Journal of Marketing Communications

ISSN: 1352-7266 (Print) 1466-4445 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjmc20

Saudi females' buying behavior of green

cosmetics: A pertinent motivational aspect

Sania Khan & Ansa Salim

To cite this article: Sania Khan & Ansa Salim (2020): Saudi females' buying behavior of
green cosmetics: A pertinent motivational aspect, Journal of Marketing Communications, DOI:
10.1080/13527266.2020.1720268

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2020.1720268

Published online: 04 Feb 2020.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 29

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rjmc20
JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2020.1720268

Saudi females' buying behavior of green cosmetics: A pertinent

motivational aspect
Sania Khan and Ansa Salim
College of Business Administration, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The study investigates which group of Saudi females are more Received 5 September 2019
conscious about buying green cosmetic products. It also analyses Accepted 20 January 2020
the relationship between motivational factors (MF), purchase pre- KEYWORDS
ferences (PP), and tendency towards heath consciousness (THC) in Green cosmetics; eco-
green cosmetic products. A model was developed to understand friendly products; Motivating
the influence of independent variables on the dependent vari- factors; customer
able. MF, PP, and THC were considered as independent variables preferences; customer
and purchase of green cosmetic products as dependent variable. attitude; green cosmetics
A survey was conducted using a survey questionnaire and col-
lected data from 318 Saudi women under three major segments
(university students, working women, and non-working women)
belonging to various provinces in Saudi Arabia. Multiple regres-
sions in SPSS software were used to analyze the collected data.
While the students do not have a significant purchasing capabil-
ity, housewives lack an informed purchasing decision. However,
only the working women are potentially motivated with fair
health consciousness and consideration to purchase the green
cosmetics. This paper provides an insight for retailers, wholesa-
lers, manufacturers’ green cosmetic industry, policymakers, whole
cosmetic industry, and other stakeholders.

Introduction
The cosmetic industry contains subcategories like skin care products, hair care products,
color cosmetics, fragrances, and personal care products. The present study will focus only
on green personal care products that are manufactured out of green/natural or green
ingredients. Three major aspects that are creating the sale in the green cosmetic industry
with the relationship of motivational factors (MF), purchase preferences (PP), and ten-
dency towards heath consciousness (THC) are the major concern under this study. The
women customers under three major sectors were college students, working women, and
non-working women who were focused in this study.
Developed and developing countries have different legislative control on cosmetic
products and usage of its ingredients. This will adversely affect the mobility of cosmetic
products from one market to another market and act as an inability to sell the same

CONTACT Sania Khan sa.khan@psau.edu.sa College of Business Administration, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz
University, P.O. Box 165, Al Kharj 11942, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 S. KHAN AND A. SALIM

products across the nations. The cost will get increased due to the legal restrictions to
change formulation, quality test, package, etc. When each cosmetic industry is working on
the formulation and based on the requirements of their country which will not damage
the environment. The enhanced inclination across the globe in green cosmetic industry is
now raised as a part of today’s lifestyle and become essential in day-to-day life. This shows
the relevance of the industry as personal care products are being an eminent status
symbol of the contemporary world. The approach of educated modern customer trends
towards a high target on a healthier lifestyle with a raised potential market in the
requirements for green cosmetics. This study focuses on MF, PP, andTHC. Beauty
Industry Analysis, 2015, revealed an estimate of 3.8% growth in the global cosmetic
market when compared to 2012 sales and also regarding the green cosmetics, it is
expected with a prediction of growth to 14 billion US$ in 2015. Many cosmetics that are
launched during 2013 onwards claimed that they are all green by using a term either
‘natural’, ‘herbal’, ‘healthier’, ‘green’, but the genuineness of those claims were not easy to
prove. The customers are still skeptic to find out whether they can buy and use the
product based on such claims. This doubtful condition made an enormous confusion to
the label ‘green’ or ‘natural’ even to the original products available in the market. The
affinity towards green cosmetics has increased as customers and the mass media is
highlighting its strong way of life. The industry of natural cosmetics, food, and fashion
is expanding across the globe according to Cervellon and Carey (2011). The positive
attitude of consumers towards the environmental issues does not lead to the purchasing
behavior for green cosmetics. To find out the most influencing PP of customers in
personal care products is the most crucial part of any business. The offers and advertise-
ments given by the manufacturers are other important aspects thatinfluence the PP of
customers. The THC is another major area under discussion worldwide. This research
considers it as a major component under study to understand much about the influence
of health consciousness in buying green personal care cosmetics. The green cosmetics
were normally bought by the people who are more conscious about the environment.
Their lifestyle would be more environment-friendly with the intention to buy only natural
products that should not harm oneself and the ecosystem (Dimitrova, Kaneva, and
Gallucci 2009, 1158). This research mainly focuses on the insights towards consumer’s
MF, PP, and health consciousness to buy green personal care cosmetics. The study will
also determine the most preferred group among the females of Saudi Arabia with regard
to the purchase of green cosmetics. Apart from the green cosmetics, much of the extant
literature exists on green advertisement explored on attitude, purchasing intention, and
willingness to pay for green products. Bailey, Mishra, and Tiamiyu (2016) developed a
scale to identify and measure consumers’ receptiveness to green advertising (REGRAD).
Besides the marketers' efforts, the author used to measure different consumers by divid-
ing them into segments. The findings demonstrated high correlation with eco-friendly
behavior and also dissimilarities from green skepticism. The study shows a moderation
effect between consumer’s attitude and intentions towards the firms and their green
initiatives. A study by Kong and Zhang (2014) investigated to what extent the green
advertisements appeal the customers on more harmful and less harmful products. The
study shows no significant differences among green and non-green advertisements. Also,
consumers strongly perceived green advertisement to be effective for more harmful
products than on less harmful products. The study also shows that there exists a positive
 JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 3

influence of green advertisement with a significant mediation interaction towards green

appeal and the type of the product. Ayadi and Lapeyre (2016) explored the role of
consumers’ willingness to pay while purchasing the green products and demonstrated
that there exists a moderating effect among price and eco-friendly statements. Also,
willingness to pay shows a mediating effect on consumer purchase intention and
perceptions.
The most influencing factors were considered for the study as sub-factors of three
major components along with the demographics. The major factors include MF, PP,
andTHC, and sub-factors include under MF is belief, price, scientific evidence, medicinal
value, and celebrity endorsement whereas under PP frequency of buying, proximity to
buy, brand name, loyalty, and the last factor THC with health consciousness, willingness to
change, and a sense of environment-friendly.
The organization of this research with a first part on introduction, second part presents
a chosen literature review on MF, PP intentions, and purchasing tendency towards green
cosmetics. Data collection and research methodology are discussed in the third section,
while the fourth part presents the result of the research and followed by findings and
discussion. The final section of the paper explains the conclusions and scope for future
research.

Literature review
The revenue incurred by the green/natural cosmetic product industry as of 2017 is
12.1 billion US$ as per ‘Statista, the statistics portal’ and an expected growth of 2.9
billion by 2028. An annual growth in the global market of 8–10% in green cosmetics
is predicted by the Persistence Market Research from 2016 to 2022. Among the
global market of green cosmetic product market in the Europe alone is expected
to reach 30%–35% and Asian countries with 20% increase in the global market.
According to Chan (2001), the definition of green purchase is a particular way of
showing an eco-friendly attitude to express one's concern towards the environment.
Buying green products is a way of conveying specific behavior of individuals towards
their concern to the eco-friendly attitude. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2000),
the decision for buying is taken by a single person wherein others in the family or
friends influence the purchase by motivating the individual buyer. The most impor-
tant MF to buy a product may involve the locus of control of a customer as initiator,
user, or buyer of the products. Concern towards self and towards the fellow being is
a different way of attitude towards the well-being of the environment as well as
oneself. A research conducted by Kouya, Sangkumchaliangb, and Aditto (2016) in
Phonum Phen stated that the majority of the people become more health-conscious
when their earnings increase. This kind of consciousness in individuals results in the
consumers’ intention towards PP on green or eco-friendly goods. The study also
reveals the availability of the product and convenience to reach it in the nearby
locations and also results in their consumption patterns. Ghazali et al. (2017) exam-
ined the intention of customers to purchase again and again green products for
personal care and developed a model thatshows the perceived intention of custo-
mers to purchase green products. It was revealed from the study that the relation-
ships hypothesized had a relation between PP and perceived intentions. The PP of
4 S. KHAN AND A. SALIM

green personal care products due to its availability in the near proximity was widely
discussed in many studies. The health and attitude related to the environment reflect
on the green buying behavior. The latest updates in the technology made people
aware of green personal care products thatwould bring a positive attitude and made
them repurchase the product. The social benefit that arises out of this positive
attitude is very important and the industry can predict the attitude of the customers.
The re-buying behaviors of green cosmetic products were so far not much studied by
the researchers but are very important for the manufacturers and industry as a
whole. So this norm of re-buying was not much supported by the previous literature
with MF and PP. The habit of re-buying by the customer is a major research area
wherein predicting the buying behavior, attitude towards repurchasing a product,
perceived control, etc., is connected with many other behavioral tendencies thatare
of ethnic value, knowledge about the product, environmental concern, etc. Berger
and Corbin (1992) stated attitude as an assessment of an individual’s opinions or
feeling about a matter. The author also stated that power conversion efficiency
means the self-evaluation towards environmental issues. Kim and Choi (2003, 2005)
found a direct positive relationship between attitude and environmental attitude.
Fonseca-Santos, Corrêa, and Chorilli (2015) stated as a finding in his study about
today’s green cosmetic users who are more conscious about “eco-friendly products“
that cause less harm to the environment. The process carried out in the raw material
of the product for its formulation along with the test used by the cosmetic compa-
nies to evaluate the effectiveness of the product with its toxicology is causing a
greater impact. Today’s consumers are much aware of the process, formulation, and
tests used by the cosmetic industry as a whole and are searching for a harmless
product. Moraes (2009), stated as research and development in green products is
advancing and finding a path for alternative products which are completely green /
natural, the traditional method of cosmetic productions is becoming
obsolete. Therefore, there exists an importance of a tendency towards health con-
sciousness to purchase green cosmetics. Also the increasing health consciousness
and the importance of preserving the eco-system brings in a multi-dimensional
perspective on purchasing preferences in all levels of purchasing including personal
care products.
A number of studies asserted the positively significant relationship between PP intentions
towards green cosmetic purchasing in different dimensions (Cheah and Phau 2011; Mostafa
2007; Magnusson et al. 2001). But the three major dimensions of MF, PP, and THC of three
segments of Women in Saudi Arabia were not much researched by the previous researchers.

Proposed model development and hypotheses formulation

Based on the model proposed above, the study attempts to understand the influence of
the independent variable on the dependent variable. To this, it focuses on recognizing
which groups of Saudi females are more inclined to buy these products.
 JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 5

Research hypotheses
Based on the scientific problems and research objectives, the following hypotheses are
proposed:

Hypothesis 1. Motivational factors among students positively influence them towards

purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 2. Purchase preference among students positively influences them towards

purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 3. Tendency towards health consciousness among students positively influ-

ences them towards purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 4. Motivational factors among housewives positively influence them towards

purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 5. Purchase preference among housewives positively influences them towards

purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 6. Tendency towards health consciousness among housewives positively

influences them towards purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 7. Motivational factors among working women positively influence them

towards purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 8. Purchase preference among working women positively influences them

towards purchase of green cosmetics

Hypothesis 9. Tendency towards health consciousness among working women positively

influences them towards purchase of green cosmetics

Motivational
Factors

Purchase Purchase of
Preference Green Cosmetics

Tendency
towards health
consciousness

Figure 1. Proposed model to understand the purchase of green cosmetic products.

6 S. KHAN AND A. SALIM

Research methodology
This research study applies a survey method with a carefully compiled questionnaire. In this study,
Saudi women customers are grouped into three major categories: regular students in university,
working, and not working. The questions were based on the factors identified in the review of
literature and the questionnaire consisted of four parts. The first part of the questionnaire included
demographic variables like age, education, employment, marital status, and experience of the
respondents. The second, third, and fourth parts included statements on a 5-point Likert scale,
where respondents were asked to express the degree of their agreement (1 – strongly disagree, 5 –
strongly agree) demographic variables, MF, THC, and PP are measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale.
Multiple regression followed by correlation has been used for analyzing the data collected through
the questionnaire. Regression results show that gender, motivating factors, and consumers’ purchase
tendency towards green cosmetics brands have an influence on consumer purchase intentions.

Survey instrument and data collection

This study used closed-end type of questions with the measures of MF, PP, and THC as manifesting
factors. These questions were designed to rate on a 5-point Likert scale, 1 = strongly disagree, 2 =
disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree. Few other ranking type questions were also
asked to understand the customers’ priority of purchase pattern towards green products. The study
used a stratified random sampling method, by dividing the whole population into homogenous
subgroups. A well-structured questionnaire was administered through an online survey across various
groups of Saudi females, namely, college students, housewives, and working women. Totally 343
responses were received, out of which 318 were to be found to be useful for further analysis.

Data analysis
The data analysis part is done in three parts. Firstly, it represents the demographic profile of the
respondents as shown in Table 1, and secondly, it explores the factor structure of various items of the
factors and lastly presents the results of regression analysis. From Table 1, it is observed that the
majority of the respondents are the students below 30 years of age and mostly with bachelor

Table 1. Respondents' demographic profile.

Variables Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
Age
20 years and below 95 29.87
21–30 years 83 26.10
31–40 years 72 22.64
41–50 years 40 12.57
51 years and above 28 8.80
Civil status
Students 116 36.47
Housewives 104 32.70
Working women 98 30.81
Education
Schooling 33 10.37
Vocational 69 21.69
Bachelors 142 44.65
Masters 66 20.75
Ph.D. 8 2.51
 JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 7

Table 2. Profile of customers towards purchasing green cosmetics.

Mean
Working
Dimensions Students Housewives women
Motivational factors (MF) 3.85 3.44 4.28
(1) I am aware and believe that green products are healthier (MF1)
(2) I am ready to buy green cosmetics even though they are costly (MF2)
(3) Scientific evidence on packing and its benefits about green cosmetics would
increase my level of trust (MF3)
(4) I am more environmental-friendly-oriented and so as in using cosmetics
(MF4)
(5) I look for herbal and medicated ingredients in cosmetics over chemicals (MF5)
(6) I am skeptical about green products that claim to be green in the market
(MF6)
(7) Celebrity endorsement helps increase my level of trust towards products that
claim to be ‘green’ (MF7)
(8) I believe in the published information about green cosmetics (MF8)
Purchase preferences (PP) 3.24 3.64 4.18
(1) I Buy cosmetics once in a month (PP1)
(2) I prefer to buy green cosmetics if they are available in proximity where I live
(PP2)
(3) I prefer to buy branded products regardless of whether they are green or not
(PP3)
(4) I am more loyal to buy green cosmetics even though there exist other less
costly products (PP4)
(5) Even if the price of green products continue to rise, I would like to continue
my purchase of green products (PP5)
(6) The economic downturn affected your green purchases (PP6)
Tendency towards health consciousness (THC) 3.16 3.93 4.58
(1) I am more health-conscious of all the products I use in my daily life (THC1)
(2) I am willing to try different skin care products (THC2)
(3) I would like to consider myself as environment-friendly in all aspects of my
life (THC3)
(4) I am interested in purchasing non-green products that are enriched in added
nutritional value like vitamins, calcium, etc. (THC4)

degrees. Table 2 represents the mean value of the respective measurement items separately for three
groups. Among all, the students’ group obtained the lowest means in all the three factors and the
highest means were derived by the working women group.
The study developed multiple questions under three constructs that are similar and
suitable to all the three groups. To understand the relationship between these multiple
variables and to identify their underlying dimensions, exploratory factor analysisusing
principal component analysis method by varimax rotation was conducted. Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 was used for statistical data analysis and
to validate the research hypotheses. With eigenvalue greater than 1, Table 3 demon-
strates that all the 18 items were reduced into three constructs. The factorability condi-
tions were also well satisfied by observing the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value with 0.853 and a
significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (p < 0.001). The eight items of MF, six items of PP,
and four items of THC were loaded under respective constructs with each item's total
correlation greater than 0.3 (Spector 1992) and Cronbach's α coefficient values greater
than 0.7 (Nunnally 1978), 0.824, 0.863, and 0.931, respectively, satisfying the reliability
conditions.
8 S. KHAN AND A. SALIM

Table 3. Rotated component matrix.

Components
Items 1 2 3
MF1 0.864
MF2 0.836
MF3 0.795
MF4 0.726
MF5 0.898
MF6 0.858
MF7 0.794
MF8 0.821
CP1 0.871
CP2 0.893
CP3 0.843
CP4 0.837
CP5 0.718
CP6 0.867
TH1 0.886
TH2 0.923
TH3 0.908
TH4 0.942
Initial eigen values 4.462 3.437 1.881
% of Variance 28.459 21.038 15.846
Cumulative % 28.459 49.497 65.343

Results and discussion

To test the research hypotheses, the study conducted multiple regression analysis to
determine the impact of MF, PP, and THC on purchase of green cosmetics. The same
model as shown in Figure 1 was rigorously tested for each homogenous group to
examine how each group's exogenous variables influence their intention to purchase
green cosmetic products. Table 4 demonstrates the results of the regression analysis
for each group.
In Table 4 of regression analysis, the R2 for students is 0.131 at p = 0.064 indicating
that only 13.1% of the factor variance contributing to their purchase intention. Since
the F-value was not significant, it implies the inadequacy in predicting the purchase
intention. Similarly, R2 value for housewives was 0.365 at p = 0.037, explaining 36.5%
of variance on the dependent variable and found to be moderately significant. The
working women group obtained the highest R2 value of 0.716 at p = 0.000, represent-
ing a highly significant value with 71.6% variance on purchasing green cosmetics.
However, the overall summary with independent factors for these groups indicated an
insignificant impact on purchasing green cosmetics.

Table 4. Model summary for three groups of females.

R R2 Adjusted R2 F Sig.
Students 0.362 0.131 0.131 6.26 0.064
Housewives 0.607 0.365 0.325 10.58 0.037
Working women 0.846 0.716 0.703 57.352 0.000
Independent variables: motivational factors and customer preference. Dependent variable: purchasing green
cosmetics.
 JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 9

Table 5 explains the coefficient of variables for all three groups individually. The
standard beta value is 0.211 at p = 0.005, indicating that students have a significant
positive awareness and motivation towards green cosmetics, accepting H1. On the other
hand, beta value for PP was 0.103 at p = 0.079, which is insignificant and shows that
students do not have a free choice/preference to buy these green cosmetics as they are
financially dependent on their parents. Therefore, the data do not support hypothesis H2.
However, students’ THC is positively significant with 0.386 at p = 0.002 and conforms with
H3. Few students stated that the awareness of green cosmetics is popularly spreading
among college-going girls, but they may not be able to buy them as they perceive that
these green products are expensive and are less affordable for them.

Table 5. Coefficients of variables.

Unstandardized coefficients Standardized coefficients
Model Β Std. error β t Sig.
Students Constant 14.758 4.579 5.548 0.006
MF 0.433 0.156 0.211 2.897 0.005
PP 0.246 0.153 0.103 1.664 0.079
THC 0.345 0.234 0.386 2.486 0.002
Housewives Constant 11.495 2.378 4.847 0.003
MF 0.253 0.169 0.105 1.68 0.083
PP 0.684 0.172 0.251 3.573 0.000
THC 0.484 0.284 0.356 3.943 0.000
Working women Constant 5.605 8.168 2.695 0.000
MF 0.794 0.111 0.421 13.646 0.000
PP 0.327 0.472 0.389 10.548 0.000
THC 0.247 0.203 0.338 9.548 0.000
Independent variables: motivational factors and customer preference. Dependent variable: purchasing green cosmetics.

The standardized beta value of housewives’ MF was 0.105 at p = 0.083. This states that
the housewives were not reinforced with any kind of motivation to buy green products.
Hence, H4 was rejected by the data. However, PP and THC among housewives were found
to be significantly positive with 0.251 and 0.356, respectively, at p < 0.001, indicating the
acceptance of H5 and H6 hypotheses. This shows that this group of customers are
significantly driven by their PP with healthy habits in their daily life and also in doing
their regular shopping. Most of the females in this group stated they are less exposed to the
new green products and would need some approaches to keep them informed timely and
educate them about new products and the benefits of green products.
Whereas, the beta values for working women are highly significant for MF, PP, and THC
with 0.421, 0.389, and 0.338, respectively, at p < 0.001, consistent with hypotheses H7, H8,
and H9, respectively. These women are highly educated with a fair knowledge on green
products and more environmental-conscious about most of the products they use and
can afford to purchase green cosmetics. As the female are welcoming environmental
friendly products from various companies, it clearly shows the concept of green and
environmental friendly is in growth stage. More than 55% of women stated that they are
more brand-conscious and may be loyal to green products only if such products come
with a high brand. The majority of females prefer to buy these green cosmetics regularly if
they are available within the proximity of the place they live. Almost 62% of women stated
10 S. KHAN AND A. SALIM

that they prefer to buy more facial and hair care–related products like baby care products,
creams, shampoos, and bar soaps which are manufactured from natural ingredients and
plants as their skin is highly sensible and need incentive protection from harsh calamity of
Saudi Arabia.

Findings
Women customers in the study have identified that the respondents are less aware of the
long-term benefits of choosing green cosmetics. Even though all women customers in
different parts of Saudi Arabia are aware of the health benefits of using green cosmetics,
the study has revealed some interesting facts. Women customers in the study have identified
that the respondents are less aware of the long-term benefits of choosing green cosmetics.
When the perception of working women varies in groups, their scores are relatively high.
Based on the study, it is suggested that more awareness programs, workshops, and training
sessions of the green cosmetic products are needed to promote the same in the region. Such
initiatives on workshops not only promote the awareness among all categories of women
but will lead to a sustainable progress in the cosmetic industry as a cornerstone for the
progress in a society. In this study, the group of working women obtained the highest score
(R2 value of 0.716 at p = 0.000), representing a highly significant value with 71.6% variance
on purchasing green cosmetics. It states that they are more conscious and influenced by MF,
PP, and THC. Few studies in connection with cosmetic products also have similar findings
related to this study. A recent study by Poranki and Perwej (2014) found in their study that
there is more time available for people in the private sector, business sector, and housewives
to take care of their beauty. According to them in Saudi Arabia, married women are more
conscious about skin and personal care when compared to other young women. While
considering the age group, the middle aged are more inclined to beauty and cosmetics in
general. While considering occupation, married women have a positive attitude towards
beauty and personal care cosmetics.
Manufacture and marketing of green cosmetics increased across the globe in the
recent decade. This study examined the relationship between consumers’ intentions
towards pertinent MF towards buying green cosmetic products among females in Saudi
Arabia. A model was developed for the study to get a clear picture on the independent
and dependent variables. The study thoroughly analyzed the purchase intentions of three
segments of women customers as students, working women, and housewives using
multiple regressions. The major focus of the study is to identify which segment of ladies
in Saudi Ariabia is more inclined towards the purchase of green personal care cosmetics.
The result shows a positively significant level of awareness among the students and their
motivation towards buying green cosmetics. At the same time, their purchasing power in
a student is less. Working women are more aware of eco-friendly/green cosmetics. The
correlation value of working women indicates a significant level of 0.421 for MF, PP 0.0389
and tendency towards health-conscious purchase as 0.338 all at p < 0.001 respectively.
This represents the environment-friendly approach of highly educated working women.
Also, they can afford costlier cosmetic products. The study revealed the working women's
concern on brand consciousness and their intention to buy cosmetics if the products are
available at near proximity. A positive significant relationship between all the factors of
 JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 11

motivation towards customer preferences and attitude towards green cosmetics provides
a supporting relationship under study.

Limitations and practical implications

The proposed relationships are hypothetical and are limited to the sample under study as
the respondents are from different parts of the country. The result is empirical and cannot
generalize the result. The empirical values from the student group clearly demonstrate
the inadequacy of the regression model. Therefore, the authors further could not have a
strong interpretation towards students' green purchasing preferences.
The combination of motivating factors with the customer attitude and preferences
pertaining to relationships paves insights into the progress of different categories of
women members’ research study that presents an insight into the consumer decision-
making process with regard to green cosmetic products and the complexities of the process.

Conclusion
The study revealed that educated working women in Saudi Arabia are more aware as well
as more conscious of purchasing green cosmetic products. Their tendency to purchase and
re-purchase the personal care product shows their concern towards eco-friendly products,
which is the major concern towards health in recent years. The consumers become more
conscious of their health and skin. The women customers across the globe tend to buy eco-
friendlier/green products as cosmetics, which is also same in the case of Saudi Arabia
women. The buying behavior is directly connected with its purchasing power, which is
clearly revealed in the study with the student segment due to the availability of income. As
the awareness is connected with the tendency to buy green cosmetics, the study found the
housewives are not much aware about the green/eco-friendly cosmetics. The educated
working women are more aware of purchasing power and the tendency to purchase. So
the actual purchase happens more with the working women., As the motivation, aware-
ness, and tendency have been studied separately in the cosmetic industry many times. This
study reveals motivation, awareness and tendency together with all segments of ladies in
the Kingdom using multiple regressions brings in a further scope for the study in the green
cosmetics.
In Saudi Arabia, across provinces, educated, employed, and highly-paid women are more
aware of green personal care products. It provides an opportunity for capturing the significant
development for the manufacturers across the globe to market their green personal care
cosmetic products to Saudi Arabian Market. The utilization of effective marketing strategies
can bring about magnificent achievement in the personal care product industry, which is still
untapped in the cosmetic industry of Saudi Arabia. The researchers in this study put forth an
earnest effort to find out different MF and attitudes to bring in PP using different sub-factors.
The conceptualization of modified sub-factors in different dimensions like being health-
conscious also states the greater potential of the Saudi Arabian market.
12 S. KHAN AND A. SALIM

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express special thanks to all the respondents who participated in this
research and also to the reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped in improving the
quality of this research article.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors
Sania Khan is currently working as an assistant professor in College of Business Administration,
Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. She has received her PhD in International Business. She
possesses more than 9 years of experience in university level teaching and her areas of specializa-
tion and teaching interest are in Human Resource Management, Marketing Management, and also
in Business environment. Her wide area of research interests is in Green Marketing, Consumer
Behavior, Services Marketing, Human Resource, and Organizational Development. Dr Sania Khan is
also an active member of reviewers in few reputed journals.
Ansa Salim is an assistant professor of Business Administration at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz
University, Saudi Arabia. She received her PhD in Management from PRIST University, India. After 12
years of teaching experience in the field of Management at master's level, she joined Prince Sattam
Bin Abdulaziz University in 2018. She is an award winner for guiding funded project in Oman
Chamber of Commerce (OCCI) and worked with a funded project by Public Authority of Social
Insurance, Oman (PASI). She attended and coordinated workshops and published papers in differ-
ent international journals.

References
Ayadi, N., and A. Lapeyre. 2016. “Consumer Purchase Intentions for Green Products: Mediating Role
of WTP and Moderating Effects of Framing.” Journal of Marketing Communications 22 (4): 367–
384. doi:10.1080/13527266.2014.888574.
Bailey, A. A., A. Mishra, and M. F. Tiamiyu. 2016. “Green Advertising Receptivity: An Initial Scale
Development Process.” Journal of Marketing Communications 22 (3): 327–345. doi:10.1080/
13527266.2014.904812.
Berger, I. E., and R. M. Corbin. 1992. “Perceived Consumer Effectiveness and Faith in Others as
Moderators of Environmentally Responsible Behaviors.” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing 11:
79–89. doi:10.1177/074391569201100208.
Cervellon, M., and L. Carey. 2011. “Consumers’ Perceptions of ‘Green’: Why and How Consumers Use
Eco-fashion and Green Beauty Products.” Critical Studies in Fashion & Beauty 2 (1–2): 117–138.
doi:10.1386/csfb.2.1-2.117_1.
Chan, R. Y. K. 2001. “Determinants of Chinese Consumers’ Green Purchase Behavior.” Psychology and
Marketing 18 (4): 389–413. doi:10.1002/mar.1013.
Cheah, I., and I. Phau. 2011. “Attitudes Towards Environmentally Friendly Products: The Influence of
Ecoliteracy, Interpersonal Influence and Value Orientation.” Marketing Intelligence & Planning 29
(5): 452–472. doi:10.1108/02634501111153674.
Dimitrova, V., M. Kaneva, and T. Gallucci. 2009. “Customer Knowledge Management in the Natural
Cosmetics Industry.” Industrial Management & Data Systems 109 (9): 1155–1165. doi:10.1108/
02635570911002243.
 JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 13

Fonseca-Santos, B., M. A. Corrêa, and M. Chorilli. 2015. “Sustainability, Natural and Organic
Cosmetics: Consumer, Products, Efficacy, Toxicological and Regulatory Considerations.” Bruno
Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 51 (1): 17–26.
Ghazali, I., Abdul-Rashid, S. H., Dawal, S. Z. M., Tontowi, A. E., Aoyama, H., & Sakundarini, N. 2017.
Cultural influences on choosing green products: An empirical study in Malaysia. Sustainable
Development 25 (6), 655–670.
Kim, Y., and S. M. Choi. 2003. “Antecedents of Pro-environmental Behaviors: An Examination of
Cultural Values, Self-efficacy, and Environmental Attitudes.” International Communication
Association. San Diego, CA: Marriott Hotel.
Kim, Y., and S. M. Choi. 2005. “Antecedents of Green Purchase Behavior: An Examination of
Collectivism, Environmental Concern and PCE.” Advances in Consumer Research 32: 592–599.
Kong, Y., and L. Zhang. 2014. “When Does Green Advertising Work? the Moderating Role of Product
Type.” Journal of Marketing Communications 20 (3): 197–213. doi:10.1080/13527266.2012.672335.
Kotler, P., and G. Armstrong. 2000. Principles of Marketing. 8th ed. India: Printice Hall Private Limited
Publishing.
Kouya, S., P. Sangkumchaliangb, and S. Aditto. 2016. “Consumers’ Attitude and Intention to
Purchase Organic Goods in Cambodia.” International Journal of Business 21 (4): 328–340.
Magnusson, M. K., A. Arvola, U.-K. Koivisto Hursti, L. Aberg, and P.-O. Sjoden. 2001. “Attitudes
Towards Organic Foods among Swedish Consumers.” British Food Journal 103 (3): 209–227.
doi:10.1108/00070700110386755.
Moraes, R. 2009. “Formulations Require Functionality from Natural and Organic Ingredients.” Rev.
Quim. Deriv. 4 (83): 52–61.
Mostafa, M. 2007. “A Hierarchical Analysis of the Green Consciousness of the Egyptian Consumer.”
Psychology & Marketing 24 (5): 445–473. doi:10.1002/(ISSN)1520-6793.
Nunnally, J. C. 1978. Psychometric Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Poranki, K. R., and A. Perwej. 2014. “The Buying Attitudes of Consumers of Cosmetic Products in
Saudi Arabia.” Research Journal of Science and Management 4 (8): 138–145.
Spector, P. E., ed. 1992. “Summated Rating Scale Construction: An Introduction.” University Papers
Series on Quantitative Application in the Social Sciences Series No. 07-082. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Publications.