INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING GENERATION Z'S HALAL COSMETICS

: It is estimated that the Muslim population, which is currently 1.6 billion in total, will reach 2.2 billion in 2030. For this reason, the Muslim population has significant potential in terms of the halal cosmetics sector, as in many other sectors. In addition, the more Muslim population is turning to halal cosmetic products that are not tested on animals, symbolizing cleanliness. In addition to Muslim consumers, consumers also demand halal cosmetic products for various reasons. Since the world halal cosmetics market is expected to reach approximately 54 billion dollars in 2024, the efforts of brands and companies in the halal cosmetics market are increasing. Brands and companies aware of this potential are trying to get a bigger share of the Muslim cosmetic products market with the products they develop. However, industry brands have significant problems motivating consumers to buy halal cosmetics, but consumer behaviour is a complex and dynamic process. The same is true when it comes to halal cosmetic products. Many factors affect consumers' choice of halal cosmetic products. It is important for brands that want to be successful in the sector and get more shares to learn more about the factors affecting the halal cosmetics demand of Muslim consumers. Only in this way would it be possible for brands to create the right marketing strategies. Generation Z, who is constantly interacting with the world due to their technological competencies and continuously following the developments in every field, is the most important target group for brands. Especially in recent years, Generation Z has been a focused area of research in human resources, marketing, and business strategies. Turkey is a country with a predominantly Muslim population. Generation Z among the Muslim population in Turkey is a potential market for halal cosmetics. Therefore, it is of great importance for cosmetic brands to understand the factors that affect the behaviour of Generation Z to adopt halal cosmetics. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors affecting Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption. The research was carried out with 550 participants living in Istanbul with the online survey method in November and December 2021. The results showed that product characteristics, social influence, and consumer innovativeness significantly affected Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption. Religiosity did not affect their halal cosmetics adoption.


Introduction.
Consumers who use beauty products are more likely to be psychologically aware of their (2021), high-end brands still lead in the minds of Generation Z. However, domestic brands with professional endorsements specializing in functional cosmetics have been gaining a mind share. Moreover, being connected with Generation Z is vital to the future success of skincare brands and the cosmetics industry (Deloitte, 2021).
Brands and companies seek halal certification for their cosmetic products to cater to the needs of Muslim consumers. The demand for halal cosmetic products is growing in Muslim-dominant countries because there is a rapid increase in the number of Muslim women entering and specializing in the fashion and cosmetics industry. In recent years, the global halal cosmetics market has witnessed high growth and diversification levels, increasing the demand even more. More and more Muslims turn to cosmetic products that are not tested on animals (Databridge 2021). However, even non-Muslim consumers prefer halal cosmetic products due to more ethical production practices and stricter quality standards. However, the halal cosmetic market faces challenges, such as high costs and a lack of standard guidelines for halal certification. The global halal cosmetics market, which was 29.13 Billion USD in 2020, is expected to reach 104.17 billion USD in 2027 (Wood, 2021). According to Covina (2020), the global halal cosmetics market was US$ 26 billion market in 2019. It is projected to reach US$ 86.2 billion in 2029, with an annual growth of 12.9%. According to another study, the halal cosmetics market will grow 11.6% annually between 2021 and 2031 (McKeon, 2022). The reason behind the growth of the halal cosmetics market is the soaring demand for non-animal tested and vegan cosmetic products among younger generations. Major halal cosmetics markets are the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, and Malaysia (McKeon 2022). The Asia-Pacific region dominates the halal cosmetics market due to the highest Muslim population.
Besides, the halal cosmetics market has the largest share in the region because it has penetrated both large and small markets with its broader product range (Databridge 2021). Wealthy and tech-savvy Muslims will make up 26% of the global population in 2020. They will reach 30% by 2030, according to the Global Islamic Economy Report 2019/2020 by Thomson-Reuters andDinar Standard (GIER 2018/2019). According to the same report, Muslim consumers spent US$ 64 billion on cosmetics in 2018. It will reach US$ 95 billion by 2024 (Masood, 2021). These projections indicate that the halal cosmetics industry is developing with great potential. The Turkish Standards Institute (TSI) started to offer halal cosmetic certification services in 2014 and issued its first certificate for kinds of toothpaste for children and adults in 2016 (TSE 2016).
Halal cosmetic industries can drive the Halal economy in Muslim countries. However, the size of this market depends on the development of products catering to Muslim consumers' needs and wants. Religiosity, cultural norms, ease of access, personal tastes, and preferences are the factors that affect consumers' demand for halal cosmetics. This study aimed to investigate the effect of social influence, product characteristics, consumer innovativeness, and religiousness on Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption.
While the concept of halal cosmetics was a new word in the early 2000s, the knowledge of consumers and producers has gradually increased. The availability of these products has played an important role in increasing awareness of halal cosmetic products. As the availability of products increased, consumer awareness also increased. A study conducted with 379 visitors in Dubai in 2014 determined that 62.3% of the participants had not heard anything about halal cosmetics before (Hajipour et al., 2015). This result shows that there is very little awareness of halal cosmetic products. In Malaysia, where research on halal products is carried out intensively on the subject, the intentions of consumers to use Halal cosmetics and personal care products such as race and awareness, advertising and awareness, the relative quality perception of Halal products, personal opinions and religion affect consumption barriers and other products. It has been determined that a positive attitude toward people affects negatively (Kordnaeij, 2013). In another study conducted in Malaysia in 2015, multiple regression determined that the strongest factors affecting participants' awareness of Halal cosmetics and personal care products were attitude, advertising, and knowledge, respectively (Farlina et al., 2015). In a study conducted in Malaysia, the factors that affect consumers' cosmetic product preferences are respectively; It has been determined that it is natural products, branded products, and halal labels. In the same study, the awareness levels of consumers for halal cosmetic products were not found to be sufficient (Ayop et al., 2016).
A study conducted in Indonesia in 2019 revealed that 74% of the participants knew halal cosmetic products. In the same study, most participants not only knew about halal cosmetic products but also stated that most of the participants used them (Muhsin, 2019). Similarly, in another study conducted among Z-generation individuals between the ages of 18-21 in Malaysia in 2021, halal cosmetic product awareness among the participants was found to be extremely high (Ilma and Sapir, 2021). It is thought that the awareness of Halal cosmetic products has been at the highest level in recent years because Z-generation individuals actively use social media and have information about halal cosmetic products through social media.
With the pandemic, consumers' awareness of cosmetic products has also changed. The spread of the pandemic has had an overall positive impact on skin care products. However, makeup products other than eye makeup products were more negatively affected by the spread of the pandemic. The main reason for this could be expressed as the fact that female consumers stay at home more during the pandemic process (Choi et al., 2022).
Social influence refers to the changes in one's thoughts or feelings reflected in one's behaviour due to interaction with others (Pavlou and Chai, 2002). For example, even if one does not have a positive attitude toward halal cosmetic products, one may start using them to avoid conflict with family members or friends. Family members, friends, and cultural norms influence consumer behaviour. Therefore, social influence affects consumer behaviour regarding halal cosmetic products. Based on these arguments, the following is the first hypothesis: H1: Social influence is positively related to halal cosmetics adoption. Halal cosmetic products do not have halal labels. Therefore, consumers spend much time browsing content before making a purchase decision (Mohezar et al., 2016). Consumers prefer high-quality cosmetic products from well-known brands (GIER 2019/20). Apart from that, product characteristics become important in cosmetic products. Many factors, such as color, packaging, active ingredients, brand, price, place of manufacture, design, and popularity, affect purchasing behaviour. The following is the second hypothesis: H2: Product characteristics are positively related to halal cosmetics adoption. Innovativeness is the willingness to adopt new ideas before others (Rogers, 2003). This concept is widely used in consumer and marketing research. Most consumers do not know enough about the potential benefits of halal cosmetic products. It is primarily the innovative and courageous consumers with time and money who prefer halal cosmetic products (Mohezar et al., 2016). In this context, the following is the third hypothesis: H3: Consumer innovativeness is positively related to halal cosmetics adoption. Religiosity is defined as the extent to which one believes, follows, and practices a religion (Aziz et al., 2019). If one follows the teachings of one's religion, one has high religiosity. Religiosity affects consumer decisions. For example, Muslims must consume halal products (Handriana et al., 2020). Generation Z could reach information about religions in a short time because they are tech-savvy individuals. In this context, the following is the fourth hypothesis: H4: Religiosity is positively related to halal cosmetics adoption. Methodology and research methods. There is limited research on halal cosmetics adoption. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature and paves the way for further research. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption. The study population consisted of all Generation Z in Istanbul, one of Turkey's biggest cities. The sample consisted of 555 Generation Z recruited using nonprobability convenience sampling. The study had two limitations. First, the study was conducted only in Istanbul due to insufficient time and financial resources. Second, the sample consisted only of female Generation Z. As a result of the literature review conducted within the scope of the research, hypotheses were formed. The research model in Figure 1 was obtained in line with the hypotheses formed. The research model ( Figure 1) reveals the effects of social impact, product characteristics, individual innovativeness, and religiosity level on Halal cosmetics' adoption. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a scale consisting of four subscales: social influence (four items), consumer innovativeness (four items), religiosity (six items), and halal cosmetics adoption (five items). The scale was adapted from Mohezar et al. (2016). The items are rated on a five-point Likert-type scale: 1) Strongly disagree; 2) Disagree; Halal cosmetics adoption

Social influence
Product characteristics

Consumer innovativeness
Religiosity 3) Undecided; 4) Agree; 5) Strongly agree. Experts were consulted for the internal validity of the scale. The items were back-translated and revised (Onurlubas and Altunısık, 2019). In turn, a pilot study was conducted (n=50) to check the items for intelligibility and relevance. Based on the results, the items were revised and finalized. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated for reliability.
The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) at a significance level of 0.05. Normality was tested to determine kurtosis and skewness values. Kurtosis and skewness coefficients ranging from -2 to +2 indicate normal distribution (George and Mallery, 2003). The «social influence» subscale had a skewness and kurtosis of -0.084 and 1.853, respectively. The «product characteristics» subscale had a skewness and kurtosis of -1.198 and 1.611, respectively. In turn, the «consumer innovativeness» subscale had a skewness and kurtosis of 0.010 and -1.010, respectively. The «religiosity» subscale had a skewness and kurtosis of -0.565 and -0.044, respectively. The «halal cosmetics adoption» subscale had a skewness and kurtosis of -0.171 and -1.217, respectively. These results indicated that all subscales had a normal distribution. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the construct validity. Then, the factors affecting halal cosmetics adoption were analyzed using a structural equation model (SEM). In the model, social influence, product characteristics, consumer innovativeness, and religiosity were the independent variables, while halal cosmetics adoption was the dependent variable.
Results. The sample consisted of 550 Generation Z. Most participants were between 19 and 22 (82.2%). Over half the participants had a monthly income of TL 0 to 1000 (65.9%). The demographic characteristics of the respondents are shown in Table 1 Sources: developed by the authors.
The «social influence», «product characteristics», «consumer innovativeness», «religiosity», and «halal cosmetics adoption» had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.55, 0.70, 0.67, 0.76, and 0.72, respectively (Table 2). Conssidering the Kalayci (2009) the thresholds of Cronbach's alpha are: 0.00 ≤ (α) < 0.40 = unreliable, 0.40 ≤ (α) < 0.60 = low reliability, 0.60 ≤ (α) < 0.80 = high reliability, 0.80 ≤ (α) < 1.00 = very high reliability (Kalaycı, 2009) The results showed that the subscales had acceptable reliability. Social influence, product characteristics, and consumer innovativeness had a significance level of p<0.01. Religiosity had a significance level of p>0.05. Therefore, there was no significant correlation between religiosity and halal cosmetics adoption. Halal cosmetics adoption was weakly correlated with social influence (r=0.307 p<0.01) and consumer innovativeness (r=0.261 p<0.01) and moderately correlated with product characteristics (r=0.425 p<0.01) ( Table 3). Considering the results of confirmatory factor analysis, all indices showed good or acceptable fit (Table 4). All fit indices were within the acceptable range (Table 5). The structural equation model was used to determine the effect of social influence, product characteristics, consumer innovativeness, and religiosity on halal cosmetics adoption (Figue 2). Religiosity was removed from the model as insignificant (Figure 3).    Figure 3. The effect of social influence, product characteristics, and consumer innovativeness on halal cosmetics adoption Sources: developed by the authors.

Table2. Reliability analysis
The standardized regression coefficients showed a significant relationship between social influence and halal cosmetics adoption (β= 0.181, t= 4.342, p<0.000), confirming Hypothesis 1 (Table 6). This result showed that social influence significantly affected halal cosmetics adoption. The standardized regression coefficients showed a significant relationship between product characteristics and halal cosmetics adoption (β= 0.301, t= 7.024, p<0.000), confirming Hypothesis 2. This result showed that product characteristics significantly affected halal cosmetics adoption. The standardized regression coefficients showed a significant relationship between consumer innovativeness and halal cosmetics adoption (β= 0.194, t= 5.009, p<0.000), confirming Hypothesis 3. This result showed that consumer innovativeness significantly affected halal cosmetics adoption.
Conclusion. Halal cosmetic products are gradually increasing their market share as they have begun to be used by Muslim female consumers and consumers of other religions. Therefore, it is of great importance for cosmetics companies to find out why consumers purchase halal cosmetic products. Although Turkey has a majority Muslim population, researchers have understudied the factors affecting consumers' halal cosmetics adoption. Therefore, it is much more important to discover consumers' motivations to purchase and adopt halal cosmetics in countries like Turkey.
This study investigated the impact of product characteristics, social influence, consumer innovativeness, and religiosity on Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption. The results showed that product characteristics, social influence, and consumer innovativeness affected Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption, confirming H1, H2, and H3. Besides, Mohezar et al. (2016) found that product characteristics had a more significant effect on young Muslim consumers' halal cosmetics adoption than social influence, consumer innovativeness, and religiosity. The result indicates that consumers attach great importance to cosmetic products' brands, designs, and features. Noteworthy here, religiosity did not affect Generation Z's halal cosmetics adoption. Khan et al. (2020) also determined that religiosity had the most negligible effect on Generation Y's intention to buy halal cosmetic products. They reported that ingredient safety significantly predicted Generation Y's intention to buy halal cosmetic products. According to Kaur et al. (2018), Malaysian Muslim women pay attention to price, quality, and brand before purchasing cosmetic products. Still, they do not care too much about whether they are halal products. On the other hand, Saifudin et al. (2020) reported that religiosity significantly affected Generation Y Muslim consumers' intention to choose halal cosmetic products. Haquea et al. (2018) found that attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and religiosity had significant relationships with purchase intention, but that subjective norms had an insignificant relationship with it. Consumer behaviour is a complex and dynamic process. The same is true when it comes to halal cosmetic products. Many factors affect consumers' choice of halal cosmetic products. Rahim et al. (2015) found that commercials, knowledge levels, and attitudes affected Malaysian consumers' perceptions of halal cosmetic products. Sama and Trivedi (2019) determined that beliefs significantly affected Indian Muslim consumers' attitudes toward halal products, leading to brand love. They also added that brand love resulted in brand loyalty for halal cosmetic products. Handriana et al. (2020) reported that religious beliefs affected millennial Muslim female consumers' attitudes. They added that halal certification affected consumers' halal awareness, making them more likely to buy halal cosmetic products. Mufroda and Adinugrah (2021) reported that halal raw materials, religious obligations, production process, product hygiene, and international halal product knowledge affected Indonesian consumers' choice of halal cosmetic products. Rahmah (2021) found that religiosity had a positive but insignificant effect on Indonesian millennial consumers' preference for halal cosmetics. However, halal awareness and halal certification significantly affected their preference for them. Masood (2021) reported that product quality, halal certification, price, ease of purchase, reviews and comments, brand, packaging, ads, and celebrities affected Malaysian college students' preference for halal cosmetic products. Earlier research has shown that quality, brand name and visibility, implementation, pricing, packaging, celebrity support, and halal certification affect consumers' intention to buy halal cosmetic products (Alhedhaif et al., 2016;Munasinghe and Weerasiri, 2016;Putri and Abdinagoro, 2018;Kaur et al., 2018;Haque, 2018;Ali, 2019).