The research was conducted by Hasnah Rimiyati and her research team in the field of marketing management and was published in the Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR) Vol. 5 No. 4 in 2026. The study highlights how green trust and positive attitudes toward green products play important roles in increasing consumers’ intention to buy environmentally friendly products.
Environmental problems such as global warming and ecological damage caused by industrial activities are changing consumer behavior. The cosmetics industry is one of the sectors facing strong pressure to offer not only quality products but also environmental sustainability.
In this context, The Body Shop is widely recognized as a pioneer of green marketing by offering natural, vegetarian, and sustainable products. Top Brand Index data show that The Body Shop remained one of the strongest brands in the body mist and body butter categories from 2020 to 2024, despite increasing competition from both local and international brands. In 2024, The Body Shop still recorded 36.5 percent in the Top Brand Index for the body mist category, making it one of consumers’ top choices.
The study started with a simple question: why do consumers choose green products? The answer is not only about price or quality, but also about consumers’ belief that the product genuinely provides environmental benefits.
The researchers used the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) approach, a theory explaining that external stimuli influence a person’s psychological condition before leading to actual behavior. In this study, green perceived value acts as the stimulus, green trust and attitude toward green products become the psychological process, and green purchase intention is the final outcome—the willingness to buy environmentally friendly products.
The data were collected through questionnaires distributed to 150 respondents in Yogyakarta who were familiar with The Body Shop’s environmentally friendly products and had purchase intentions toward them. Most respondents were women (71.3 percent), under 30 years old (93.7 percent), and dominated by bachelor’s degree graduates (64.7 percent). The analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on SmartPLS.
The results showed that all hypotheses were statistically significant.
The main findings include:
- Green perceived value positively affects green purchase intention (β = 0.217)
- Green perceived value strongly influences green trust (β = 0.462)
- Green perceived value also improves positive attitudes toward green products (β = 0.432)
- Green trust increases green purchase intention (β = 0.218)
- Positive attitudes toward green products have the strongest influence on purchase intention (β = 0.413)
This means that the more consumers believe a product has real environmental benefits, the stronger their trust and positive attitude toward the product become, which eventually increases their intention to purchase.
The study also found that green trust and attitudes toward green products function as partial mediators. In other words, green perceived value does not only directly influence buying decisions, but also works through psychological processes such as trust and positive consumer attitudes.
Green trust showed a mediating effect of β = 0.101, while attitude toward green products had a stronger mediating effect of β = 0.179. This indicates that building positive consumer attitudes toward eco-friendly products is a highly important strategy in sustainable marketing.
Hasnah Rimiyati and her team explain that companies cannot simply claim their products are environmentally friendly. Consumers need real evidence such as natural ingredients, sustainable production processes, environmental certifications, and transparent information before trust can be built.
“High green perceived value must be accompanied by strategies to build trust and positive consumer attitudes toward environmentally friendly products,” the researchers wrote in the conclusion section.
These findings have major implications for the cosmetics and personal care industry. Companies that want to succeed in today’s market must clearly communicate the ecological benefits of their products. Sustainable lifestyle campaigns, consumer education, and involvement in environmental activities are now important parts of marketing strategy.
In addition, the study strengthens the trend that Generation Z, as a dominant consumer group, is becoming increasingly concerned about sustainability issues. They do not buy products only because of need, but also because of the social and environmental values attached to a brand.
Future research is recommended to expand the study to other cosmetic brands and include additional variables such as green satisfaction, green brand image, and the influence of social media on green purchasing decisions.
This study confirms that the future of marketing is not only about selling products, but also about building trust in environmental commitment. For modern consumers, buying green products is not just a lifestyle choice—it is also a form of responsibility toward the planet.
Author Profile
Hasnah Rimiyati is an academic and researcher in marketing management with expertise in consumer behavior, green marketing, and sustainable marketing strategies.
Together with her research team, she actively studies the relationship between consumer value, brand trust, and purchasing decisions in environmentally friendly industries, especially in the cosmetics and personal care sector.
Research Source
Rimiyati, H., & Wardana. (2026). The Role of Green Trust and Attitude Toward Green Products in Increasing Green Purchase Intention: The Mediating Effect of Green Perceived Value on The Body Shop Consumers in Yogyakarta. Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR), Vol. 5, No. 4, 497–518.
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