Consumer Awareness of Green Cosmetics in Emerging Markets: A Comparative Study of South Africa and Zimbabwe

The introduction of green cosmetics has undoubtedly captured researchers’ interest following the global surge in environmental awareness and sustainable consumption. However, consumers do not consistently opt for green products, causing businesses to approach green marketing from an opportunistic standpoint. This study explores consumer awareness of green cosmetics in South Africa and Zimbabwe, two emerging markets with contrasting economies. Using an exploratory qualitative design, data were collected through purposive sampling using in-depth interviews with six participants from South Africa and six from Zimbabwe. The findings reveal that participants in both countries prefer to receive information from reference groups and social media rather than from business advertisements. In Zimbabwe, lack of awareness and product availability hinder adoption, while South African consumers are guided by packaging cues and sustainability claims. In addition, limited production and product unavailability affect the purchasing of green cosmetics, as indicated by the participants in both countries. This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge on green consumerism in African markets by offering comparative qualitative insights from two contrasting economies and offers implications for marketers and policymakers promoting sustainable consumption.