Understanding the role of simple packaging in affecting consumers’ intentions to purchase green cosmetic products

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine how simple packaging can affect consumers’ perception of green cosmetic products in terms of naturalness, eco-friendliness and authenticity, thereby driving intentions to purchase green cosmetic products, drawing on the SOR model. This study also applies both sufficiency and necessity logics to identify the should-have and must-have factors of intentions to purchase green cosmetic products. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 201 respondents using snowball and convenience sampling methods. The proposed conceptual framework was tested through partial least squares structural equation modelling and necessary condition analysis. Findings – The findings report that simple packaging positively affects perceived naturalness, perceived eco-friendliness and perceived authenticity. Next, perceived naturalness does not influence purchase intentions. In addition, perceived eco-friendliness and perceived authenticity are found to have a significant positive influence on purchase intentions. Furthermore, the authors found that simple packaging is not a necessary condition for perceived naturalness, perceived eco-friendliness or perceived authenticity. Next, perceived naturalness and perceived authenticity are found to be prerequisites for purchase intentions, whereas perceived eco-friendliness was not a prerequisite for purchase intentions. Originality/value – This study makes a very unique contribution to understanding how simple packaging of green cosmetic products can drive purchase intentions through perceived naturalness and perceived eco-friendliness through the sufficiency and necessity causal perspectives.