Samenvatting

As sustainable practices become increasingly important in consumer markets, brands are integrating upcycled ingredients into personal care products. However, consumer acceptance of these products is not guaranteed and often depends on psychological factors such as trust, perceived quality, and associations with waste. This thesis investigates how ingredient disclosure and brand familiarity affect consumer evaluations, including purchase intention (PI), willingness to pay (WTP), perceived product quality, emotional value, and disgust. Using a between-subject experimental design, two brands were tested: Marie-Stella-Maris (MSM), a familiar Dutch brand, and Ella Beauty Lab (EBL), a fictional start-up. Results show that disclosure significantly increased PI and quality perception, especially for EBL. WTP also showed a marginal increase for EBL when disclosure was applied. Brand familiarity alone had no significant impact on consumer evaluations. These findings indicate that transparent communication can be a strategic tool for unfamiliar brands to build trust and enhance product appeal.

Based on the results, a digital marketing campaign—“Trash to Treasure”—was developed to help start-up brands promote upcycled cosmetics. The campaign includes storytelling through TikTok and Instagram, collaborations with nano- and micro-influencers, and hashtag-based engagement strategies. An implementation timeline and performance metrics (KPIs, ROI, engagement) are proposed. The solution is grounded in literature, experimental findings, and stakeholder feedback, offering a scalable model for building trust in sustainable beauty products.