More than 60% of people strive to buy beauty products with eco-friendly raw materials

Issues related to the environment and ESG practices have been increasingly common within companies. During the Master's degree in Consumer Behavior at ESPM, a reference school, authority in Marketing and Innovation focused on business, the advertising company Keloane Mendes organized a survey on the consumption of green cosmetics for skincare.

Conducted between February and March 2024, the survey identified environmental trust 'consumer confidence in the ability of brands to employ actions in favor of the environment ''AS as a motivator for the consumption of green cosmetics. According to the survey, environmental trust impacts 69% ecologically conscious consumer behavior and 54% socially conscious consumption.

Another finding in the survey was the amount disbursed per month by Brazilians in sustainable beauty products, 60,1% spend more than 100 reais, 24,6% between 101 and 150 reais, 17,1% consuming from 151 to 200 reais, while 1% are between 201 and 300 reais, and 7,3% spend more than 300 reais. Those spending up to 50 reais in the month represent 1,171,1701,100001 reais.

For Keloane Mendes, master in consumer behavior, studying this behavior helps explain much of what happens in everyday life. “With this research, I sought to understand why they consume these products. Brazil is a major consumer of cosmetics as a whole. And the consumption of green cosmetics, which are natural, vegan and organic, is growing more and more. So I sought to understand the reason behind it.”

With the focus on skincare, the research highlighted that the most consumed product daily is sunscreen, used by 66.3% of the sample, followed by facial moisturizer (60.1%). 

“We could also observe that 61,7% of respondents who fully agree to the statement “I make every effort I can to buy green cosmetics with ecological raw materials (e.g., organic, natural raw materials)”, that is, claims of products bringing these points influence the purchase decision”, says the master in consumer behavior.

The study also highlights the strength of the claims used by brands in packaging to motivate the consumption of green cosmetics. The trust in the brand explains more than 70% of the intrinsic motivation in favor of conscious consumption as the extrinsic motivation. “That is, the consumer will have more motivation to buy cosmetics the greater their confidence in the environmental behavior of the brand”, says Luciana Florencio de Almeida, research advisor and professor of the Master 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.“Be invested in business sustainability, giving transparency to actions to increase environmental trust in the brand and/or adopt recognized certifications, which contribute to sensitize consumers and positively influence their consumption habits.”

“For ESPM, research such as that of Keloane demonstrates the concern we have in looking at and seeking to address issues relevant to society, including environmental issues.We seek to bring this awareness to our entire academic community, from undergraduate, graduate and master students, to students of the courses offered by Continuing Education at the” school, says Denilde Holzhacker, academic director of ESPM.

The survey was conducted with Brazilians who reported 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 Graduate Studies and Research in Administration, the largest administration congress in Latin America.