Questions related to the environment and ESG practices have become increasingly common within companies. During her master's in Consumer Behavior at ESPM, a leading school and authority in Marketing and Innovation for business, advertising professional Keloane Mendes organized a research on the consumption of green cosmetics for skincare.
Conducted between February and March 2024, the survey identified environmental trust – consumers' confidence in brands' ability to take actions in favor of the environment – as a motivator for green cosmetics consumption. According to the survey, environmental trust impacts 69% of ecologically conscious consumption behavior and 54% of socially conscious consumption.
Another finding in the survey was the amount spent per month by Brazilians on sustainable beauty products, with 60.1% spending more than 100 reais, 24.6% between 101 and 150 reais, 17.1% consuming between 151 and 200 reais, while 11.1% are between 201 and 300 reais, and 7.3% spend over 300 reais. Those who spend up to 50 reais per month represent 11.7%, while 28.2% spend between 51 and 100 reais.
For Keloane Mendes, a master in consumer behavior, studying this behavior helps to explain much of what happens in daily life. With this research, I aimed to understand the reason why they consume these products. Brazil is a major consumer of cosmetics overall. And the consumption of green cosmetics, which are natural, vegan, and organic, is increasing more and more. So I sought to understand the reason behind this.
Focusing on skincare, the research highlighted that the most commonly used product daily is sunscreen, used by 66.3% of the sample, followed by facial moisturizer (60.1%).
“We were also able to observe that 61.7% of respondents who completely agreed with the statement “I make every effort I can to buy green cosmetics with ecological raw materials (e.g. organic, natural raw materials)”, that is, product claims bringing these points influence the purchasing decision”, says the master in consumer behavior.
The study also highlights the strength of the claims used by brands on packaging to encourage the consumption of green cosmetics. Brand trust accounts for more than 70% of intrinsic motivation in favor of conscious consumption as well as extrinsic motivation. "In other words, the consumer will be more motivated to buy cosmetics the greater their confidence in the brand's environmental behavior," says Luciana Florêncio de Almeida, research supervisor and professor of the Master's in Consumer Behavior at ESPM.
The teacher also highlights that, through the results, it is possible to suggest some tactical actions to be adopted by industry marketing managers. Whether investing in the sustainability of the business by providing transparency in actions to increase environmental trust in the brand and/or adopting recognized certifications, which help raise consumer awareness and positively influence their consumption habits.
“For ESPM, research like Keloane’s demonstrates our concern in looking at and seeking to address issues relevant to society, including environmental issues. We seek to raise awareness among our entire academic community, from undergraduate, graduate and master’s students to students in courses offered by the school’s Continuing Education program,” says Denilde Holzhacker, academic director of ESPM.
The research was carried out with Brazilians who declared consuming green cosmetics with a focus on skincare in the three months preceding the study, a sample of 386 people across the country.
Last month, the study received an honorable mention at EnANPAD, the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Administration, the largest administration congress in Latin America.
