The Impact of Pro-environmental Beliefs and Personal Norms on Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention: A Study of Gen Z in Vietnam

Abstract

Health consciousness and environmental issues have been concerned greatly in recent years. In the cosmetics industry, these considerations initiated a tendency for Generation Z (Gen Z) to purchase green cosmetics instead of chemical cosmetics. This paper summarizes several theoretical foundations to build hypotheses and framework examining factors affecting Gen Z 's purchasing intention towards green cosmetics. Based on Value - Belief - Norm Theory (Stern, 2000), this research focuses on exploring the influence of psychological factors on green purchasing intentions (GPI). In addition, this study investigates the mediating effects of pro-environmental belief and personal norms on the relationship between the value orientations and the green purchasing intention. Finally, researchers will analyse data collected from people of different gender, ages and their monthly spending on cosmetics. A total of 655 valid responses were gathered through online and offline surveys using convenient sampling techniques. The authors evaluate the reliability (Cronbach's Alpha) and validity (EFA) by using SPSS 25 software, and test the study hypotheses by using SmartPLS 3.7 technique. The findings reveal that hedonic (β=0.290) and egoistic value orientation (β=0.237) indirectly affect GPI while personal norm exerts significant influence on GPI directly (β=0.419). The findings of the study have important implications for formulating appropriate governmental public policies and developing better marketing strategies for green cosmetics brands to approach customers.