Factors Influencing Generation Y Consumers' Intention to Purchase Vegan

Facial Cleanser products in Vietnam

1. Abstract
The worldwide COVID-19 epidemic and ongoing climate disaster have boosted demand
for vegan beauty and skin care products as consumers want to alter their consumption
habits beyond food. Of course, the cosmetics market was one of the first that felt the
prosperity brought by these changes and started designing a wide range of vegan
beauty and skin care product lines tailored to each consumer's needs. The main
purpose of this study is to identify the Factors Influencing Generation Y Consumers'
Intention to Purchase Vegan Facial Cleanser products in Vietnam. Many researches have
utilized the theory of planned behavior to study factors influencing product purchase
intentions in general. This research not only re-examines the effects of attitude,
subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to purchase vegan
skincare products, but it also proposes a new antecedent — health-aware and
environmentally conscious purchasing intention. This study was built around a
conceptual framework that aimed to investigate the most essential parts that influence
purchase intent, as presented by prior research and theory. As a result, this work takes
a deductive approach, employing quantitative research methods to achieve the goal of
this descriptive research. The information was acquired through a survey of 200
Vietnamese millennials (Gen Y) on their skincare product purchases. It was feasible to
understand Generation Y's attitude toward Vegan Facial Cleanser goods and what
attitudes this set of customers had before purchasing Vegan Facial Cleanser items
through this study. This research might aid Vegan skincare companies, cruelty-free
organizations, and social media sites dedicated to sharing knowledge in developing a
marketing plan for cruelty-free cosmetics aimed at Gen Y.

Keywords: Theory of Planned Behavior, Purchase Intention, Environmental

Knowledge, Health Consciousness, Gen Y, Vegan skincare products

2. Introduction
Because of the outbreak of Covid-19 and changes in the climate, many people's
behaviors have altered. People are paying more attention to their inner and exterior
wellness. Going vegetarian on a regular basis, reducing the use of plastic bags and
other plastic things, moving to vegan products, and eating a "body-friendly" diet are all
examples of environmental initiatives. As a result of the growing customer reaction to
the trend of healthier living and the need for products that are more natural, the
cosmetic industry has shifted to pay more attention to ecological products (Dimitrova,
Kaneva, and Gallucci, 2009). The advent of vegan beauty and skin care products in
place of traditional beauty and skin care products is one example of this transition.
Vegan skincare products are made entirely from plants, not including derivatives or
animal ingredients such as eggs, milk, snail extracts, bee extracts including honey,
beeswax, or other animal ingredients. At the same time, Vegan skincare products are
not manufactured and tested on animals. (Thuy Tra,2021). Compared to conventional
cosmetics, the effect of vegan cosmetics will be slower. Because traditional cosmetics
contain chemicals that produce immediate results. And vegan cosmetics will provide
nutrients from deep within to help restore damage, nourish healthy skin, and will not
degrade the skin due to frequent chemical exposure. Vegan cosmetics have a much
shorter shelf life than conventional cosmetics because no preservatives are used. A
product must be endorsed by a "vegan" certification organization, such as Vegan Action
or The Vegan Society, to be considered a vegan cosmetic. These products will
frequently have a "vegan" logo on the packaging for easy identification.

Source: Politech.pl (VEGAN COSMETICS, NOT ONLY FOR VEGANS!)

In fact, vegan cosmetics are not something new, but it will not be until 2021 that this
beauty industry becomes a phenomenon when people push the "reset" button on life
due to the severe impacts of the Covid epidemic on people's lives. According to Statista,
the worldwide vegan cosmetics industry is expected to rise from $13.56 billion in 2018
to $16.29 billion in 2021. This market is expected to reach 20.8 billion USD by 2025.
Besides, the pandemic also had an impact on consumers' perceptions of beauty. Facial
skin care is important to global consumers during the pandemic, while makeup is less
important in the aftermath of the outbreak. 2022) (Yeong-Hyeon Choi, Seong Eun Kim,
and Kyu-Hye Lee). Using facial cleansing products is an essential step in everyone's
daily skincare routine.
In Vietnam, in addition to traditional facial skincare brands accounting for a negligible
amount, many new brands have appeared in the last 10 years, along with the trend of
vegan cosmetics, creating an activity in the domestic cosmetic market, according to Mr.
Tran Thanh Hai, head of personal care, chemical industry, DKSH Vietnam. Mr. Hai also
stated that producers are interested in vegan cosmetics, in addition to users. Despite
having numerous features, vegan cosmetics do not leave a strong mark in the
Vietnamese cosmetic sector due to Due to the development of the industry, which has
created cosmetic lines from chemicals because of its convenience and reasonable
prices, since then, chemical cosmetics have gradually dominated the beauty industry
market (Pham Nhat Vi, 2020). In the face of such severe competition, vegan cosmetic
brands must focus on customers and the elements that influence their decision to
purchase vegan cosmetics, especially the current young generation. This study will be
focusing on Millennials Generation. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word
"Millennials" refers to the generation of persons born between the early 1980s and the
early 1990s. Some individuals include children born in the early 2000s as well. The
Millennial Generation is sometimes known as Generation Y since it follows Generation X,
who lived from the early 1960s through the 1980s. Millennials have been described in
various ways. On the negative side, they've been labeled as indolent, egocentric, and
prone to changing jobs. They have, however, been characterized positively. They are
often considered more open-minded and supportive of homosexual rights and minority
rights. Other good qualities to characterize them are self-assurance, self-expression,
liberality, optimism, and openness to new ideas and ways of life. (Main, 2017).
Millennials are a powerful economic force. With $200 billion in yearly purchasing power,
clever marketers are looking to new channels to attract this generation. (Mary
Lister,2022). Millennials Generation grew up with the rise of the digital age. Innovative
 technology affects their way of thinking, living as well as their behavior. As a result,
Millennials themselves form completely different mindsets, lifestyles, and expectations.
When compared to the preceding generation, this distinction has a significant impact on
their purchasing habits. (Fabrice Carrasco, 2018). According to a Nielson 26 online
worldwide survey, the Millennial generation is the most conscientious when it comes to
purchasing decisions. In this survey, 75% of Gen Y participants said they were willing to
pay extra for sustainable items (Marton et al., 2020). Millennials are also more sensitive
about ethical concerns, and they are largely responsible for the rise in demand for
ethical cosmetics (Alaouir et al., 2019). This study thus intends to identify the factors
that influence the Gen Y consumer’s intention to purchase Vegan facial cleansing
products by using an extended framework of the theory of planned behavior model.

3. Theoretical Background and Hypotheses Development

The structure of the proposed
derived from six constructs:
products, subjective norm,
environmental consciousness,
products.
framework is shown in Figure 1. Five hypotheses are
attitude toward purchasing Vegan facial cleansing
perceived behavioral control, health awareness,
and purchase intention for Vegan facial cleansing

Attitude
H1

Subjective norms
H2

Intention to purchase
Perceived behavioral Vegan facial cleansing
control H3
products

H4
Health awareness

H5
Environment
consciousness

Figure 1. Research framework.

3.1. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

This study's theoretical framework is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen,
1991), one of the most influential and widely used theoretical approaches to
predicting individual intention and behavior (Rivis et al., 2009; Dean et al., 2012).
This theory defines three core concepts: behavior, attitude, subjective norms, and
perceived behavioral control. According to Ajzen (1991), attitude refers to "the degree
to which a person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation or appraisal of the
behavior in question," subjective norm refers to "the perceived social pressure to
perform or not perform the behavior," and perceived behavioral control refers to "the
individual's perception of his/her ability to perform the behavior." These ideas
influence one's intent and, as a result, one's behavior.

3.2. Attitude

Attitude is referred to as an individual's taught inclination to interact and respond

consistently toward a favorable or unfavorable attitude (Tan, C.N.L.; Ojo, A.O.;
Thurasamy, R, 2019). Positive or negative feelings regarding something can be
expressed through attitude (Del Hawkins, I.; Best, R.J.; Coney, K.A, 2004). A good
attitude toward specific conduct increases the likelihood of a customer purchasing,
but a negative attitude decreases the precautionary propensity of a client (Verbecke &
Vackier, 2005). Attitudes influence a person's choices by helping to establish his or
her behavior model (Testa et al., 2016). When customers have a positive attitude
toward particular conduct, they are more likely to engage in that behavior (Ajzen,
1991). Consumer attitudes toward purchasing natural skin care products influence
their willingness to purchase natural skin care products (Kim & Chung, 2011).
Understanding consumer attitudes and behavior toward the consumption of Vegan
skin care products may help to clarify consumer decisions (Ajzen,1991).

H1: There is a significant relationship between attitude and purchase intention

towards Vegan facial cleansing products among Generation Y in Vietnam.
3.3. Subjective norms

H2: There is a significant relationship between subjective norms and purchase

intention towards Vegan facial cleansing products among Generation Y in Vietnam.
3.4. Perceived behavioral control

H3: There is a significant relationship between perceived behavioral control and

purchase intention towards Vegan facial cleansing products among Generation Y in
Vietnam.
3.5. Health awareness

H4: There is a significant relationship between Health awareness and purchase

intention towards Vegan facial cleansing products among Generation Y in Vietnam.
3.6. Environment consciousness

H5: There is a significant relationship between Environment consciousness and

purchase intention towards Vegan facial cleansing products among Generation Y in
Vietnam.
 4. The research problem

As the researcher mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, many new brands have
emerged in the last ten years, along with the trend of vegan cosmetics, creating activity in
the domestic cosmetic market. Domestic vegan skincare cosmetics, on the other hand,
have yet to make a strong mark in the domestic cosmetic market due to stiff competition
from conventional cosmetic goods that have established a foothold in both local and
international markets. As a result, it is critical to identify the factors influencing Gen Y
customers' decisions to purchase vegan cosmetics in Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is
to respond to the following statements:

 Which factors influence the purchasing intentions of gen Y consumers in Vietnam

for Vegan facial cleansing products?
 Which of the factors discovered is the most influential in the purchase of Vegan
facial cleansing products?
 How do Gen Y consumers perceive Vegan skincare?
 What distinguishes vegan skincare products from conventional skincare products?
 What are Gen Y consumers' attitudes toward Vegan facial cleansing products?
 What factors influence Gen Y consumers' repurchase of Vegan facial cleansing
products?

5. The research objectives

The main purpose of this study is to identify the Factors Influencing Generation Y
Consumers' Intention to Purchase Vegan Facial Cleanser products in Vietnam by re-
examines the effects of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on the
intention to purchase vegan skincare products and proposes a new antecedent — health-
aware and environmentally conscious purchasing intention. Following are the specific
objectives of the study:

 To conduct an online survey of 200 Vietnamese Gen Y who frequently buy

cosmetics.
 To investigate how variables influence Vegan Facial Cleansing products purchase
intentions among Generation Y consumers in Vietnam.
 To identify the primary factors influencing Vietnam Generation Y consumers'
purchase intentions toward Vegan Facial Cleansing products.

6. The research methodology

This study employs a quantitative research approach to data management, aided by
statistical tools. Quantitative methods seek to explain a specific phenomenon using
objective measures and statistical analyses of data collected through various methods,
including questionnaires (Bryman,2015). Questionnaires allow for the collection of
information from a sample of people and are especially useful for describing and exploring
human behavior. The demographic studied in this study is Vietnam's Generation Y, which
comprises Vietnamese people born between 1980 and 2000, ranging in age from 18 to 40.
The reasons for selecting this population were thoroughly covered in the preceding
sections. This generation has grown up with technology, is self-aware, and has shown a
keen interest in environmental issues. To obtain good and fair results, a sufficient sample
size should be around 200 or 300 (Comrey & Lee, 2013), so the researcher surveyed 300
Vietnamese people from various demographic backgrounds. Individuals receive the
questionnaires via online surveys. The survey is distributed to Facebook (a social
networking website) users via personal pages and public groups on the online platform.
The survey used a pre-structured close-ended questionnaire in which respondents rated
scores from a set of pre-defined options.

The researcher employed population and convenience sampling to select participants

based on the following criteria:

Variables Categories
20-25
26-30
Age
31-35
36-40
Female
Gender Male
Others
Students
Entrepreneur
Occupation
Employee
Household wife/husband
Below 200
200-400
401-600
Monthly income (USD/Month)
601-800
801-1,000
Above 1,000
High school
Associated Degree
Education Under graduation
Post-graduation
Others
Single
Married
Marital Status Divorced
Widowed
Others
 One time per year
Two times per year
Number of purchase skincare products in a
Three times per year
year
Four times per year
Five times and above per year

Table 1. Demographic profile of the respondents.