Impact of Social Media on Choosing Skin Care and Cosmetic Products Among Females in Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-12, Vol.15 (12), p.e49922-e49922
• Main Authors: Alamer, Maryam A, Alrashed, Hatim, Abuageelah, Bandar M, Kinkar, Lina I, Alwayel, Zahraa A, Alfaifi, Mona H, Alfataih, Mahdi T, Alzakry, Leena M, Alruwaili, Ziyad M, Alhumam, Aminah A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body image; Cosmetics; Decision making; Epidemiology/Public Health; Females; Information sources; Skin care products; Social networks; Womens health
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49922

Social media is a network that allows information to be shared globally with millions of users. It is becoming evident that social media plays quite a prominent role these days in skincare. Social media surely has come to benefit millions of its users around the globe, but the downside of social media is that it has the potential to put users at risk while they follow popular trends. This study aims to assess the impact of social media on choosing skincare and cosmetic products in Saudi Arabia with the most used social media platforms. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted targeting adult female residents across Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from the participants who met our criteria via electronic data collection Google forms did not show any nominative information that was distributed through social media platforms. The questionnaire covered participants' demographic data, social media use, source of information, and degree of trust with the influence of social media on using cosmetics. The eligible females were asked to fill out the study questionnaire received till no more new answers were obtained. A total of 1,174 females fulfilling the inclusion criteria completed the study questionnaire. Participants' ages ranged from 18 to more than 40 years with a mean age of 22.5 %C2%B1 13.9 years old. Exact of 655 (55.8%) were single, and 463 (39.4%) were married. The most used social media platforms included Snapchat (39.4%), TikTok (26.7%), and Instagram (19.6%). A total of 881 (75%) of the study females reported they use social media for more than an hour a day. Exact 51% of the study females became familiar with skin care products from social media platforms. Also, 91.3% of the study female's confidence in information related to cosmetic and skin care products was affected by visual presentation. In conclusion, the study showed that most of the study participants used social media for many hours daily mainly Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. Also, social media was the main source of information regarding skin care products mainly dermatologists on social media.