Green Marketing and Social Media Engagement Drive Cosmetic Purchase Decisions in the Digital Era

Illustration by AI

FORMOSA NEWS

Recent research by Amanda Putri Denika and Rahmadi, academics from Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati, reveals that green marketing strategies and social media engagement significantly impact the purchasing decisions of The Body Shop customers in Cirebon City. The study, published in June 2026, highlights how digital interaction and a company's commitment to environmental sustainability have become key to the success of modern cosmetic businesses. This finding is crucial as it provides empirical evidence for businesses that sustainable and interactive marketing tactics can boost consumer preferences and confidence to make a transaction.

The beauty industry in Indonesia is currently experiencing highly rapid growth. Based on market trends and official regulatory data, the number of cosmetic industry players is projected to surge past 1,200 business units after 2024. At the local level, Cirebon City serves as a strategic consumption hub with a high productive-age population. Alongside this growth, younger generations of consumers are becoming increasingly critical and concerned about ecological issues such as plastic waste and animal testing. This drives the public to prefer brands that prioritize ethical values and environmental sustainability, such as The Body Shop, which has long been recognized globally as a pioneer in eco-friendly cosmetics.

To map this behavioral shift, researchers conducted a quantitative survey by distributing structured questionnaires to 158 The Body Shop customers in the Cirebon City area. Respondents were selected using specific sampling techniques to capture relevant consumers. The respondent data was then evaluated using multiple linear regression statistical analysis to measure the extent to which environmental care campaigns and social media communication activities influence consumers' decisions when shopping.

The results of the data analysis revealed several key facts regarding consumer shopping patterns in the digital era:

• Green marketing is proven to positively and significantly influence consumer purchase decisions for cosmetic products.
• Marketing practices that prioritize environmental responsibility successfully build positive perceptions as well as customer trust in the offered products.
• Consumer engagement through social media also has a positive and significant impact on the decision to purchase a product.
• Simultaneously, eco-friendly marketing factors and social media interactions can strongly influence consumer purchase decisions, reaching a level of 75.6 percent.
• The remaining 24.4 percent of influence on customer purchase decisions is driven by other factors not examined in this research, such as price, product quality, and brand image.

These research findings carry strategic implications for businesses, particularly for retailers in the beauty sector. Companies can no longer simply rely on merchandise quality to survive amidst tight market competition. Education regarding environmental sustainability, packaged with two-way interactive communication on social media platforms, is proven crucial for building emotional closeness, reducing customer hesitation, and ultimately driving tangible purchasing decisions.

This combination of tactics is comprehensively explained by Amanda Putri Denika and Rahmadi from Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati. Both point out that when green marketing messages are actively and attractively shared on social media, customers do not merely receive information, but also interact emotionally and intellectually with the brand.

Author Profile: This research was compiled by Amanda Putri Denika (Corresponding Author) and Rahmadi. Both are academics from Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati.

Research Source:

• Article Title: The Influence of Green Marketing and Social Media Engagement on The Body Shop Product Purchase Decisions on Consumers in Cirebon City
• Journal Name/Volume: Indonesian Journal of Business Analytics (IJBA), Vol. 6, No. 3
• Publication Date: June 2026
• Official Link (DOI): https://doi.org/10.55927/ijba.v6i3.16654