The Clean Beauty Trend Among Millennial and Generation Z Consumers: Assessing the Safety, Ethicality, and Sustainability Attributes of Cosmetic Products

Abstract

The concept of clean beauty lacks a precise definition and its defining attributes remain unclear. This study assesses the impact of clean beauty on Millennial and Generation Z consumers, identifies its main attributes, and provides a new index for determining products’ cleanness . To this end, 120 Korean participants were recruited; they used 10 cosmetic products and completed relevant questionnaires. Clean beauty awareness and product satisfaction were assessed from the cognitive and emotional perspectives. The Reliable Cleanness Score (RCS) was calculated using emotional product satisfaction. Participants’ preference for clean beauty products was correlated with engaged cosmetic shopping behaviors. The key clean beauty attributes were sustainability, safety, and ethicality—in that order. Machine learning-based regression analysis showed that objective and subjective data could be used to calculate the RCS, resulting in an R 2 value of .721. With the results of this study, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers will be able to predict RCS.