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.