Effect of COVID-19 Risk Perception on Cosmeceutical Purchase Intention and Behavior

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate how the perception of risk of COVID-19 affects consumers' intentions or behaviors to purchase cosmeceuticals.Methods: Adults in their 20s or older living in the Seoul metropolitan area were sampled. The survey was conducted for two weeks from the third week to the fourth week of February 2022, and only 230 valid data were used for the final analysis, excluding insincere responses.Results: Perception of social/environmental, economic, and psychological risk for COVID-19 was found to have a negative (-) effect on purchase intention, and cosmeceutical cosmetics purchase intention had a significant positive (+) effect on purchase behavior. Also, among the perceptions of risk of COVID-19, social/environmental risk, economic risk, physical risk, and psychological risk perception were found to have a significant negative (-) effect on purchasing behavior. The mediating effect of purchase intention was confirmed in the relationship between risk perception of COVID-19 and cosmeceutical purchasing behavior.Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was found that the perceived risk of COVID-19 by adults in their 20s and older decreased their purchase intention or behavior for cosmeceutical cosmetics. The results of this study will be meaningful as it empirically examined how the risk perception of COVID-19 affects purchase intentions and behaviors for cosmeceuticals and will have great implications for the cosmeceutical industry preparing for the post-corona era.