Consumer Understanding Of Chemical Labels And Product Composition Information
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69968/ijisem.2026v5i3719-727Keywords:
Chemical Labels, Product Composition, Consumer Awareness, Chemical Safety, Purchasing DecisionsAbstract
This study examines consumers’ understanding of chemical labels and product composition information and their role in purchasing decisions. The study followed a quantitative research design and collected primary data from 300 consumers through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire covered awareness of chemical labels, understanding of chemical names and ingredients, interpretation of chemical safety information, consideration of product composition, and purchasing decisions. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and analysis of variance. The findings show that consumers generally reported awareness of chemical information provided on product labels. A strong positive and significant relationship was found between awareness of chemical labels and the ability to understand product composition information (r = 0.889, p = 0.000). A significant positive relationship was also found between understanding chemical labels and interpreting chemical safety information (r = 0.524, p = 0.000). ANOVA further showed significant differences in purchasing decisions based on consideration of product composition (F = 14.198, p = 0.000).
References
[1] Asioli, D., Aschemann-witzel, J., Caputo, V., Vecchio, R., Annunziata, A., Næs, T., & Varela, P. (2017). Making sense of the “clean label” trends: A review of consumer food choice behavior and discussion of industry implications. Food Research International, 99(April), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2017.07.022
[2] Australia, G. of. (2022). Industrial Chemicals (General) Rules 2019 (Issue 4).
[3] Buchmüller, K., Bearth, A., & Siegrist, M. (2020). Consumers’ perceptions of chemical household products and the associated risks. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 143(May), 111511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2020.111511
[4] Chang, M., & Chen, H. (2022). Understanding Consumers’ Intentions to Purchase Clean Label Products: Evidence from Taiwan. Nutrients, 1–13.
[5] Dionisio, K. L., Phillips, K., Price, P. S., Grulke, C. M., Williams, A., Biryol, D., Hong, T., & Isaacs, K. K. (2018). Data Descriptor: The Chemical and Products Database, a resource for exposure-relevant data on chemicals in consumer products. Www.Nature.Com/Scientificdata, 1–9.
[6] Hosni, H., Segovia, M., Zhao, S., Palma, M. A., & Skevas, T. (2024). Improving consumer understanding of pesticide toxicity labels: experimental evidence. Scientific Reports, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68288-9
[7] Joshi, R., Sahni, A., & Malik, M. C. (2022). Consumer awareness regarding harmful chemicals in everyday products. Int. J. Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence, 7(4).
[8] Luchsinger, L., & Bearth, A. (2026). Hazardous household chemicals and consumer segments: risk awareness , optimistic bias and risk reduction strategies. Safety Science, 201(May), 107259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2026.107259
[9] Matlhare, M. (2024). The Role of Product Labels in Consumer Decision-Making and Environmental Sustainability. 1–11.
[10] Olisah, C., Melymuk, L., Vestergren, R., Rumar, K., Wickman, T., Melander, N., Talasniemi, P., Brandsma, S., Boije, U., & Scheringer, M. (2025). Toward Product Safety and Circularity: Understanding the Information Structure of Global Databases on Chemicals in Products and Articles. Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c07992
[11] Roonnaphai, K., Chiangmai, P. N., & Bunchuailua, W. (2024). Comprehension of labels of hazardous chemical household products among consumers. Science, Engineering and Health Studies, 1–8.
[12] Ssumptions, I. A., Ontext, L. E. C., & Facts, A. T. (2013). Eco-Labels and Competition: Eco-Certification Effects on the Market for Environmental Quality Provision. 21, 181–223.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jaidev Kumar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Re-users must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as the original work is properly credited.





