Abstract

The market for natural makeup has been substantially increasing, primarily because many consumers believe that natural makeup is healthier and higher quality than unnatural makeup. However, perceived health hazards of unnatural makeup have been debunked, and, while there is no evidence disproving the perceived quality superiority of natural makeup, the manipulability of chemical ingredients suggests that unnatural makeup would be superior. Therefore, the question arises as to whether consumers choose natural makeup not because it is actually superior in quality, but because society has led them to believe it is healthier and more effective. A blind consumption test involving four popular brands of lip gloss - two natural and two unnatural - was conducted to determine whether consumers actually prefer their self-identified favorite makeup brands and how influence from the natural product movement affects how closely their self-identified preferences match their blind consumption preferences. Ultimately, it was found that consumers’ self-identified preferences rarely matched their preferences under blind consumption conditions, regardless of how influenced they were by the natural product movement. Thus, the results suggest that makeup consumers make decisions predominantly based on their emotional perceptions of certain brands, as opposed to actual sensed quality differences between makeup products; and, while the natural product movement may be one factor that affects consumers’ perceptions of makeup brands, it is by no means a sole or primary influence in forming consumer opinions.

Friday, August 26, 2016

The Breakdown (of my topic, not talking about me...at least not yet)

Week 3 (08/22-08/28)

The daunting task of writing the infamous lit review lies ahead, but with Ms. Haag's support and guidance this week (along with her insane PowerPoint), I have become more assured that it's quite doable when carefully thought out.

Now we are all dividing our topics into subtopics to help organize our thoughts and form a rudimentary road map for the lit review. The subtopics I have chosen are natural makeup, unnatural makeup, health studies, makeup ingredients, green consumerism, consumer demand (for cosmetics specifically), cosmetic marketing, and branding cosmetics.

The contrast between the subtopics health studies and green consumerism is important for showing the context behind and significance of researching consumer preference for natural cosmetics and whether or not this preference is warranted. The difference between natural and unnatural makeup will also have to be clearly defined for the reader, including the different ingredients in both products and the resulting differences in quality/effectiveness (e.g. shelf life, how well it stays on the face, whether or not it causes breakouts). To formulate my hypothesis, I will need to compare such differences with the current consumer demand (i.e. besides the growing preference for natural ingredients, what qualities do they value most in their makeup?) to see which they should "ideally" prefer. Since branding plays a key role in swaying consumer opinion, and one of my test groups will include the brand names on the products, it is also important to research the effects of makeup brand names on consumer choice/thought in order to make my hypothesis even more accurate.

As far as interesting breakthroughs this week, I have found two foundational academic journal articles that detail health research on the chemicals in unnatural makeup. Both articles compile many studies by the CDC, FDA, and CIR to demonstrate that the concentrations of chemical additives in cosmetics do not cause any noticeable health defects. Next week, I plan to start reading more on green consumerism and marketing, that is, how both of them have affected consumer thinking and their preference for natural vs. unnatural products.

I know that I have a lot to accomplish in the coming weeks. If I've noticed anything, it's that a lot of thought goes into building the framework for the lit review and finding the perfect sources for it. However, I am confident that my seminar skills will go a long way, and I am actually excited to take up the challenge and learn more about cosmetic marketing along the way. :)

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3 comments:

  1. mrslyndsayhaagAugust 29, 2016 at 9:03 AM

    Audrey, I think that you're doing a wonderful job. The subtopics that you have are both pertinent and refined, which will help you not only with your searches, but also with planning the organization of the literature review.

    I really like how you're thinking about the subtopics, too, in terms of their purpose in your literature review. That kind of critical thinking will help maintain your focus while thinking and reading.

    My only advice would be to not totally ignore the argument FOR green products. Even if the arguments are weak, you still want sources that argue FOR green products, even if it's just to disprove them with better, stronger arguments. Therein will lie your academic conversation (or at least part of it).

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  2. Catherine O'NeillAugust 29, 2016 at 10:48 AM

    I really like your subtopics. The only suggestion I have it to break up your makeup ingredients subtopic in to two subtopics, natural/green ingredients and something along the lines of chemical ingredients, to make it easier for yourself when you are writing the literature review to find the specific sources that analyses the specific types of ingredients. You may even need to split it up into chemical, organic, and natural ingredients, depending on if you are including organic makeup under natural or making it a separate category. Do your two foundational sources just touch upon regular chemicals in makeup or does it encompass both chemical and natural ingredients? If these two sources only include the chemicals that are perceived as "harmful", I think you may need to find another foundational source that involved studies regarding natural makeup in order for you to compare and contrast the effects of these products and ultimately prove that the marketing is whats making consumers believe the natural products are better for you not the actual ingredients. Going off of Mrs. Haag if there is a difference between the natural and unnatural ingredients, even it is very tiny, make sure to include it. Also, make sure these studies are recent. I wish you luck in the upcoming week. You sound like you have a solid idea of what you need to do for the week :)

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  3. UnknownAugust 29, 2016 at 7:01 PM

    Audrey, I am sure that you will not break down. You have a topic that you love, therefore there is no need to worry.
    The subtopics look great. They cover a lot of what your literature review should entail. However, I feel that they are still slightly too specific. Although your topics should focus on cosmetics, I think that you should also add some more general subtopics. For example, instead of just green consumerism, you should look at consumerism as a whole and then break that larger subtopic into mini-subtopics that include green consumerism and other types of consumerisms pertinent to your paper.
    Also, I think it would be interesting if you also looked at the psychology behind consumerism. An example would be, why peoples’ perceptions differ from natural makeup to chemically engineered makeup (although this could probably also tie in with branding).
    I am just concerned that you are using cosmetics, which is a vague term. Are you planning to further narrow down cosmetics to something more specific, e.g. mascara, blush, face cream? But don’t stress, I think that reading more will help you narrow it down. However, you are definitely going towards a really intriguing research paper, that I am definitely looking forward to read.

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