Bridging the Green Purchasing Gap: Drivers of Willingness to Pay for Green Cosmetics Across Consumer Groups

Abstract

Growing consumer awareness of environmental and health issues has increased demand for sustainable products, yet a persistent gap remains between positive attitudes and actual purchasing behavior. This study addresses inconsistent findings in prior literature regarding the effects of psychological drivers on willingness to pay a premium for green products. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and value-based perspectives, this study examines how environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness influence purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium (WTP) for green cosmetics. Data were collected from 872 respondents in Indonesia and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with multi-group analysis (MGA) to capture demographic heterogeneity. The results show that all three drivers significantly influence purchase intention, which in turn affects WTP and acts as a partial mediator. Demographic differences further moderate several relationships, highlighting heterogeneity in green consumer behavior. This study contributes by integrating psychological drivers, behavioral mechanisms, and demographic heterogeneity into a unified framework to explain willingness to pay for green cosmetics. The findings offer practical insights for developing targeted strategies to promote sustainable consumption in emerging markets.

1. Introduction

Rapid economic development and technological advancement have significantly improved living standards, but have simultaneously intensified environmental degradation and public health concerns (Bazhan et al., 2024; Zhuang et al., 2021). In response, both firms and policymakers have increasingly promoted sustainable production and consumption practices, including the development of green products designed to minimize environmental impact (A. Kumar et al., 2021; Lorek & Spangenberg, 2014). Among these, green cosmetics and personal care products have gained growing attention due to their potential to reduce environmental harm while aligning with consumers’ health and sustainability values (Amberg & Fogarassy, 2019; Yang et al., 2021).

However, despite increasing awareness and favorable attitudes toward sustainability, the market performance of green cosmetics remains constrained by consumers’ reluctance to pay premium prices. Green products are often priced higher due to environmentally friendly inputs, sustainable sourcing, and ethical production processes (Yang et al., 2021), making willingness to pay (WTP) a critical determinant of their market success (Kasilingam & Krishna, 2022). Existing evidence suggests that although consumers express positive attitudes toward environmentally friendly products, these attitudes do not consistently translate into actual purchasing behavior, resulting in a persistent “attitude–behavior gap” (Dwivedi et al., 2025; Witek, 2019). This gap is particularly evident in green cosmetics, where purchase intention and actual willingness to pay are influenced by multiple psychological, economic, and perceptual factors, including price sensitivity, trust in green claims, and perceived product value (Fan et al., 2019; Suphasomboon & Vassanadumrongdee, 2022).

Prior literature has identified several key psychological drivers of green consumption, including environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness. Environmental concern and health consciousness have been widely recognized as important predictors of pro-environmental behavior, shaping consumers’ preferences for sustainable and health-oriented products (X. Xu et al., 2020; Zameer & Yasmeen, 2022). At the same time, consumer innovativeness has emerged as a critical factor influencing the adoption of novel and sustainable products, with innovative consumers demonstrating lower price sensitivity and higher willingness to pay for products with new or differentiated attributes (Sadik-Rozsnyai & Bertrandias, 2019; Shao, 2024). In some contexts, novelty-seeking behavior has even been found to exert a stronger influence on green consumption than environmental concern itself, challenging traditional assumptions about sustainability-driven behavior (G. Zhao et al., 2025).

Despite these insights, empirical findings remain inconsistent, particularly regarding the relationship between psychological drivers and both purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium (WTP). On the one hand, several studies report significant positive effects of environmental concern and health consciousness on green purchase intention and WTP. Environmental concern has been found to influence purchase intention significantly (G. Li et al., 2021; Saleki et al., 2019) and willingness to pay a premium (González-Rodríguez et al., 2020). Similarly, health consciousness positively affects purchase intention and attitudes toward sustainable consumption (Iqbal et al., 2021; Parashar et al., 2023; Watanabe et al., 2023), as well as consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for green products (Nicolau et al., 2020).

On the other hand, a growing body of research reports weak or non-significant relationships. Environmental concern and health consciousness do not always translate into purchase intention or willingness to pay (Chen & Zhang, 2021; Lupindo et al., 2024; P.-H. Nguyen et al., 2023; M. Sun et al., 2023), while demographic factors such as age, income, and education often show limited explanatory power (Bazhan et al., 2024; Gow et al., 2022; Zhang et al., 2018). These contradictory findings suggest that the relationship between pro-environmental values and economic decision-making is not straightforward. Rather, it reflects an underlying attitude–behavior gap, where favorable values do not necessarily translate into actual willingness to pay. This indicates that examining direct relationships alone may be insufficient and underscores the need for integrative approaches that account for mediating mechanisms and consumer heterogeneity to explain green purchasing behavior better.

One possible explanation for these mixed findings is the limited integration of mediating and moderating mechanisms in existing research. While prior studies acknowledge the importance of purchase intention as a predictor of behavior, its role as a mediator linking psychological drivers to willingness to pay remains underexplored (Huang, 2023; J. Kumar et al., 2024; Saleki et al., 2019). Similarly, although demographic differences are often recognized, most studies focus on single-group comparisons, typically gender, without systematically examining broader forms of consumer heterogeneity using multi-group analysis (MGA) (Leong et al., 2024; Quoquab et al., 2020; Tengli & Srinivasan, 2022). This fragmented approach limits the ability to explain why consumers with similar attitudes may exhibit different purchasing behaviors.

These gaps are particularly relevant in emerging market contexts such as Indonesia, where both structural and behavioral barriers to green consumption remain evident. Despite significant environmental challenges associated with cosmetic and personal care consumption (Hantoro et al., 2024; Jambeck et al., 2015; Widyastuti et al., 2023), the adoption of green products remains limited, with consumers continuing to prefer more affordable conventional alternatives (Kementerian Kesehatan RI, 2018). This disconnect reflects broader constraints commonly observed in developing markets, including high product prices, limited availability, low trust in eco-labels, and insufficient information (T. N. Nguyen et al., 2017). Furthermore, prior evidence suggests that environmental knowledge may influence behavior indirectly through trust and purchase intention, while pricing factors can weaken the relationship between environmental attitudes and actual purchasing decisions (Vironika & Maulida, 2025; Widodo et al., 2025). Together, these findings indicate that green consumption behavior cannot be fully explained by individual values alone but requires consideration of both psychological and contextual factors.

To address these issues, this study develops an integrated framework that examines how environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness jointly influence purchase intention and the willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products. Specifically, this study incorporates purchase intention as a mediating mechanism that translates consumer values into economic behavior and employs multi-group analysis (MGA) to capture heterogeneity across gender, age, and field of study.

This study makes several contributions to the literature on green consumer behavior. First, beyond confirming established relationships within the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study advances the literature by clarifying the mechanism through which value-based drivers are translated into economic decisions. Specifically, it positions purchase intention as a mediating mechanism linking environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness to willingness to pay a premium, thereby offering a clearer explanation of the attitude–behavior gap. Second, this study extends prior research by integrating consumer innovativeness alongside environmental concern and health consciousness within a unified framework, highlighting the role of innovation-oriented motivations beyond traditional value-based explanations. Third, this study contributes methodologically by applying multi-group analysis (MGA) across multiple demographic dimensions to capture consumer heterogeneity more comprehensively and reveals how the effects of psychological drivers vary across different consumer segments, addressing the limitations of prior studies that rely on single-group analyses. Fourth, this study provides contextual and practical contributions by offering evidence from Indonesia as an emerging market and by highlighting the importance of targeted strategies that emphasize differentiated value propositions, such as health and innovation attributes, in enhancing willingness to pay for green products.

2. Literature Review and Hypothesis

2.1. Willingness to Pay Premium

Willingness to pay (WTP) is the maximum amount a consumer is willing to pay for a product or service, reflecting the value they assign to its consumption or use. Le Gall-Ely (2009) defines WTP as the highest price a consumer is willing to pay, and positions it as a key indicator of perceived value. In the context of environmentally friendly products, this concept is commonly extended to willingness to pay a premium (WTPP), which denotes the additional amount consumers are willing to pay for products with superior environmental attributes compared to conventional alternatives (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017).

Green products, including environmentally friendly cosmetics and personal care items, are often priced at a premium due to higher production costs associated with sustainable sourcing, eco-friendly manufacturing processes, and the exclusion of harmful chemicals (Yang et al., 2021). As a result, WTPP not only reflects consumers’ valuation of environmental and health-related product attributes but also signals their ethical commitment to sustainability-oriented consumption.

Previous studies indicate that increasing environmental awareness positively influences consumers’ willingness to incur higher costs for green products. Consumers who place greater importance on environmental protection are more likely to accept premium prices for products that align with their pro-environmental values (Anggraeni & Susilowati, 2022). Empirical evidence further suggests a growing trend in consumers’ willingness to pay premium prices for eco-friendly offerings, emphasizing the importance of perceived value in shaping sustainable purchasing decisions (Watanabe et al., 2023). In this regard, effective communication of environmental benefits, product quality, and personal or societal value is essential to ensure that consumers perceive the price premium as justified (Kasilingam & Krishna, 2022).

2.2. Consumer Purchase Intention

Purchase intention refers to a consumer’s conscious plan or mental readiness to purchase a particular product and is widely recognized as a reliable predictor of actual purchasing behavior. Peter and Olson (2010) conceptualize purchase intention as a cognitive commitment that precedes the act of buying and is shaped by evaluative judgments and motivational factors. Empirical studies further suggest that purchase intention reflects the combined influence of individual attitudes, perceived value, and contextual considerations that guide consumer decision-making (G. Li et al., 2021).

Within the context of sustainable consumption, purchase intention is frequently discussed using terms such as green purchasing, environmentally responsible purchasing, or green acquisition, all of which emphasize consumers’ efforts to minimize negative environmental impacts through their consumption choices (Zaremohzzabieh et al., 2021). Green purchase intention specifically captures consumers’ willingness to prioritize environmentally friendly products over conventional alternatives, even when such products involve higher prices or perceived risks.

Understanding green purchase intention is critical for promoting sustainable markets, as it serves as an essential antecedent to actual green purchasing behavior. Prior research indicates that consumers with stronger pro-environmental values and favorable evaluations of green products exhibit higher levels of green purchase intention (Zhuang et al., 2021). Consequently, identifying the psychological and contextual factors that influence green purchase intention enables firms and policymakers to design effective marketing strategies and policy interventions that encourage sustainable consumption practices.

2.3. Environmental Concern

Environmental concern refers to the degree to which individuals are aware of, understand, and care about environmental issues, reflecting their recognition of ecological problems and their willingness to support actions to mitigate environmental degradation (Duong et al., 2022; Schaffrin, 2011). This concern is commonly expressed through consumers’ evaluations of the environmental consequences of products, their preference for environmentally friendly alternatives, and their prioritization of products with sustainable attributes (He et al., 2018). Beyond a general awareness construct, environmental concern encompasses both cognitive and affective dimensions, including individuals’ understanding of environmental issues, their emotional attachment to the environment, and their moral responsibility for environmental protection (Nowak et al., 2016; Pooley & O’Connor, 2000). Prior studies emphasize that these dimensions jointly shape pro-environmental attitudes, with affective and value-driven components often exerting a stronger influence on behavior than knowledge alone (Amerigo et al., 2012; Taufique, 2022).

From a theoretical perspective, environmental concern can be positioned as a value-based antecedent of behavioral intention within the Theory of Planned Behavior. According to TPB, attitudes toward a behavior are formed based on individuals’ beliefs and evaluations, which subsequently influence behavioral intention, the most proximal determinant of actual behavior (Ajzen, 1991). In this context, environmental concern shapes favorable attitudes toward green products, which, in turn, strengthen consumers’ intention to engage in sustainable consumption. Empirical evidence supports this mechanism, showing that individuals with higher environmental concern are more likely to develop positive attitudes and stronger purchase intentions toward environmentally friendly products (Bazhan et al., 2024; Saleki et al., 2019; Zhuang et al., 2021). However, this relationship is not always consistent, as prior research highlights the presence of an attitude–behavior gap, where positive environmental values do not necessarily translate into actual behavior (Lee & Cheon, 2018).

Beyond purchase intention, environmental concern also plays a critical role in shaping consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for green products (Casado-Díaz et al., 2020; González-Rodríguez et al., 2020). Individuals with stronger environmental values are more likely to justify higher prices as part of their commitment to sustainability, particularly when environmental benefits are perceived as meaningful and credible (González-Rodríguez et al., 2020; Konuk, 2018, 2019; Shin et al., 2019). Nonetheless, the influence of environmental concern on economic decision-making may vary across consumer segments, indicating that its effect is conditional rather than universal (De Canio, 2023). This suggests that environmental concern alone may be insufficient to explain premium-paying behavior fully, and that underlying behavioral mechanisms and consumer heterogeneity must be considered. Based on these arguments, environmental concern is expected to positively influence both purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics.

2.4. Health Consciousness

Health consciousness refers to the extent to which individuals integrate health-related considerations into their decision-making processes, particularly in evaluating consumption choices and their potential impact on personal well-being (Akhondan et al., 2015; Hansen et al., 2018; Hsu et al., 2016). In the context of green consumption, health consciousness in this study refers specifically to consumers’ evaluations of product health-related attributes, such as perceived safety, the absence of harmful chemicals, and a preference for natural ingredients (Liang et al., 2024). This conceptualization highlights the role of health considerations in shaping product evaluations and guiding consumption decisions toward environmentally friendly alternatives.

From a theoretical perspective, health consciousness can be positioned as a value-driven antecedent within the Theory of Planned Behavior, influencing attitudes and behavioral intentions toward green products. Health-conscious consumers tend to associate environmentally friendly products with reduced health risks and improved well-being, which shapes favorable evaluations and strengthens their intention to purchase such products (Y. Li & Shan, 2025; Van Phuong et al., 2025). Empirical studies consistently support this relationship, showing that health consciousness positively influences purchase intention across various green product categories, including organic food and eco-friendly personal care products (Bazhan et al., 2024; Iqbal et al., 2021; Parashar et al., 2023; X. Xu et al., 2020). Moreover, health consciousness often interacts with environmental awareness, reinforcing consumers’ motivation to adopt sustainable consumption behaviors (Hong et al., 2023; Parashar et al., 2023).

However, the influence of health consciousness is not always uniform. Some studies suggest that while health consciousness strongly motivates purchase intention, its direct effect on broader pro-environmental behavior or attitudes may be limited or context-dependent (Shimoda et al., 2020; Van Phuong et al., 2025). This indicates that health-related motivations may operate more directly on intention rather than through general attitudinal change, highlighting a distinct mechanism compared to environmental concern.

In addition to influencing purchase intention, health consciousness also affects consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for green products. Consumers with higher health consciousness are more likely to accept higher prices, as green products are perceived to offer superior safety, quality, and health benefits (Konuk, 2018; Molinillo et al., 2019). Supporting this view, prior studies find that health consciousness significantly increases willingness to pay for environmentally friendly and organic products (Nicolau et al., 2020; Shin et al., 2019; Sriwaranun et al., 2015). By reinforcing perceived personal benefits, health consciousness enhances consumers’ readiness to incur additional costs for sustainable alternatives (Watanabe et al., 2023).

2.5. Consumer Innovativeness

Consumer innovativeness refers to an individual’s tendency to adopt and use new products earlier and more frequently than others, reflecting openness to novelty, risk-taking, and willingness to experiment with new ideas (L. Li et al., 2021; Midgley, 2014; Rogers, 2010; Tellis et al., 2009). While innovativeness is often conceptualized as a general personality trait, prior research distinguishes between general (innate) innovativeness and domain-specific innovativeness, which refers to a consumer’s propensity to adopt innovations within a particular product category (Kaushik & Rahman, 2014). In the context of this study, consumer innovativeness is understood primarily as domain-specific innovativeness, capturing consumers’ tendency to adopt innovative products within the green cosmetics domain. This distinction is important, as consumers who are generally innovative may not necessarily exhibit the same level of innovativeness across all product categories.

From a behavioral perspective, domain-specific innovativeness influences how consumers evaluate and respond to sustainable products. Innovative consumers tend to perceive green products not only as environmentally responsible choices but also as novel and value-enhancing alternatives that allow them to express individuality and support innovation-driven consumption (Hasudungan & Saragih, 2024; Paparoidamis & Tran, 2019). In addition, innovativeness reflects a psychological motivation toward novelty-seeking and differentiation, which can strengthen consumers’ willingness to adopt new sustainable products even in the presence of uncertainty or limited information (Y. Sun et al., 2019).

Empirical studies consistently show that consumer innovativeness positively influences purchase intention toward environmentally friendly products (He et al., 2018; Klein et al., 2019; Konuk, 2018). Consumers with higher innovativeness are more likely to interpret green products as opportunities for innovation adoption rather than solely as environmentally responsible choices, thereby strengthening their purchase intention (Hasudungan & Saragih, 2024; Kishore et al., 2022; L. Li et al., 2021). However, recent findings suggest that the role of innovativeness may be more complex, as novelty-seeking motivations can sometimes outweigh environmental considerations in driving green consumption behavior (G. Zhao et al., 2025).

Beyond purchase intention, consumer innovativeness also influences willingness to pay a premium for green products. Innovative consumers are more likely to appreciate the added value of novel and sustainable product attributes, and they tend to exhibit lower price sensitivity when such attributes provide opportunities for differentiation or self-expression (Konuk, 2018, 2019; Sadik-Rozsnyai & Bertrandias, 2019). This suggests that innovativeness not only facilitates adoption but also enhances consumers’ readiness to accept higher prices for innovative green products.

2.6. The Mediating Role of Purchase Intention

Purchase intention represents a central construct in consumer decision-making and serves as a key mechanism linking psychological drivers to economic outcomes. Within the Theory of Planned Behavior, behavioral intention is conceptualized as the most immediate predictor of actual behavior, reflecting individuals’ readiness to perform a given action (Ajzen, 1991). In the context of green consumption, willingness to pay a premium can be understood as a behavioral outcome that is preceded by intention, as consumers must first develop a willingness to purchase before accepting higher prices (Shah & Yang, 2022). Thus, purchase intention provides a critical explanatory link between value-based evaluations and monetary decisions.

Prior research consistently demonstrates that stronger purchase intentions are associated with a higher willingness to pay for environmentally friendly products, as intentions enhance perceived value and reduce price sensitivity (Farzin et al., 2023; Schniederjans & Starkey, 2014; Tan & Goh, 2018). Empirical evidence across various contexts, including eco-fashion and green housing, further shows that consumers who intend to purchase green products are more likely to justify premium prices because of the perceived environmental and personal benefits associated with these products (Huang, 2023; Toklu & Kucuk, 2017).

Beyond its direct effect, purchase intention serves as an important mediating factor in translating psychological motivations into economic behavior. Although mediation through intention has been widely examined in prior studies, its relevance remains critical in the context of green consumption, given the persistent attitude–behavior gap in which favorable values do not always translate into actual purchasing outcomes (Duong, 2023). In this regard, purchase intention serves as a necessary intermediate stage through which environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness can be translated into a willingness to pay a premium. Prior studies support this mechanism, showing that purchase intention mediates the effects of environmental concern, attitudes, and trust on green purchasing behavior and willingness to pay (Huang, 2023; J. Kumar et al., 2024; Narayanan & Singh, 2023; Saleki et al., 2019).

Building on this perspective, this study proposes that purchase intention serves as a key mediating mechanism linking environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness to willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics. This mediation reflects the process through which value-based and psychological drivers are translated into monetary decision-making.

2.7. The Moderating Role of Demographic Characteristics

This study examines the moderating role of demographic characteristics, namely gender, age, and field of science, in the relationships between environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, purchase intention, and willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products. Prior research suggests that demographic attributes shape individuals’ values, perceptions, and decision-making processes, leading to heterogeneous responses toward environmentally friendly products (M. Sun et al., 2023; Zhuang et al., 2021). Accordingly, this study employs multi-group analysis (MGA) to assess whether the structural relationships differ across demographic segments.

Gender has been widely recognized as a significant moderator in green consumption behavior. Women generally demonstrate stronger pro-environmental attitudes and higher sensitivity to health-related attributes of green products, which enhances their purchase intention (Bazhan et al., 2024; Kato, 2019). In contrast, men tend to exhibit higher levels of innovativeness and a greater willingness to pay a premium for green products in certain cultural contexts, particularly in societies characterized by stronger masculine norms (M. Xu & Lin, 2021). These differences suggest that gender influences how environmental concern, health consciousness, and innovativeness translate into purchase intention and pricing decisions.

Age also moderates green purchase intention and willingness to pay, reflecting generational differences in values, financial capacity, and lifestyle priorities. Older consumers are generally more willing to pay premium prices for environmentally friendly and health-oriented products due to stronger health concerns and greater purchasing power (Alsubhi et al., 2023; A. Kumar et al., 2021). Conversely, younger consumers tend to display high environmental awareness and strong purchase intentions but lower price tolerance, primarily due to financial constraints (A. Kumar et al., 2021; Prakash et al., 2018). Nevertheless, younger cohorts show higher openness to innovation and faster adoption of green products, including green cosmetics, suggesting that consumer innovativeness plays a stronger role in shaping their purchasing behavior (Kishore et al., 2022; Persaud & Schillo, 2017).

Finally, the field of science serves as an important moderating factor, as educational background influences knowledge acquisition and value formation regarding health and environmental issues. Individuals from technology and natural science disciplines, such as medicine, agriculture, and nutrition, tend to exhibit higher awareness of health and sustainability issues, strengthening the effects of health consciousness and environmental concern on green purchase intention and willingness to pay (Ghazanfari et al., 2024; R. Zhao et al., 2018). In contrast, those from the humanities and social sciences may emphasize social norms and ethical considerations, leading to different pathways through which consumer values shape green purchasing decisions. These differences underscore the importance of considering educational background when examining heterogeneous consumer responses to green products.

2.8. Hypothesis Development Framework

This study draws on a value-based perspective and the Theory of Planned Behavior to explain green consumer behavior. From a value-based perspective, consumers’ evaluations are shaped by internalized values that guide their preferences and decision-making (Homer & Kahle, 1988; Schwartz, 1992). In this study, environmental concern and health consciousness represent value-based orientations related to environmental responsibility and personal well-being, while consumer innovativeness reflects openness to new product attributes.

Consistent with the Theory of Planned Behavior, these value-driven evaluations are expected to influence behavioral intention, which serves as a proximal predictor of decision outcomes (Ajzen, 1991). In the context of green cosmetics, consumers who place greater importance on environmental and health considerations, as well as those who are more open to innovation, are more likely to form favorable purchase intentions. In addition, these factors may also relate to consumers’ willingness to pay a premium, as perceived environmental and personal benefits can justify higher prices. However, this relationship is not necessarily direct, and purchase intention is expected to act as a behavioral mechanism linking these factors to willingness to pay. Furthermore, consumer responses to green products may vary across demographic groups. Therefore, demographic characteristics are incorporated to examine potential differences in the proposed relationships.

While prior studies have identified additional determinants of green consumption, such as trust, perceived value, and price sensitivity, this study emphasizes environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness as core psychological drivers. This selection is grounded in a value-based perspective and the Theory of Planned Behavior, where these constructs capture fundamental motivational orientations underlying consumer evaluations and behavioral intention. Focusing on these key drivers enables a more parsimonious model and allows for a clearer examination of the mediating role of purchase intention and the moderating effects of demographic heterogeneity. Other relevant factors are acknowledged but considered beyond the scope of this study, offering opportunities for future research.

Based on this framework, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H1. 

Environmental concern has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention.

H2. 

Environmental concern has a positive effect on willingness to pay a premium.

H3. 

Health consciousness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention.

H4. 

Health consciousness has a positive effect on willingness to pay a premium.

H5. 

Consumer innovativeness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention.

H6. 

Consumer innovativeness has a positive effect on willingness to pay a premium.

H7. 

Consumer purchase intention has a positive effect on willingness to pay a premium.

H8. 

Consumer purchase intention mediates the effect of environmental concern on willingness to pay a premium.

H9. 

Consumer purchase intention mediates the effect of health consciousness on willingness to pay a premium.

H10. 

Consumer purchase intention mediates the effect of consumer innovativeness on willingness to pay a premium.

H11. 

Demographic factors moderate the effects of (a) environmental concern, (b) health consciousness, and (c) consumer innovativeness on consumer purchase intention.

H12. 

Demographic factors moderate the effects of (a) environmental concern, (b) health consciousness, (c) consumer innovativeness, and (d) consumer purchase intention on willingness to pay a premium.

Figure 1 depicts the proposed research framework illustrating the relationships among environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, consumer purchase intention, willingness to pay a premium, and the moderating role of demographic factors.

3. Materials and Methods

This study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional research design to examine factors influencing consumers’ purchase intention toward green cosmetics in Indonesia. The research focuses on the roles of environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness, with demographic characteristics (gender, age, and field of study) as moderating variables. Indonesia was selected as the research context due to the rapid growth of its cosmetics market and the increasing relevance of sustainability-related consumption, both of which remain underexplored in existing empirical studies.

The population of this study consisted of Indonesian consumers who are familiar with or have experience using cosmetic and personal care products. Data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed nationwide between March and July 2025 using a purposive sampling technique to ensure the relevance of respondents to the research objectives. While this approach allows targeted data collection, it may introduce sampling bias, as online distribution tends to capture respondents who are more digitally literate and actively engaged with online platforms. A total of 872 valid responses were obtained and included in the analysis. The demographic distribution of respondents is presented in Figure 2, providing an overview of the sample characteristics across regions in Indonesia.

Prior to the main survey, a pilot test was conducted with a small group of respondents to assess the clarity and relevance of the questionnaire items. Based on the feedback received, minor revisions were made to improve wording and ensure content validity. The questionnaire comprised multiple items measuring environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, and purchase intention toward green cosmetics. All constructs were measured using a Likert-scale format. The operationalization of variables, including the number of indicators for each construct, is summarized in

Table 1. Variable names, number of indicators, and adopted research.

Variable	Number of Indicators	Source
Environmental concern	7	Albayrak et al. (2013)
Health consciousness	5	Sriwaranun et al. (2015)
Consumer innovativeness	5	Konuk (2018)
Consumer purchase intention	5	Paul et al. (2016)
Willingness to pay premium	3	Molinillo et al. (2019)

.

The research model and hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). PLS-SEM is particularly suitable for this study as it is prediction-oriented and focuses on maximizing the explained variance of key endogenous constructs, such as purchase intention and willingness to pay. In addition, it is appropriate for analyzing complex models that involve multiple latent variables, mediation effects, and moderating relationships simultaneously. Furthermore, PLS-SEM does not require strict assumptions of data normality and performs well with relatively large samples and exploratory research contexts, making it well-suited for this study. To examine the moderating effects of demographic variables, specifically gender, age, and field of study, multi-group analysis (MGA) was conducted to compare structural relationships across different groups.

Participation in the survey was voluntary, and respondents were informed that the data would be used exclusively for academic research purposes. All responses were collected anonymously to ensure confidentiality. Artificial intelligence tools were used solely for language editing and grammar checking; all aspects of research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and conclusions were conducted by the authors.

4. Results

4.1. Descriptive Statistics and Respondent Characteristics

A descriptive analysis was conducted to examine the demographic characteristics of respondents who use green cosmetics and personal care products in Indonesia. Frequency and percentage distributions were employed to provide a clear overview of respondents’ profiles. The results (

Table 2. Demographic characteristics of respondents.

Characteristics	Category	Frequency	Percentage
Gender	Men	188	21.56%
	Women	684	78.44%
Age	17–25 years old	271	31.08%
	26–35 years old	234	26.83%
	36–45 years old	299	34.29%
	>45 years old	68	7.80%
Employment	Student	216	24.77%
	Civil Servant	176	20.18%
	Private Employee	225	25.80%
	Entrepreneur	118	13.53%
	Housewife	79	9.06%
	Other	58	6.65%
Field of Science	Technological and Natural Science	389	44.61%
	Humanities and Social Sciences	483	55.39%

) indicate that women constituted the majority of the sample, accounting for 78.44% of respondents, while men represented 21.56%. In terms of age, the largest proportion of respondents was in the 36–45 age group (34.29%), followed by those aged 17–25 years (31.08%) and 26–35 years (26.83%).

Regarding employment status, private-sector employees formed the largest group (25.80%), followed by students (24.77%) and civil servants (20.18%). Regarding educational background or field of study, more than half of the respondents (55.39%) were from the humanities and social sciences. In comparison, the remaining 44.61% had backgrounds in the technological and natural sciences. Overall, these findings provide insight into the dominant demographic segments of green cosmetics and personal care consumers in Indonesia and serve as a foundation for subsequent multi-group and moderation analyses.

4.2. Measurement Model Evaluation

In PLS-SEM analysis, the evaluation of the measurement (outer) model is conducted prior to structural model assessment to ensure adequate convergent validity, internal consistency reliability, and discriminant validity. Convergent validity at the indicator level was first examined by assessing factor loading values. As reported in

Table 3. Indicator loadings, convergent validity, and reliability of the measurement model.

Variable	Indicator	Loading	AVE	CR	CA
Environmental Concern	EC1. Protecting the environment will threaten the jobs of people like me (r).	Not valid	0.662	0.907	0.871
	EC2. Laws to protect the environment limit my choices and personal freedom (r).	Not valid
	EC3. The effects of pollution on public health are worse than we realize.	0.807
	EC4. Environmental protection will help people have a better quality of life.	0.841
	EC5. Environmental protection benefits everyone.	0.895
	EC6. Modern development threatens wildlife.	0.779
	EC7. Over the next several decades, thousands of plant and animal species will become extinct.	0.737
Health Consciousness	HC1. Often use cosmetics/personal care that are safe for the skin/health	0.764	0.513	0.838	0.758
	HC2. Balance work and family/life well	0.802
	HC3. Often read/check quality labels before buying the latest cosmetic/personal care products	0.769
	HC4. Exercise regularly	0.604
	HC5. Avoid buying cosmetics/personal care that use artificial (synthetic) additives	0.618
Consumer Innovativeness	CI1. In general, I am the first person in my circle of friends to know about the latest cosmetic/personal care products.	0.616	0.533	0.850	0.779
	CI2. In general, I am the first person in my circle of friends to intend to buy the latest cosmetic/personal care products when they appear	0.797
	CI3. I would be quite interested in buying the latest cosmetic/ personal care products available in stores	0.739
	CI4. I would buy the latest cosmetic/personal care products, even if I have never tried them	0.759
	CI5. I feel the need to buy cosmetic/personal care products before anyone else does	0.727
Consumer Purchase Intention	CPI1. Will consider purchasing green cosmetics and personal care products because they are less polluting in the future	0.683	0.595	0.879	0.827
	CPI2. Will consider switching to green cosmetics and personal care products for ecological reasons	0.822
	CPI3. Plan to spend more on green cosmetics and personal care products than regular cosmetics	0.844
	CPI4. Expect to purchase green cosmetics and personal care products in the future because of their positive environmental contribution	0.803
	CPI5. Definitely intend to purchase green cosmetics and personal care products in the near future	0.691
Willingness to Pay Premium	WTP1. Willing to pay more for green cosmetics and personal care products because of their higher production costs	0.878	0.744	0.897	0.828
	WTP2. Paying 10 percent more for cosmetics and personal care products that are produced, processed, and packaged in an environmentally friendly way is acceptable.	0.877
	WTP3. Willing to spend extra money a week to buy green cosmetics and personal care products.	0.832

, two indicators of environmental concern (EC1 and EC2) exhibited factor loadings below the recommended threshold of 0.50 and were therefore excluded from the model. Following their removal, the PLS algorithm was re-estimated.

The revised results indicate that all remaining indicators across constructs achieved acceptable loading values, confirming indicator-level convergent validity. At the construct level, convergent validity was assessed using the Average Variance Extracted (AVE). As shown in Table 3, all constructs demonstrate AVE values exceeding the minimum criterion of 0.50, indicating that each construct explains more than half of the variance of its indicators. These findings confirm that the measurement model satisfies the criteria for convergent validity (Hair et al., 2019).

Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Composite Reliability (CR) and Cronbach’s Alpha (CA). As presented in Table 3, all constructs exhibit CR and CA values above the recommended threshold of 0.70, indicating satisfactory internal consistency and reliability (Hair et al., 2019).

Discriminant validity was assessed using the Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio (HTMT).

Table 4. Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) for discriminant validity.

Construct	1	2	3	4	5
1. Consumer Innovativeness
2. Consumer Purchase Intention	0.705
3. Environmental Concern	0.339	0.689
4. Health Consciousness	0.483	0.733	0.471
5. Willingness to Pay Premium	0.571	0.731	0.606	0.632

shows that all HTMT values are below the conservative threshold of 0.90, confirming that each construct is empirically distinct from the others. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the measurement model fulfills the requirements of convergent validity, internal consistency reliability, and discriminant validity. Consequently, the analysis can proceed to the evaluation of the structural model. The validated measurement model is illustrated in Figure 3.

In addition, a full collinearity assessment was conducted to examine the potential presence of common method bias (CMB) using variance inflation factor (VIF) values. As shown in

Table 5. Full Collinearity Assessment (VIF Values).

Construct	VIF
Environmental Concern → Consumer Purchase Intention	1.242
Environmental Concern → Willingness to Pay Premium	1.608
Health Consciousness → Consumer Purchase Intention	1.329
Health Consciousness → Willingness to Pay Premium	1.561
Consumer Innovativeness → Consumer Purchase Intention	1.188
Consumer Innovativeness → Willingness to Pay Premium	1.498
Consumer Purchase Intention → Willingness to Pay Premium	2.542

, all VIF values are below the recommended threshold of 3.3 (Kock & Lynn, 2012), indicating that common method bias is unlikely to be a serious concern in this study. This approach is considered a robust diagnostic in PLS-SEM for detecting both vertical and lateral collinearity. In addition, procedural remedies were applied during the survey design, including ensuring respondent anonymity and reducing evaluation apprehension. These results further confirm that multicollinearity among constructs is not problematic. Consequently, the analysis can proceed to the evaluation of the structural model. The validated measurement model is illustrated in Figure 3.

4.3. Structural Model Evaluation and Direct Effect Testing

The structural model was evaluated by examining the coefficient of determination (R²), predictive relevance (Q²), and the significance of hypothesized direct effects. As reported in

Table 6. Coefficient of determination (R²) and predictive relevance (Q²) of the structural model.

Variable	R-Square	R-Square Adjusted	Q-Square
Consumer purchase intention	0.601	0.600	0.350
Willingness to pay premium	0.461	0.459	0.333

, the adjusted R² value for consumer purchase intention is 0.600, indicating that environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness jointly explain 60.0% of the variance in purchase intention. Likewise, the adjusted R² value for willingness to pay a premium is 0.459, suggesting that environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, and consumer purchase intention account for 45.9% of the variance in consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products.

The model’s predictive relevance was assessed using the Stone–Geisser Q² criterion. The Q² values of 0.350 for consumer purchase intention and 0.333 for willingness to pay a premium indicate moderate predictive relevance, confirming that the structural model has adequate predictive capability.

The results of direct effect hypothesis testing are presented in

Table 7. Results of Direct Effects Hypothesis Testing.

Hypothesis	Path Coefficient	t-Value	p-Value	f-Square (Effect Size)	Result
H1. Environmental Concern → Consumer Purchase Intention	0.366	14.650	0.000	0.275 (medium)	Supported
H2. Environmental Concern → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.243	7.493	0.000	0.070 (small)	Supported
H3. Health Consciousness → Consumer Purchase Intention	0.314	11.371	0.000	0.189 (medium)	Supported
H4. Health Consciousness → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.178	4.790	0.000	0.038 (small)	Supported
H5. Consumer Innovativeness → Consumer Purchase Intention	0.350	17.372	0.000	0.259 (medium)	Supported
H6. Consumer Innovativeness → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.193	6.462	0.000	0.046 (small)	Supported
H7. Consumer Purchase Intention → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.254	5.347	0.000	0.048 (small)	Supported

. Hypothesis testing was conducted using a bootstrapping procedure with 500 subsamples, employing bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) confidence intervals at the 95% confidence level, following the recommendations of Hair et al. (2019). The findings reveal that all proposed direct effect hypotheses (H1–H7) are supported. Environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness have significant positive effects on consumer purchase intention for green cosmetics and personal care products. In addition, environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, and consumer purchase intention significantly and positively influence consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for these products.

In terms of effect size (f²), the results indicate that environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness exert moderate effects on purchase intention, while their effects on willingness to pay are generally small. Similarly, the effect of purchase intention on willingness to pay is also classified as small. These findings suggest that although all relationships are statistically significant, their practical impact varies, with stronger explanatory power observed for purchase intention compared to willingness to pay.

To provide additional insights, an Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) was conducted, and the results are presented in

Table 8. Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) Results.

Construct	Consumer Purchase Intention		Willingness to Pay Premium
	Importance	Performance	Importance	Performance
Environmental Concern	0.366	75.976	0.336	75.976
Health Consciousness	0.314	70.733	0.258	70.733
Consumer Innovativeness	0.350	55.533	0.282	55.533
Consumer Purchase Intention			0.254	72.164

. For purchase intention (CPI), environmental concern is the most important, followed by consumer innovativeness and health consciousness. However, consumer innovativeness shows the lowest performance score, indicating a potential area for improvement despite its relatively strong influence.

For willingness to pay (WTP), environmental concern remains the most important predictor, followed by consumer innovativeness, health consciousness, and purchase intention. Similar to previous findings, consumer innovativeness performs relatively poorly compared to other constructs, suggesting that enhancing consumers’ openness to innovation may further strengthen both purchase intention and willingness to pay. Overall, these results highlight environmental concern as a consistently strong driver, while consumer innovativeness represents a key area for managerial attention due to its lower performance despite its meaningful impact. These relationships are further illustrated in Figure 4, which maps the importance and performance of each construct for purchase intention and willingness to pay, respectively.

4.4. Mediation Analysis

The mediation analysis results are presented in

Table 9. Results of Mediation Effect Analysis.

Hypothesis	Path Coefficient	t-Value	p-Value	Result
H8. Environmental Concern → Consumer Purchase Intention → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.093	4.832	0.000	Supported
H9. Health Consciousness → Consumer Purchase Intention → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.080	4.797	0.000	Supported
H10. Consumer Innovativeness → Consumer Purchase Intention → Willingness to Pay Premium	0.089	4.885	0.000	Supported

. The findings indicate that all proposed mediation hypotheses (H8–H10) are supported. Specifically, consumer purchase intention significantly mediates the relationships among environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness, as well as between these factors and consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products.

Nevertheless, the mediation effects are partial rather than full, as environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness also exert significant direct effects on willingness to pay a premium. This suggests that while purchase intention serves as an important mechanism through which these antecedent variables influence premium price acceptance, consumers’ willingness to pay is also shaped directly by their environmental values, health awareness, and propensity for innovation.

4.5. Moderation Analysis: Multi-Group Analysis (MGA)

A multi-group analysis (MGA) was conducted to examine the moderating effects of demographic characteristics (gender, age, and field of study) on the relationships between environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness, and both consumer purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products.

Prior to conducting MGA, measurement invariance was assessed using the Measurement Invariance of Composite Models (MICOM) procedure via permutation testing. The results confirm that compositional invariance (Step 2) is established across all groups (age, gender, and field of study), as the correlation values are close to 1 and exceed the corresponding threshold values. These findings indicate partial measurement invariance, allowing meaningful comparisons across groups. The detailed results are presented in

Table 10. Measurement Invariance Assessment (MICOM) Results Step 2: Compositional Invariance.

Construct	Correlation (c)	5% Quantile	p-Value	Result
Age
CI	0.996	0.993	0.161	Established
CPI	1.000	0.999	0.853	Established
EC	0.999	0.999	0.033	Established
HC	0.997	0.996	0.071	Established
WTP	0.999	0.999	0.036	Established
Gender
CI	0.930	0.990	-	Established
CPI	0.995	0.998	-	Established
EC	0.997	0.998	0.008	Established
HC	0.984	0.995	-	Established
WTP	0.999	0.998	0.219	Established
Field of Study
CI	0.989	0.993	0.009	Established
CPI	0.999	0.999	0.021	Established
EC	0.997	0.999	0.001	Established
HC	0.994	0.996	0.005	Established
WTP	1.000	0.999	0.906	Established

.

The gender-based MGA results are presented in

Table 11. Gender-Based Multi-group Analysis (MGA) Results.

Path	Female	Male	Difference (Female−Male)	Interpretation
EC → CPI	0.375 ***	0.338 ***	0.037	No significant difference
EC → WTP	0.395 ***	0.635 ***	−0.240 *	Stronger for Male
HC → CPI	0.341 ***	0.217 **	0.124	No significant difference
HC → WTP	0.225 ***	0.056	0.169 *	Stronger for Female
CI → CPI	0.283 ***	0.540 ***	−0.257 ***	Stronger for Male
CI → WTP	0.070 **	0.346 ***	−0.275 ***	Stronger for Male
CPI → WTP	0.256 ***	−0.061	0.317 **	Stronger for Female

Note: Values represent standardized path coefficients from PLS-SEM. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001. Different values represent group differences based on PLS-MGA.

and reveal several significant differences between male and female consumers. Notably, the effects of consumer innovativeness on consumer purchase intention, as well as the effects of environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, and consumer purchase intention on willingness to pay a premium, differ significantly across gender groups.

Male consumers exhibit a stronger influence of environmental concern on willingness to pay a premium and a greater impact of consumer innovativeness on both purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium. In contrast, female consumers show a stronger association between health consciousness and purchase intention, as well as a greater willingness to pay a premium. These findings indicate that gender plays a meaningful moderating role in shaping motivations and value perceptions related to green cosmetics consumption.

The MGA results based on age groups are shown in

Table 12. Age-Based Multi-group Analysis (MGA) Results.

Path	Younger Age	Older Age	Difference (Younger–Older)	Interpretation
EC → CPI	0.308 ***	0.472 ***	−0.164 **	Stronger for Older
EC → WTP	0.198 ***	0.385 ***	−0.187 **	Stronger for Older
HC → CPI	0.342 ***	0.255 ***	0.087	No significant difference
HC → WTP	0.159 **	0.191 ***	−0.032	No significant difference
CI → CPI	0.426 ***	0.255 ***	0.171 ***	Stronger for Younger
CI → WTP	0.195 ***	0.106 **	0.088	No significant difference
CPI → WTP	0.261 ***	0.249 ***	0.012	No significant difference

Note: Values represent standardized path coefficients from PLS-SEM. ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001. Different values represent group differences based on PLS-MGA.

. Respondents were classified into younger (17–35 years) and older (36+ years) consumers. The findings demonstrate significant differences in the effects of environmental concern on both consumer purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium, with stronger effects observed among older consumers. This finding suggests that environmental considerations play a more prominent role in shaping green purchasing decisions among older individuals.

Conversely, the effect of consumer innovativeness on purchase intention is significantly stronger among younger consumers, indicating that novelty and innovation are more influential drivers for this group. Although the difference in the effect of consumer innovativeness on willingness to pay a premium is not statistically significant, the magnitude remains higher among younger consumers. Overall, these results highlight generational differences in the underlying motivations for purchasing green cosmetics and personal care products.

The MGA results by field of study are presented in

Table 13. Field of Study-Based Multi-group Analysis (MGA) Results.

Path	Humanities and Social Sciences	Technological and Natural Sciences	Difference (Field of Study)	Interpretation
EC → CPI	0.402 ***	0.319 ***	0.082	No significant difference
EC → WTP	0.176 ***	0.483 ***	−0.308 ***	Stronger for Technological & Natural Sciences
HC → CPI	0.301 ***	0.344 ***	−0.042	No significant difference
HC → WTP	0.153 ***	0.108	0.045	No significant difference
CI → CPI	0.328 ***	0.352 ***	−0.024	No significant difference
CI → WTP	0.126 ***	0.185 ***	−0.059	No significant difference
CPI → WTP	0.423 ***	0.087	0.336 ***	Stronger for Humanities & Social Sciences

Note: Values represent standardized path coefficients from PLS-SEM. *** p < 0.001. Different values represent group differences based on PLS-MGA.

, distinguishing between consumers from the humanities and social sciences and those from the technological and natural sciences. A significant difference is observed in the effect of environmental concern on willingness to pay a premium, with consumers from technological and natural sciences exhibiting a stronger relationship.

Additionally, a significant difference emerges in the effect of consumer purchase intention on willingness to pay a premium, with a stronger effect among consumers from the humanities and social sciences. Although the differences in consumer innovativeness and health consciousness are not statistically significant across groups, their effects are relatively stronger among consumers from the technological and natural sciences for purchase intention and among humanities and social sciences consumers for willingness to pay a premium. Overall, the MGA results support hypotheses H11 and H12, confirming the moderating role of demographic characteristics in the proposed model.

5. Discussion

This study provides robust evidence that environmental concern positively influences consumer purchase intention toward green cosmetics and personal care products. Consumers who are more aware of environmental issues and more committed to ecological sustainability are more inclined to choose environmentally friendly alternatives. This finding corroborates prior studies emphasizing environmental concern as a key antecedent of green purchase intention (Abdulsahib et al., 2019; Ayub et al., 2018; Yadav & Pathak, 2016). Consistent with Zhuang et al. (2021), higher levels of environmental knowledge and awareness enhance consumers’ motivation to support sustainable products, underscoring the importance of environmental education initiatives led by both businesses and policymakers.

Beyond purchase intention, environmental concern is also found to significantly increase consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products. This result aligns with earlier empirical evidence suggesting that environmentally conscious consumers perceive premium prices as a justified trade-off for environmental preservation and long-term sustainability benefits (González-Rodríguez et al., 2020; Konuk, 2018, 2019; Shin et al., 2019). As argued by Casado-Díaz et al. (2020), personal environmental values and pro-environmental actions often play a more decisive role than general attitudes in explaining consumers’ willingness to incur higher costs for environmental benefits.

Taken together, these findings highlight the strategic importance of environmental concern in shaping both behavioral intention and premium price acceptance. Rather than relying solely on general awareness campaigns, more targeted communication that emphasizes tangible environmental and personal benefits may be more effective in strengthening consumers’ willingness to pay for green products. Supporting this view, Rausch and Kopplin (2021) emphasize the role of targeted environmental communication in shaping pro-environmental behavior, while Newton et al. (2015) stress the importance of providing reliable information tools, such as accredited product reviews and sustainability labels, to help consumers evaluate environmental attributes more confidently.

The findings further demonstrate that health consciousness significantly influences both consumer purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products. Health-conscious consumers tend to associate green products with safer ingredients and long-term well-being, making them more willing to adopt and financially support sustainable alternatives. This result is consistent with prior studies linking health consciousness to favorable attitudes toward green products and higher willingness to pay premium prices (Iqbal et al., 2021; Konuk, 2018; Molinillo et al., 2019; Shin et al., 2019; Sriwaranun et al., 2015; X. Xu et al., 2020).

From a managerial perspective, these findings suggest that integrating health-related messaging into green marketing strategies can be particularly effective. Emphasizing the link between personal well-being and environmental sustainability allows firms to position green cosmetics not only as environmentally responsible products but also as investments in long-term health. This approach aligns with Yen and Hoang (2023) and Kamboj and Matharu (2021), who argue that highlighting both health and ecological benefits enhances perceived value and helps justify premium pricing.

Consumer innovativeness also exerts a significant positive influence on both purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products. This finding supports previous studies identifying innovative consumers as early adopters who are more open to new, sustainable product offerings (He et al., 2018; Klein et al., 2019; Konuk, 2018). Innovative consumers tend to value novelty, technological advancement, and differentiation, making them more receptive to green products that emphasize innovation in formulation, packaging, or production processes (Konuk, 2018, 2019; Sadik-Rozsnyai & Bertrandias, 2019).

Consistent with L. Li et al. (2021), the finding suggests that communicating the innovative aspects of green cosmetics, such as eco-friendly technologies, biodegradable packaging, and advanced natural ingredients, can attract innovation-oriented consumers and accelerate market adoption. In this context, innovative consumers may also contribute to the diffusion of sustainable consumption practices within broader consumer networks (Hasudungan & Saragih, 2024).

Although all hypothesized relationships are statistically significant, the effect sizes for willingness to pay are relatively smaller compared to those for purchase intention. This suggests that while psychological drivers such as environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness strongly shape consumers’ intentions, their influence on actual economic decisions is more limited. This finding is consistent with the well-documented attitude–behavior gap, where positive evaluations do not always translate into monetary commitment (Dwivedi et al., 2025; Shah & Yang, 2022). One possible explanation is that willingness to pay involves additional considerations, such as financial constraints, perceived price fairness, and risk perceptions, which are not fully captured by psychological drivers alone. Therefore, while the results are statistically robust, their practical implications indicate that influencing willingness to pay requires more than strengthening consumer attitudes, highlighting the need for complementary strategies such as pricing and value communication.

Importantly, this study confirms that consumer purchase intention has a direct, positive effect on willingness to pay a premium and serves as a partial mediator between environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness and willingness to pay a premium. This finding reinforces earlier evidence that strong purchase intention translates psychological values into economic behavior (Farzin et al., 2023; Schniederjans & Starkey, 2014; Tan & Goh, 2018). By identifying purchase intention as a key mediating mechanism, this study contributes to green consumer behavior literature by clarifying how internal motivations are transformed into premium price acceptance.

The mediation results underscore that enhancing consumers’ willingness to pay for green products requires more than fostering favorable attitudes alone. Businesses must actively strengthen purchase intention through credible value propositions, clear product positioning, and effective communication strategies that align environmental, health, and innovation-related benefits with consumer expectations. This finding goes beyond confirming established TPB relationships by explicitly demonstrating how purchase intention functions as a mediating mechanism linking value-based drivers to willingness to pay, thereby providing a clearer explanation of the attitude–behavior gap.

Furthermore, the findings reveal that demographic characteristics, specifically gender, age, and field of study, moderate the relationships among environmental concern, health consciousness, consumer innovativeness, purchase intention, and willingness to pay a premium. These results reinforce the view that green consumer behavior is inherently heterogeneous, as differences in individual characteristics and social attributes shape pro-environmental behavior and purchasing decisions.

Gender-based differences indicate that women are more strongly influenced by health consciousness and purchase intention when deciding to pay a premium, whereas men are more influenced by environmental concern and consumer innovativeness. This pattern can be explained by differences in value orientation, where women tend to exhibit stronger pro-social and care-related values, leading to greater sensitivity to health and well-being considerations (Chekima et al., 2016; Kato, 2019). Prior studies also show that women are generally more willing to pay for environmentally friendly products, while men tend to demonstrate higher responsiveness to innovation-related attributes (Frank et al., 2015; Rezai et al., 2013). These findings suggest that gender differences in green consumption reflect both value-driven and innovation-driven motivations.

Age-based moderation further reveals generational differences in green consumption behavior. Older consumers exhibit stronger environmental concern and health consciousness, which may reflect greater awareness of long-term consequences and stronger alignment with sustainability and health-related values (Alsubhi et al., 2023). In contrast, younger consumers are more influenced by consumer innovativeness, consistent with their higher openness to novelty and stronger engagement with new products and digital information environments (Chen-Yu & Yang, 2020; Persaud & Schillo, 2017). This supports prior evidence that generational cohorts differ in their motivations for sustainable consumption, with younger consumers driven more by innovation and lifestyle factors, while older consumers are more value-oriented.

Finally, the field of study emerges as an additional source of consumer heterogeneity. Consumers from technological and natural science backgrounds exhibit stronger effects of environmental concern and consumer innovativeness, likely due to higher levels of environmental knowledge and scientific awareness, which have been shown to positively influence pro-environmental attitudes and purchase intentions (Kim & Lee, 2023; Simanjuntak et al., 2023). Conversely, consumers from humanities and social sciences demonstrate a stronger link between purchase intention and willingness to pay, suggesting a more value-driven and interpretive decision-making process. This aligns with prior research indicating that educational background shapes how individuals process sustainability-related information and translate it into behavior (Ghazanfari et al., 2024).

Overall, these findings highlight that green consumption behavior is not uniform but shaped by differences in value orientation, knowledge, and life-stage characteristics. This underscores the importance of segmentation strategies and reinforces prior literature emphasizing the role of demographic heterogeneity in sustainable consumption.

6. Conclusions

This study demonstrates that environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness play pivotal roles in shaping consumer purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for green cosmetics and personal care products in Indonesia. The findings confirm that consumers who are more environmentally aware, health-oriented, and open to innovation are more inclined not only to intend to purchase green products but also to accept higher prices for them. Purchase intention further acts as an important mechanism translating these psychological drivers into premium price acceptance, while demographic characteristics (gender, age, and field of study) introduce meaningful heterogeneity in green consumption behavior.

From a practical standpoint, the results suggest that green marketing strategies should move beyond uniform messaging and adopt more segmented approaches. Health-oriented narratives may be more effective for female and older consumers, whereas innovation- and environment-focused appeals may resonate more strongly with male and younger consumers. Differences across academic backgrounds also indicate that sustainability communication should be adapted to consumers’ knowledge bases and value orientations. For policymakers, particularly in Indonesia and similar developing contexts, the findings underscore the importance of strengthening environmental awareness through education, incentives, and regulatory frameworks that encourage sustainable production and consumption.

Despite its contributions, this study is subject to certain limitations. First, this study adopts a cross-sectional design, which limits the ability to establish causal relationships among variables. Second, the use of self-reported data may introduce response bias, as respondents’ answers may be influenced by subjective perceptions or social desirability. Third, the use of purposive online sampling may lead to sampling bias, as the sample may overrepresent digitally active and relatively more educated consumers. This may result in an overestimation of certain psychological traits, particularly consumer innovativeness, as digitally engaged individuals are generally more exposed to new products and sustainability-related information. As a result, the strength of the observed relationships may not fully reflect the behavior of less digitally engaged populations. Consequently, the external validity of the findings may be limited, particularly when generalizing to broader populations with lower digital access or different socio-economic characteristics.

In addition, the empirical context is confined to green cosmetics and personal care products in Indonesia, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other product categories or cultural settings. While the results may offer relevant insights for similar emerging markets, differences in economic conditions, cultural values, and market maturity should be considered when applying these findings in other contexts.

Additionally, this research focuses on demographic moderators, leaving other potential influences, such as cultural values, income levels, or personal norms, unexplored. Future studies may extend this research by examining diverse product contexts and incorporating broader psychographic factors. Furthermore, future research is encouraged to employ longitudinal or experimental designs to capture causal relationships better, integrate behavioral or actual purchasing data to enhance validity, and apply more representative sampling approaches to improve generalizability.