The Attitude of Portuguese Consumers of Green Cosmetics: The Influence of Environmental Concern and Health Concern

Introduction

Environmental awareness, regarding the preservation of the environment and ethical and sustainable manufacturing methods of products, is developing among consumers, governments, and regional regulatory authorities that create laws to reduce the impact on the environment during the manufacture and commercialization of products (Saleem et al., 2021). Thus, companies need to know the new needs of consumers, who are more aware of the impact of their actions and consumption habits on the environment (Patak et al., 2021), adapting their marketing strategies to environmentally friendly strategies (Baktash & Talib, 2019; Lin et al., 2019; Patak et al., 2021; Rajput et al., 2022). Since consumer choices determine the fate of companies, green marketing emerges as a proactive strategy for companies to meet the needs of a sustainable market by offering products and services that avoid or minimize any harmful impact on the environment (Rahman et al., 2017; Rajput et al., 2022). This includes integrating environmental concerns into all areas of operations, from strategy development and planning to interaction with consumers, making firms that have favourable attitudes towards the environment more competitive (Rajput et al., 2022).

Thus, green marketing focuses on a responsible approach to the environment, integrating into various areas of society, and incorporates a wide range of activities such as product design, sustainable manufacturing, and communication with consumers in a long-term approach that focuses mainly on environmental factors and involves the full utilization of company resources for innovation (Nadanyiova et al., 2020; Rahman et al., 2017; Saleem et al., 2021).

However, even though environmental problems affect aspects of human life, only a few academic fields have studies on green topics (Rajput et al., 2022), and although the cosmetics field has become the target of demands regarding its environmental products and processes, scientific studies are still limited. Therefore, it is essential to study it due to consumer demand for green cosmetics and sustainable manufacturing processes, reflecting an increase in green consumption in the 21st century (Pop et al., 2020). Thus, this chapter proposes to identify the perception of Portuguese consumers of green cosmetics about socially responsible brands and to understand whether the attitude of Portuguese consumers towards green cosmetics is influenced by environmental and health concerns.

To answer the research question, this chapter includes an empirical study with a quantitative method through online questionnaires. Participants were Portuguese consumers who have already purchased or intend to purchase green cosmetics.

The insights produced by this chapter are particularly interesting. The results will provide relevant data for all those with an interest in the topic: business managers and digital marketers (with a strong focus on those working with green cosmetics), the organizational and academic community, and the community at large.