Intention to Purchase Halal Cosmetics: Do Males and Females Differ? A Multigroup Analysis

Abdul Hafaz Ngah,Samar Rahi,Heesup Han,Su-Hyun Park,Serge Gabarre,Jassim Ahmad Al-Gasawneh

doi:10.3390/cosmetics8010019

Abstract

As Muslims bound to Islamic teachings, the attitude of young millennials preferring non-halal international cosmetics is trivial. Despite the acceptance of halal food, literature on the acceptance of halal cosmetics remains scarce. The intention to purchase halal cosmetics is crucial for the sustainability of halal cosmetics manufacturers. The authors used the theory of planned behavior to identify factors influencing the purchase intention of halal cosmetics among Muslim millennials. Since cosmetics are not exclusively used by females, as males are starting to use them in their daily lives, gender was incorporated into the framework to assess its moderating effect on the relationship. Furthermore, brand image was included in the theory of planned behavior. Data were collected from three universities in Malaysia. A total of 501 responses were analyzed with smart partial least squares to run a multigroup analysis. The analysis revealed that subjective norms have a stronger effect on females, and perceived behavioral control has a greater effect on males. Although attitude and brand image have a positive effect on the intention to purchase halal cosmetics, gender has no effect. The findings are essential for halal cosmetics manufacturers to craft a marketing strategy aimed at Muslim millennials in Malaysia.

Highlights

For Muslims, consuming halal products is not an option but an obligation
The analysis reveals that attitude has a positive relationship with the intention to purchase halal cosmetics for the overall, female and male datasets, corroborating the findings from previous studies [21,22,23] which highlighted that attitude has a positive effect on the intention to purchase halal cosmetics
Young and product-conscious Muslims are driving the demand for halal cosmetics, with the market growing from an estimated 20 billion USD in 2015 to an expected 54 billion USD by 2022

Summary

Introduction

For Muslims, consuming halal products is not an option but an obligation. As stated by Houlis in 2015, the market size for halal cosmetics was estimated at 20 billion USD, and it is expected to reach 54 billion USD by 2022 [5]. This volume is believed to represent only 2.5% of the global cosmetics industry [6]. Muslims make up 25% of the world’s population, the consumption of halal cosmetics is considerably low among Muslim consumers

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion