Consumers' pro-environmental belief, ethical concern and purchase intentions of green cosmetics: fresh evidence from Indian Muslims using an enhanced TPB

Purpose This investigation examines the determinants of Muslim consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions (PI) toward green cosmetics (GC) in India by extending the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Prior research on GC has largely focused on conventional TPB constructs; limited attention has been given to Muslim customers in India and the role of ethical and consequence-based cognitive factors. Design/methodology/approach A detailed review of related work on GC and TPB supported the finalisation of the conceptual model of the current investigation. Owing to the unavailability of a comprehensive list of Muslim consumers, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among Muslim consumers using a purposive sampling approach. The responses obtained from the respondents were screened to remove possible outlier responses. After confirming the validity and reliability of the study data (n = 469), confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were performed to examine the hypothesised relationships among the factors in the study's conceptual model. Findings The results reveal that health consciousness (HC) (ß = 0.21, p < 0.001), awareness of consequences (AoC) (ß = 0.27, p < 0.001) and ethical concern (EC) (ß = 0.30, p < 0.001) significantly enhance consumers' attitudes. It also confirmed a favourable association between AoC (ß = 0.34, p < 0.001) and EC (ß = 0.26, p < 0.001) and the pro-environmental beliefs (PEB) of the consumers. SEM findings showed that HC (ß = 0.24, p=< 0.001), Attitude (ß = 0.25, p=< 0.001), perceived behavioural control (ß = 0.14, p=< 0.01) and PEB (ß = 0.24, p=< 0.001) of consumers are shown to have a positive and significant linkage with their PI of GC among the consumers. Interestingly, subjective norm (ß = 0.02, p = 0.624) is found to have no substantial effect on the PI of the consumers. Additionally, SEM outcomes suggested that the conceptual model forecasted significant variation in consumers' Attitudes, PEB and PI, as evidenced by R2 (multiple squared correlation) values of 68.9% for attitude, 27% for PEB and 60.7% for PI. Practical implications Based on the investigation's outcomes, several implications are presented for GC marketers that may aid in the broader diffusion of GC across the audience. The findings provide direction for positioning GC by communicating its health, ethical and environmental values. Marketers are advised to communicate the health benefits, an ethical production process, and environmental responsibility to consumers, thereby strengthening their attitudes and purchase decisions regarding GC among Muslim consumers in India and other similar nations. Originality/value This is one of the first few investigations uniquely extending the TPB with HC, AoC, EC and PEB in explaining attitudes and PI of the consumers. Additionally, this is one of the first investigations to primarily focus on and explore the constituents impacting the attitude, PEB and PI of GC among Muslim consumers in India's developing economy.