The Natural Choice: November 2016

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.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Making the Method

11/21/2016

While writing my lit review, I justified using a blind consumption test in order to determine whether consumers make decisions between natural and unnatural makeup primarily based off of sensory or emotional distinctions between the products. After analyzing 4 blind consumption tests for my methods assignment, I gained a much better understanding for the trends relevant to the method.

I feel more confident about collecting participants and addressing ethical concerns. Originally, I was scared that I would not be able to collect a large enough sample size to produce meaningful results. However, the blind consumption tests I analyzed typically collected between 50 and 120 participants, which seems like a number I could reasonably obtain. It was also common that participants were selected from one organization or geographic area, so, even if I am only able to obtain participants through one contact, my results will still be meaningful (although I will obviously admit the limitations of only using test subjects from one area). However, something that still remains unclear to me is where I should start/reach out in order to collect participants, and I will need to research local contacts soon. Also, I will need to find a location where I can conduct my experiment. Ideally, all testing would be done in the same room to maintain consistency in basic environmental factors such as lighting and temperature.

As for potential ethical concerns, there was not too much to address beyond maintaining participant anonymity and ensuring that participants were aware of all ingredients present in the products being tested in order to address potential allergy issues. Like I originally expected, I will need to have participants sign a consent form informing them of all the ingredients in the makeups being tested.

As far as what I learned about increasing validity, I will need to ensure that the order the 4 makeup brands are tested in is randomly assigned for each participant, and I will need to provide makeup wipe removers for each participant to adequately remove the lipstick before they test the next lipstick sample. This way, the results will be less affected by potential differences in participant product rankings due to sampling the lipsticks in a different order (e.g. differences due to residue left behind by the previous sample, differences due to participants comparing samples to the previous ones).

The methods assignment also gave me examples of how participant rankings can be recorded. Most blind consumption tests involved participants assigning a number 1-9 (with 1 being "dislike extremely" and 9 being "like extremely") to different aspects of products. I will have my participants rank each lipstick sample using this scale for lipstick factors such as color quality and texture (I will need to find a source that specifically articulates the ideal aspects of a lipstick and make sure that I include all the main factors consumers are looking for).

To see whether or not participant rankings in the blind study match their perceptions of the brands and unnatural versus natural makeup, I will use an exit survey asking participants to rank the individual makeup brands using the same 1-9 scale and questions present in the blind consumption test. Then, I will include a question asking them which lipstick they would expect to be higher quality in terms of the specific lipstick aspects, lipstick made from natural ingredients or that made from unnatural ingredients. If the answers in the exit survey match those in the consumption test, then consumers likely choose makeup based on both sensory and emotional responses to the makeup products. However, if the answers do not match closely, then consumers are likely making decisions based primarily on emotional perceptions of the brands and natural v. unnatural makeup.

Overall, I feel confident in my type of method and the basics for how to conduct it (e.g. addressing ethical and validity concerns, formulating the ranking system and exit survey). It is the logistics associated with collecting participants and finding a location/time to conduct the experiment that I am still somewhat unsure about, but I will be sure to do research and reach out for help regarding such concerns.

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Sunday, November 13, 2016

One Trimester Down, Two to Go

11/13/2016

We have all submitted a polished version of our lit reviews, a task that seemed daunting a month ago, and now it is time to dive into writing our methodology section. Before I reset and begin to tackle this new task, however, I will take a moment and reflect on what I have accomplished thus far and where I still need to put in a lot of thought going forward.

I feel as though I put together a solid lit review that clearly outlines a gap in our knowledge regarding the natural versus unnatural makeup market: we don't know whether or not the shift in demand toward natural makeup is due primarily to unwarranted societal influence or an actual quality superiority in natural makeup products. My lit review also put me a little bit further ahead in the game because, to successfully arrive at my research question, I had to justify the method I am using (blind consumption) and the makeup brands I am testing within the lit review itself.

Nevertheless, while I feel confident with my lit review, I feel a little uneasy going forward into the methods section, as I have one of the more complicated methods (mine actually involves people). What concerns me most is how I am going to select a sample size that is appropriate and doesn't seem contrived but is still feasible given my resources (e.g. how much money I can spend on makeup samples, how many people I could actually get to participate). I am afraid that the viability of my results may be damaged by a small sample size or a biased sample (i.e. selecting people from only one group/place).

As far as the ethics section that is required for a method involving people, I imagine that I will need to formulate some sort of waiver for participants, perhaps one that lists all the ingredients that are in the makeups they will be testing. This way, if a participant feels uncomfortable applying a certain ingredient or has a certain allergy, they can choose not to participate and do not face the risk of applying completely unknown products to their skin (although they will still not know the exact brands they are using). There is probably a lot more I will need to consider as far as ethics goes, but I figure that I will learn more throughout this upcoming week analyzing more blind consumption methodology.

Overall, I feel as if I have the basics down regarding what I need to accomplish (all outlined in my lit review). It's the logistics regarding how I am going to carry out my research that is currently concerning me. However, I am still optimistic going forward, and I believe looking more into blind consumption methodology with the methods assignment may help me get a better idea for ideal sample size and selecting participants.

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