Beyond the Label: Unveiling Greenwashing Impacts on Consumer Purchasing in Sunscreen Packaging

The purpose of this research project is to unveil how the use of greenwashing tactics in marketing can influence a consumer’s actions and purchasing behavior in regard to sunscreen product packaging. It aims to uncover whether environmentally charged language or imagery (or both) on a product has an impact on a consumer’s willingness to purchase the product and their perceptions of the product’s health for their body and the environment. Additionally, are certain demographic profiles - considering a consumer’s age, income level or education level - more inclined to have a positive perception of “environmentally-friendly” sunscreen products? To answer these questions, a survey of 22 questions was conducted to capture consumer thoughts, preferences, and attitudes toward the faux sunscreen product shown to them and their general opinions on sunscreen products. After obtaining these survey results, a statistical analysis was performed to reveal significant relationships among some of the variables tested. These analyses led to recommendations for sunscreen brands for their product packaging. It was discovered that green language matters more to consumers than the imagery on sunscreen packaging. This research shows the impact language has on product packaging and serves as a baseline for future studies on environmental packaging.