The Important Factors Affecting Consumer Attitude and Use of Skin Whitening Products (The Case of Under-graduate Females in the University of Khartoum)

The market of skin whitening products is rising each year in Africa and the Middle-East, while some societies in the world do not even know the existence of the phenomenon skin whitening. The studies about attitude towards skin whitening products are limited. Current study will try to contribute to the scientific knowledge in this field. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of product attributes, media and self-image on consumer behavior as well as the impact of consumer attitude and normative influence on purchase intention among females in University of Khartoum. This study also investigates consumer’s awareness, side effects and level of satisfaction. A sample of 300 Sudanese females was collected and with the use of the statistical program SPSS the most important influencing factors were determined. It appears that the normative influence and behavioral control have a significant impact on purchase intention towards skin whitening products. Whereas self-image and some of the product attributes were found to have a significant impact on consumer attitude. Also, this study revealed that traditional media has no impact on consumer attitude towards the use of whitening products. With the use of the knowledge acquired from this research, young females in Sudan as well as the Sudanese society are provided with relevant information about the hazardous effects of skin whitening products.