 0.19, P < 0.01), better for health (r = 0.20,
P < 0.01), of higher quality than conventional products (r = 0.15,
P < 0.05), technologically more advanced (r = 0.25, P < 0.001),
cause no secondary effects (r = 0.26, P < 0.001), and would work
better than conventional products (r = 0.15, P < 0.05). They were
also more willing to pay more for natural beauty products
(r = 0.27, P < 0.001). Neither variable was correlated with the
belief that natural beauty products were environmentally more
friendly.
Analysis of variance results
In order to examine the impacts of both health and environmental
consciousness on other selected variables, the respondents were
divided into four groups, using the median-split method, based on
their scores on the two variables. The four groups were named as
follows: low health/low environmental, high health/low environ-
mental, low health/high environmental and high health/high envi-
ronmental (Table 5). In order to compare characteristics of the four
groups, a series of analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted.
The purpose of ANOVA is to test for significant differences in
average scores among independent groups (Howell, 1992). In this
study, ANOVA was used to compare the four consumer groups for
significance differences in group means for the following vari-
ables: importance of beauty product attributes, attitude towards
natural beauty products, and perceived self-competence and
beauty product shopping behaviours.
Importance of beauty product attributes
The high health/high environmental group placed a significantly
higher level of importance on pure organic ingredients than
the two groups with low health environmental consciousness
(Table 6). The high health/low environmental group was signifi-
cantly higher on that attribute than the low health/low environ-
mental group [F (3, 206) = 21.16, P < 0.001]. The high health/
high environmental group assigned a significantly higher level
of importance to ‘no use of chemical ingredients’ than the two
groups with low environmental consciousness [F (3, 206) = 5.50,
P < 0.01]. The high health/high environmental group was signifi-
cantly higher than the low health/low environmental group in its

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Natural beauty products S. Kim and Y-K. Seock

Table 6 Comparison of importance of beauty product attributes

Low health/ High health/ Low health/ High health/

low environment low environment high environment high environment
(n = 57) (n = 50) (n = 46) (n = 57) F-value

Unscented 3.16 3.04 2.96 3.11 0.31

Non-allergic reactions 3.95 4.02 3.96 4.18 0.47
Pure organic ingredients 2.39c 2.94b 3.33ab 3.60a 21.16***
Dermatologist tested 4.12 4.06 4.20 4.40 1.17
Free of skin irritants 4.44 4.26 4.46 4.54 1.32
No chemical ingredients 3.32b 3.46b 3.61ab 4.00a 5.50**
No preservatives 3.00b 3.20ab 3.42ab 3.56a 4.12**
Relevent sign or label 3.42 3.78 3.89 3.89 3.27*
Recyclable packaging 2.51b 2.42b 3.48a 3.46a 20.12***
Appropriate appearance 3.56 3.64 3.61 3.88 1.14
Appropriate scent 3.58 3.71 3.85 3.82 1.07

*Significant at P < 0.05 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
a, b, ab, c
Cell means that do not share a letter in their superscripts differ at P < 0.05 according to Scheffe test.

Table 7 Comparison of attitude towards natural beauty products

Low health/ High health/ Low health/ High health/

low environment low environment high environment high environment
(n = 57) (n = 50) (n = 46) (n = 57) F-value
b ab a a
Substantial quality differences 3.12 3.39 3.70 3.70 6.76***
More effective 2.98 3.08 3.37 3.33 2.94*
More fashionable 3.30b 3.61ab 3.50ab 3.70a 3.60*
Better for health 3.63b 3.86ab 3.91ab 4.11a 3.95**
No secondary effects 2.96b 3.12ab 3.27ab 3.32a 3.78*
Higher quality 3.25 3.45 3.50 3.65 2.47
Work better 3.04b 3.29ab 3.26ab 3.49a 3.36*
Technologically advanced 3.02b 3.29ab 3.33ab 3.53a 3.89*
Environmentally friendly 3.81 3.94 3.93 4.16 2.29
Willing to pay more 2.60b 3.22a 3.15a 3.44a 7.39***

*Significant at P < 0.05 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).

**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
a, b, ab
Cell means that do not share a letter in their superscripts differ at P < 0.05 according to Scheffe test.

perception of the importance of ‘no use of preservatives’ [F (3,
205) = 4.12, P < 0.01]. The two groups with high environmental
consciousness scored significantly higher than the two groups with
low environmental consciousness in the importance of recyclable
or biodegradable packaging [F (3, 206) = 20.12, P < 0.001].
Attitude towards natural beauty products
The two groups with high environmental consciousness perceived
more strongly than the low health/low environmental group that
there were substantial quality differences between natural and
conventional beauty products [F (3, 205) = 6.76, P < 0.001]
(Table 7). The high health/high environmental group believed
more strongly than the low health/low environmental group that
natural beauty products were fashionable products [F (3,
205) = 3.60, P < 0.05], were better for health [F (3, 205) = 0.3.95,
P < 0.01], did not have secondary effects [F (3, 204) = 3.78,
P < 0.05], would work better than conventional products [F (3,
205) = 3.36, P < 0.05], were technologically advanced [F (3,
205) = 3.89, P < 0.05] and were significantly different from con-
ventional beauty products [F (3, 205) = 3.01, P < 0.05]. Finally,
the low health/low environmental group was significantly less
willing than the other three groups to pay more for natural beauty
products [F (3, 205) = 7.39, P < 0.001].
Perceived self-competence and beauty product
shopping behaviours
The high health/high environmental group exhibited a signifi-
cantly higher level of perceived self-competence than the low

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S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
Table 8 Comparison of self competence and purchase behaviour
Low health/
low environment
(n = 57)
Self-competence 2.35b
Natural beauty product behaviour 2.02b
**Significant at P < 0.01 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
***Significant at P < 0.001 (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree).
a, b, ab
Cell means that do not share a letter in their superscripts differ at P < 0.05 according to Scheffe test.
health/low environmental group [F (3, 205) = 7.05, P < 0.001]
(Table 8). The two groups with high environmental consciousness
purchased natural beauty products significantly more frequently
than the low health/low environmental group [F (3, 205) = 4.56,
P < 0.01]. The four groups did not significantly differ in any of the
selected beauty product shopping behavioural patterns.
Discussions
Whereas a significant amount of attention has been directed
towards organic food buying in relation to health and environmen-
tal consciousness, there has been no academic research to date
that has shed light on how consumer concerns for health and
environmental issues are associated with their consumption of
eco-friendly beauty products. The current study was designed as
an exploratory study to gain insight into young female consumers’
perceptions and their purchase behaviour of eco-friendly beauty
products, particularly with a focus on comparing the influences of
health and environmental consciousness on those variables.
It should be noted that in this sample health and environmental
consciousness were not independent variables. The two variables
were marginally and positively correlated, suggesting that health-
conscious individuals also tended to care about environmental
issues and to strive to make environmentally sound purchases. In
previous studies of organic food buying (e.g. Wandel and Bugge,
1997; Schifferstein and Oude Ophuis, 1998; Chryssohoidis and
Krystallis, 2005), health and environment were often mentioned
as two important reasons for buying organic. Wandel and Bugge,
1997, for example, found that Norwegian consumers purchase
food produced in an environmentally sound manner not only for
reasons of environmental protection but also for their own health.
A similar observation was also made among Dutch (Schifferstein
and Oude Ophuis, 1998) and Greek consumers (Chryssohoidis
and Krystallis, 2005). The results of the current study may suggest
that health and environment issues are often mentioned together as
motives for buying environmentally friendly products not only
because consumers perceive such products as both healthy and
environmentally friendly but also because health and environmen-
tal consciousness are significantly interrelated. In other words,
environmentally conscious consumers are also health conscious to
some degree and therefore may often consider health and environ-
ment as two critical reasons guiding their consumption. This
finding is understandable because as Schifferstein and Oude
Ophuis (1998) pointed out, concerns for the well-being of the
individual and the state of the environment are derived from the
same ideology.
International Journal of Consumer Studies 33 (2009) 627–638 © The Authors
Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Natural beauty products
High health/ Low health/ High health/
low environment high environment high environment
(n = 50) (n = 46) (n = 57) F-value
2.72ab 2.81ab 3.11a 7.05***
2.49ab 2.58a 2.57a 4.56**
Health and environmental consciousness were both signifi-
cantly related to a respondent’s perceived level of knowledge of
beauty products and ability to distinguish natural from conven-
tional beauty products. Individuals who are concerned about
health and environmental issues are aware that their consumption
behaviours have a major impact on health and the environment and
thus may actively seek information regarding product attributes
that could potentially be harmful to health and the environment.
Their knowledge of and attention to different beauty product
attributes naturally results in heightened confidence in their ability
to distinguish differences between natural and conventional beauty
products. It is interesting, however, that those who were health and
environmentally conscious did not significantly differ from others
in their shopping patterns for beauty products, particularly pertain-
ing to deliberate decision making and comparison shopping. It
appears that health and environmental conscious consumers are
not relatively more deliberate nor active comparison shoppers
when it comes to beauty products. In other words, those individu-
als did not spend more time and effort than others on comparing
alternative purchase options, perhaps because of their confidence
in their knowledge and ability to discern differences between
products.
While health and environmental consciousness were related to
many of the same variables (perceived self-competence, frequency
of natural beauty product purchases, tendency to read about beauty
products to get informed, importance of several product attributes,
many items associated with attitude towards natural beauty care
products, willingness to pay more for natural beauty products), a
few variables appeared to be associated with only one of the two
but not both. For example, the importance given to the absence of
preservatives and the use of recyclable or biodegradable packaging
was related only to environmental consciousness. Although both
health and environmental consciousness were significantly corre-
lated with the belief that natural beauty care products were better
for health and work better than conventional products, only health
consciousness exhibited a significant correlation with the belief
that natural beauty products were more fashionable.
In order to examine how a combination of health and environ-
mental consciousness affected other selected consumer variables,
it was determined that the respondents should be divided into four
groups based on their scores on health and environmental con-
sciousness and that group differences should be examined using a
series of ANOVA. The results indicated that the two groups with a
high level of environmental consciousness (the high health/high
environment group and the low health/high environment group)
purchased natural beauty products more frequently than those with
635
Natural beauty products
a low level of health and environmental consciousness. It is also
noteworthy that among those with a low level of health conscious-
ness, individuals with a high level of environmental consciousness
purchased natural beauty products significantly more frequently
than those with a low level of environmental consciousness. This
result indicates a relatively stronger impact of environmental con-
sciousness than health consciousness on frequency of natural
beauty product purchases. This finding was also confirmed by the
correlation results revealing a stronger association of environmen-
tal consciousness with natural beauty product purchases. The
finding that environmental consciousness was a better indicator of
natural beauty product purchases is particularly interesting, given
prevalent marketing efforts by natural beauty product companies
emphasizing health benefits such as absence of chemical ingredi-
ents and preservatives such as paraben. Although it is difficult to
come to a general conclusion based only on one study, the results
from this study suggest that concerns about environmental issues
may serve as a more enduring motive for changing consumption
patterns of beauty products than health consciousness. In order
to provide better insights into the relative importance of the two
motives, future studies may compare incidental buyers and heavy
users of natural beauty products for their dominant motives.
Additionally, ANOVA results showed that health and environ-
mental consciousness significantly influenced the importance
placed on beauty product attributes. Significant impacts were
shown for pure organic ingredients, absence of chemical ingre-
dients and absence of preservatives. It is particularly interesting
to observe that the low health/low environment group considered
use of organic ingredients significantly less important than the
other three groups. Although no clinical studies have proven that
use of organic ingredients results in improved medical or cos-
metic benefits, health-conscious consumers may believe that
organic ingredients in beauty products are healthier, just as with
organic food. Not surprisingly, only environmental conscious-
ness was associated with the importance given to recyclable or
biodegradable packaging. Health and environmental conscious-
ness were not related to such attributes as ‘no scent’, ‘no allergic
reaction’, ‘dermatologist tested’, ‘free of skin irritants’, ‘appro-
priate appearance’ and ‘appropriate scent’. The results suggest
that health- and environment-conscious consumers do not pay
particular attention to hypoallergenic labels nor seek for a par-
ticular kind of product appearance or scent. They are mostly
interested in organic or natural ingredients without the presence
of chemicals. This finding is consistent with the observation
made in a previous survey of UK consumers, conducted by
Organic Monitor (2007), that consumers’ major concern in their
purchase decision on natural and organic beauty products is the
absence of synthetic chemicals.
Overall, those with a high level of both health and environmen-
tal consciousness were significantly more positive in their evalu-
ations than those with low scores on both variables in their
perceptions of natural beauty products. Additionally, those with
low scores on both variables were significantly less willing than
the other groups to pay more for natural beauty products. This
finding is in line with the observation of Arvanitoyannis et al.
(2003) that both health and environmental consciousness resulted
in a willingness to pay more for organic food among Greek con-
sumers. The researchers also suggested that healthiness must be
combined with environmental consciousness to serve as a strong
636
S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
motive to purchase organic food, a finding that appears to be
supported in the current study of natural beauty products. The
finding also supports previous studies that indicated that consum-
ers who are concerned about the environment are more willing to
pay a premium for green products (Bang et al., 2000; Tanner and
Kast, 2003).
The significant group differences, as revealed by the ANOVA
results, suggested that health and environmental consciousness
could be used as effective segmentation variables for the natural
beauty product market. When studied in conjunction with other
consumer characteristics such as favourite shopping venues (e.g.
health food stores, traditional grocery stores, department stores,
Internet), price sensitivity and loyalty behaviours, a market seg-
mentation based on health and environmental consciousness can
help marketers construct meaningful consumer profiles and sub-
sequently help them develop effective sales and promotional
strategies.
It is interesting to note that environmental consciousness was
not significantly correlated with the belief that natural beauty
products were more environmentally friendly. This finding may
be because most people believe that natural beauty products are
undoubtedly more environmentally friendly. In other words, you
do not have to be environmentally conscious to believe that these
products are more environmentally friendly and sound. As dis-
cussed earlier, however, environment- and health-conscious con-
sumers believed more strongly than their counterparts in other
benefits of natural beauty products, including their fashion value.
The growing population of health- and environment-conscious
consumers and their positive attitudes towards natural beauty
products as well as their willingness to pay higher prices for these
products may prompt companies to aggressively market natural
beauty products through misleading labels and unsupported
claims about their health and environmental benefits. Recently,
under the constant pressures from consumer advocate groups such
as the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the US Department
of Agriculture has acknowledged that there are problems with its
monitoring and reinforcement of the national organic certification
programme. Additionally, a recent study commissioned by the
OCA indicated that many leading natural and organic branded
products contain toxic ingredients that may cause cancer, a finding
that partly contributed to a lawsuit filed by the state of California
against several leading beauty care companies (OCA, 2008).
Alongside such efforts to influence consumer and marketing poli-
cies and practices, consumer advocate groups need to find efficient
ways to educate consumers about current labelling policies and
regulations and also to make them aware of common myths and
misconceptions about the benefits of different ingredients used in
natural beauty care products. Through such efforts, consumers will
become less vulnerable to inaccurate and misleading information
and marketing tactics used by beauty care companies.
This study had several limitations that should be considered
when interpreting its results. First, this study used a convenience
sample and was limited to female college students at a single
university in the US. Therefore, the results of this study cannot be
generalized to women of different age groups and in different
geographic locations. Second, because there was no published
research on natural beauty products to guide the development of a
systematic research model, this study was designed simply to be
exploratory in nature. Based on the findings from the current
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Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
S. Kim and Y-K. Seock
study, future studies should include other variables that might shed
greater insights into purchase decisions for natural beauty prod-
ucts. For example, it would be interesting to determine how con-
sumers’ beauty product purchase behaviour is affected by their
exposure to information regarding possible harmful effects of
chemical ingredients such as paraben and lauryl sulfate and
whether or not environmental and health consciousness play a
mediating role in that relationship.
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