IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i4p1652-d1340283.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Consumers’ Reaction to Greenwashing in the Saudi Arabian Skincare Market: A Moderated Mediation Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Mohd Adil

    (Department of Management Studies, NIT Hamirpur, Hamirpur 177005, India)

  • Eden Samuel Parthiban

    (Department of Management Studies, NIT Hamirpur, Hamirpur 177005, India)

  • Haitham A. Mahmoud

    (Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia)

  • Jei-Zheng Wu

    (Department of Business Administration, Soochow University, Taipei 100, Taiwan)

  • Mohd Sadiq

    (Peter Faber Business School, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia)

  • Fatima Suhail

    (Department of Commerce & Business Administration, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211002, India)

Abstract

Amidst the abundance of skincare options, the process of identifying the most fitting products is a daunting task. This challenge is further intensified when brands frequently lack transparency concerning their environment-friendly characteristics, fostering skepticism among consumers or potential adopters. As a result, to resolve the problem of consumers’ mixed emotions towards skincare brands, it is necessary to understand how greenwashing, green skepticism with two moderators (information quality and brand reputation) shape consumers’ intentions. Drawing on a theoretical conceptual model rooted in the consumer behavior literature, the present investigation tested the hypotheses through cross-sectional survey research. Using convenience sampling, 441 participants were recruited through social media platforms and skincare-related forums. This study establishes the mediating role of green skepticism and the direct impact of greenwashing on consumers’ purchase intentions. Consequently, the statistical significance of the path coefficients provide empirical support for the influence of greenwashing and green skepticism on consumers’ intentions. Our research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable consumption, offering theoretical advancements and practical implications for the researchers, policymakers, and businesses involved in the Saudi Arabian skincare market.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohd Adil & Eden Samuel Parthiban & Haitham A. Mahmoud & Jei-Zheng Wu & Mohd Sadiq & Fatima Suhail, 2024. "Consumers’ Reaction to Greenwashing in the Saudi Arabian Skincare Market: A Moderated Mediation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-17, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:4:p:1652-:d:1340283
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/4/1652/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/4/1652/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dandan Wang & Thomas Walker, 2023. "How to Regain Green Consumer Trust after Greenwashing: Experimental Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Farrukh Rafiq & Mohd Adil & Mohd Sadiq, 2022. "Does Contextual Factor Influence Travelers’ Towel Reuse Behavior? Insights from Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Liu, Linlin & Lee, Matthew K.O. & Liu, Renjing & Chen, Jiawen, 2018. "Trust transfer in social media brand communities: The role of consumer engagement," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1-13.
    4. Aysun Kahraman & İpek Kazançoğlu, 2019. "Understanding consumers' purchase intentions toward natural‐claimed products: A qualitative research in personal care products," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1218-1233, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aladwani, Adel M. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2018. "Towards a theory of SocioCitizenry: Quality anticipation, trust configuration, and approved adaptation of governmental social media," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 261-272.
    2. Salomé Areias & Antje Disterheft & João Pedro Gouveia, 2023. "The Role of Connectedness in Pro-Environmental Consumption of Fashionable Commodities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Abdul Waheed & Qingyu Zhang & Yasir Rashid & Muhammad Sohail Tahir & Muhammad Wasif Zafar, 2020. "Impact of green manufacturing on consumer ecological behavior: Stakeholder engagement through green production and innovation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1395-1403, September.
    4. Gang Xu & Yuxin Liao & Yixin Jiang & Peiyao Xu & Lilin Yang & Wenhua Huang & Manru Zhang & Rong Wu, 2022. "The Impacts of Urban Environments on Community Trust of the Low-Income Group: A Case Study for the Pearl River Delta Region," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Alalwan, Ali Abdallah, 2018. "Investigating the impact of social media advertising features on customer purchase intention," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 65-77.
    6. Jae-Jang Yang & Rajesh Iyer & Yong-Ki Lee, 2022. "Why Do Local Foodscapes Matter in Building Tourist Trust and Loyalty?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, February.
    7. Emel Yarimoglu & Tugrul Gunay, 2020. "The extended theory of planned behavior in Turkish customers' intentions to visit green hotels," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1097-1108, March.
    8. Irfan Hameed & Zeeshan Hyder & Muhammad Imran & Kashif Shafiq, 2021. "Greenwash and green purchase behavior: an environmentally sustainable perspective," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(9), pages 13113-13134, September.
    9. Ming-Yan Wang & Peng-Zhu Zhang & Cheng-Yang Zhou & Neng-Ye Lai, 2019. "Effect of Emotion, Expectation, and Privacy on Purchase Intention in WeChat Health Product Consumption: The Mediating Role of Trust," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-19, October.
    10. Yuanyuan Cao & Jiantong Zhang & Liang Ma & Xinghong Qin & Junjun Li, 2020. "Examining User’s Initial Trust Building in Mobile Online Health Community Adopting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-20, June.
    11. Andrea Mezger & Pablo Cabanelas & Mª. Jesús López‐Miguens & Francesca Cabiddu & Klaus Rüdiger, 2020. "Sustainable development and consumption: The role of trust for switching towards green energy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3598-3610, December.
    12. Sutherland, Will & Jarrahi, Mohammad Hossein, 2018. "The sharing economy and digital platforms: A review and research agenda," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 328-341.
    13. Krawczyk-Sokołowska, Izabela & Caputa, Wiesława, 2023. "Awareness of network security and customer value – The company and customer perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    14. Jamali, Mehdi & Nejat, Ali & Ghosh, Souparno & Jin, Fang & Cao, Guofeng, 2019. "Social media data and post-disaster recovery," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 25-37.
    15. Paweł Bryła & Shuvam Chatterjee & Beata Ciabiada-Bryła, 2022. "The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Engagement in Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-16, December.
    16. Tuğba Koç & Fatih Çevik, 2022. "Building Trust in E-Commerce: A Practical Trust Guide for Evaluation," Alphanumeric Journal, Bahadir Fatih Yildirim, vol. 10(2), pages 167-184, December.
    17. Osei-Frimpong, Kofi & McLean, Graeme & Islam, Nazrul & Appiah Otoo, Brigid, 2022. "What drives me there? The interplay of socio-psychological gratification and consumer values in social media brand engagement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 288-307.
    18. Chih-Cheng Chen & Raditia Yudistira Sujanto & Ming-Lang Tseng & Anthony S. F. Chiu & Ming K. Lim, 2021. "How Is the Sustainable Consumption Intention Model in Food Industry under Preference Uncertainties? The Consumer Willingness to Pay on Recycled Packaging Material," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-22, October.
    19. Mostaghel, Rana & Chirumalla, Koteshwar, 2021. "Role of customers in circular business models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 35-44.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:4:p:1652-:d:1340283. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.