Personal care products use-pattern: A national survey in Iran

Introduction: Personal care products are amongst the most consistently used products in every population. This study was aimed to evaluate rate and frequency of use, brand loyalty, tendency to scented or unscented products, preferred place of purchase, and choosing domestic or foreign products used by adults. Method: Considering Cochrane sampling, a validated questionnaire was developed to assess theuse-patterns of 125 product types (e.g., skin, hair, and eye care) in 1670 households in eight cities of Iran. The data was analyzed by SPSS24 regarding age, sex, education, religion, total household expenses, and ethnicity of the population. Result and discussion: This study provides knowledge on population-based usepatterns of personal care products based on socio-demographic categories. More than 73% of respondentswere women and 9.9% of overall household expenditures was dedicated to personal care products. Based on One-Way ANOVA test with significant p-value<0.05, daily shampoo, deodorants, bath soap, regular toothpaste, and body shampoo were the most frequent products used. The most repeatedly use-pattern was once-daily for sunscreens, moisturizers, lightenings, deodorants, toothpastes, mouth-washes, as well as eyecare,lip-care, anti-acne, anti-aging, and anti-chap products; also this pattern was twice weekly for haircare, shaving products, soaps, and body shampoo. Regarding to face and hand creams, shampoos, lotions, and oils the average amount per use is 3.3-5.4 grams. Moreover, in all products studied, people prefer domestic over foreign ones except in deodorants and anti-perspirants. In addition, 42% and 29.8% of respondents prefer to purchase their personal care products from pharmacies and beauty shops, respectively. Conclusion: This is the first study providing use-pattern of personal care products in Iran. Considering the wide usage of such products, their impact on community health, and the consumer’s preferences, companiesand health authorities can take advantage of these results to develop strategies and regulations to optimize personal cares use-patterns.