From Routine to Agency: An Intervention Enhancing Consumer Empowerment in Cosmetic Health Choices. A Socio-Ecological Perspective

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has become a major public health concern in France and across Europe. Personal care products (PCPs) constitute a significant source of exposure. Although information about EDCs gets available, regulatory actions remain limited. Individuals get responsible of their consumption and are confronted with complex ingredient lists, conflicting information, and ambiguous alternatives, making behavioural change challenging. Prior research suggests that disrupting habitual consumption patterns may create a window of opportunity for reflection and change (Verplanken et al., 2008). However, little is known about how such interventions influence psychological empowerment when consumers are embedded in dense social, economic, and market ecosystems. This research draws on two complementary theoretical frameworks: psychological empowerment and the socio-ecological model. Psychological empowerment is defined as a process enabling individuals to act autonomously toward self-defined goals and is composed of four dimensions—meaning, competence, autonomy, and impact (Spreitzer, 1995; Zimmerman, 1995). While empowerment has often been studied at the individual level, this research adopts a socio-ecological perspective inspired by Bronfenbrenner (1977)'s model, conceptualising behaviour as the outcome of interactions between individual factors, interpersonal influences, market and organisational structures, and broader societal norms and policies. This perspective is particularly relevant for understanding why individual motivation alone may be insufficient to sustain behavioural change following interventions. This paper is based on a qualitative longitudinal intervention conducted in Grenoble, France, between 2023 and 2024. The intervention lasted 11 days with three phases: a three-day observation of usual routines, a five-day substitution phase, and a post-intervention period. During the substitution phase, participants replaced their usual PCPs with a provided kit to reduce exposure to EDCs, while using only essential products when necessary. Semi-structured interviews were conducted after the intervention (N = 26) and again at least two months later (N = 24). Interviews explored habits, perceptions, emotional reactions, enablers and barriers to change. Results show disrupted automatic routines and an encouraged reflection. Participants became more aware of the number of products they used and questioned the necessity of certain practices, often perceiving practical benefits such as time savings. The disruption fostered meaning by prompting reflections on self-image and consumption norms, although low risk perception related to the invisibility and delayed effects of EDCs limited perceived urgency. Ingredient lists reading skills increased, though knowledge integration remained uneven due to cognitive, emotional, contextual, and cultural barriers. Autonomy and impact varied across participants, depending strongly on economic resources, accessibility of alternatives, social influences, and life context. While some adopted new practices that persisted several weeks after the intervention, others reverted to previous habits. No lasting behavioural change was observed without at least minimal activation of meaning and competence. Results highlight that short-term interventions can initiate reflection and partial behavioural change, but their effects remain fragile without supportive ecosystem-level actions. The study demonstrates how individual agency interacts with contextual constraints, reinforcing the relevance of a socio-ecological perspective with psychological empowerment. The findings suggest that coordinated marketing strategies, clearer communication tools, and public policies are necessary to sustain healthier consumption practices over time.