Consumer habits and practices for cosmetics and personal care products in Singapore: An online survey

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 174; p. 113659
• Main Authors: Juraimi, Siti Amelia, O’Brien, John, Hirsh, John, Tan, Adam, Teo, Joshua, Khaiat, Alain, Yeo, Kim Long, Smith, Benjamin P.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Amount of use; Consumer Product Safety; Cosmetics; Exposure; Frequency of use; Habits; Singapore; Surveys and Questionnaires; Usage patterns; Singapore; Cosmetics; Exposure; Usage patterns; Frequency of use; Amount of use
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113659

Understanding trends in habits and practices of cosmetics and personal care products is essential for the assessment of product exposure and simultaneously, the establishment of safe use levels for incorporated ingredients. To date, most exposure data is limited to European and USA populations, with data on Asian-specific habits and practices lacking. This data gap needs to be filled as evidence has shown that there is a large variation in product use behaviors between consumers, across and within populations. Moreover, there is a need to seek a more efficient approach of data collection. Conventional methods of collecting habits and practices data require extensive effort and are generally cost and time intensive. In this publication, we demonstrate the feasibility of employing a rapid and cost-effective online survey approach to gather habits and practices for Southeast Asia, specifically Singapore. We describe the methodology and display the type of habits and practices data that can be gathered through this approach. Although certain limitations exist, this approach can be used to effectively collect preliminary product use data across regions and different product categories. •Online surveys are a rapid and cost-effective approach to gather habits and practices.•Collected product usages in Singapore fills current data gap in Southeast Asia.•Usages in Singapore are broadly comparable to other regions (Asia, US and Europe).