Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards the Harmful Effects of Cosmetics: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Undergraduate Female Students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.
- 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
Background
Cosmetic products are widely used among women in Saudi Arabia, yet certain ingredients pose dermatological and systemic health risks. Despite Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulation, consumer awareness and precautionary behavior remain poorly characterized in high-use populations.Objective
To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the harmful effects of cosmetics among female undergraduate students at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and to identify factors associated with cosmetic-use behavior.Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2025 using a self-administered electronic questionnaire adapted from validated KAP instruments, comprising 29 items (12 knowledge, 5 attitude, and 11 practice items, plus one item on previous cosmetic-related skin problems) rated on a five-point Likert agreement scale. Internal consistency was acceptable to good (knowledge, Cronbach's α = 0.73; the combined attitude and practice items after reverse-coding, α = 0.75). Responses from 549 participants were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's post-hoc test, and multivariable regression; significance was set at p < 0.05.Results
Participants were aged 17-30 years (17-20: 41.2%; 21-25: 56.5%; 26-30: 2.4%). Cosmetic use was prevalent (92.3%), and 48.3% reported at least one adverse effect, most commonly skin breakouts including acne. Only 52.1% recognized allergenic and 32.8% potentially carcinogenic ingredients; 33.3% performed an allergy patch test and 41.2% read ingredient lists. Age (p < 0.001) and marital status (p = 0.004) were associated with usage intensity. Endorsement of influencer recommendations, a minority behavior (38.1% agreed; 42.4% disagreed), was independently associated with purchase of expensive cosmetics (adjusted odds ratio 1.59, 95% CI 1.08-2.33, p = 0.019); no factor was associated with patch testing.Conclusion
Safety awareness did not consistently translate into precautionary behavior, revealing a knowledge-practice gap among young Saudi women. Targeted education should strengthen ingredient-level literacy and cosmetovigilance engagement.
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BibTeX
@article{alharbi2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards the Harmful Effects of Cosmetics: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Undergraduate Female Students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.}},
author = {Hanan M Alharbi and Huda Othman Khawaji},
journal = {Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ccid.s632711},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903057},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards the Harmful Effects of Cosmetics: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Undergraduate Female Students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.
AU - Hanan M Alharbi
AU - Huda Othman Khawaji
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology
DO - 10.2147/ccid.s632711
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903057
AB - Background Cosmetic products are widely used among women in Saudi Arabia, yet certain ingredients pose dermatological and systemic health risks. Despite Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulation, consumer awareness and precautionary behavior remain poorly characterized in high-use populations.Objective To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the harmful effects of cosmetics among female undergraduate students at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and to identify factors associated with cosmetic-use behavior.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2025 using a self-administered electronic questionnaire adapted from validated KAP instruments, comprising 29 items (12 knowledge, 5 attitude, and 11 practice items, plus one item on previous cosmetic-related skin problems) rated on a five-point Likert agreement scale. Internal consistency was acceptable to good (knowledge, Cronbach's α = 0.73; the combined attitude and practice items after reverse-coding, α = 0.75). Responses from 549 participants were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's post-hoc test, and multivariable regression; significance was set at p < 0.05.Results Participants were aged 17-30 years (17-20: 41.2%; 21-25: 56.5%; 26-30: 2.4%). Cosmetic use was prevalent (92.3%), and 48.3% reported at least one adverse effect, most commonly skin breakouts including acne. Only 52.1% recognized allergenic and 32.8% potentially carcinogenic ingredients; 33.3% performed an allergy patch test and 41.2% read ingredient lists. Age (p < 0.001) and marital status (p = 0.004) were associated with usage intensity. Endorsement of influencer recommendations, a minority behavior (38.1% agreed; 42.4% disagreed), was independently associated with purchase of expensive cosmetics (adjusted odds ratio 1.59, 95% CI 1.08-2.33, p = 0.019); no factor was associated with patch testing.Conclusion Safety awareness did not consistently translate into precautionary behavior, revealing a knowledge-practice gap among young Saudi women. Targeted education should strengthen ingredient-level literacy and cosmetovigilance engagement.
SN - 1178-7015
ER -