Natural Cosmetics and the Attitude-Behaviour Gap – Environmental knowledge, (producer) transparency and social norms make the difference for young adults

The desire of consumers for sustainable cosmetic products has grown significantly in Germany in recent years, but nevertheless only a minority buy corresponding products in their everyday life. This gap between attitude and behaviour – referred to as the attitude-behaviour gap – is the focus of this empirical study. The data and the analysis are based on a quantitative online survey and regression analysis. In brief, the influence of customer attitude on the actual reported purchasing behaviour of natural cosmetics among young adults in Germany is explored by the identification of possible determining factors, which are included in the analysis measuring their statistical significance. From the results, possible solutions are derived as to how affected manufacturing companies can deal with the gap between attitude and behaviour. The results show that the attitude significantly influences the purchasing behaviour of natural cosmetics. However, this is not the only influencing factor. The purchasing behaviour also depends on the availability of relevant information about natural cosmetics and the influence of social norms. A lack of transparency of manufacturer information weakens a previously positive attitude or – if present – strengthens a negative attitude towards natural cosmetics. Consequently, manufacturers have the opportunity to address and significantly reduce the attitude-behaviour gap for natural cosmetic products through addressing or reducing these factors..