Fatores influenciadores do consumo de cosméticos sustentáveis

Abstract

Cosmetics are one of the product options that have adopted actions related to sustainability and sustainable development. These products have invested in reducing the use of non-renewable raw materials, recyclable packaging and non-testing animals. The sustainable cosmetics are health and beauty products that do not use petroleum derivatives, silicones and sulfates, also do not use animal elements and care for the management of social and environmental bias. The segment moves more than R$ 3 billion and has grown 20% a year in Brazil. In marketing literature, there are different factors that guide consumers' consumption. Internal factors of the individual, such as health, and external factors, such as price, are some commonly pointed out in the literature. Internal factors of the individual, such as health, and external factors, such as price, are some commonly pointed out in the literature. Sustainable cosmetics have been increasingly relevant in the market and there are studies that point out different variables influencing the consumption. This research proposes to identify which factors influence the consumption of sustainable cosmetics. As specific objectives we have: to identify characteristics of the individuals in the sample of consumers of sustainable cosmetics and to measure the importance of the factors that influence the purchase of sustainable cosmetics. A bibliographic review of the topic identified previous studies on the main factors to be aggregated. For the data collection, a questionnaire was used, which obtained a total of 529 respondents after data cleaning. The research, which has a quantitative character, responds to the first specific objective with the demographic and open questions. The closed questions helped to measure the importance of the factors through descriptive statistics, factorial analysis and reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha). With a 68.04% variance explained, 7 factors were identified in the factorial: Health (α = 0.864), Vanity and well-being (α = 0.857), Environment and ethical awareness (α = 0.855), Family and friends (α = 0.798), Packaging (α = 0.744), Media and availability (α = 0.722) and Close people and convenience (α = 0.569). Most respondents have higher education, are young adult women, and care about product quality, with the improvement in the health that the product brings, and with the commitment of cosmetics to the environment and animal testing. It is noteworthy that the reference groups were also relevant in the study. As for the academic contributions, we have new aspects to be approached in an aggregated way in studies of the segment, such as attributes, health and environment. Another contribution is the figure of women and higher education as delineators of the profile of consumption, as well as the variety of prices enabling consumption by different income groups. As managerial contributions, this work underscores the relevance of the sustainable cosmetics segment in the Brazilian market today, being an opportunity for investment in production, marketing strategies and competitive advantage.