Country of Origin, Products from Different Countries and Cultural Backgrounds in the Cosmetic Industry: A Literature Review

Abstract

This article explores the research domain of the impact of Country of Origin (COO) in the cosmetics industry in relation to products from different countries and cultural backgrounds. This study aims to provide a relevant and comprehensive organization of the research around this topic, offering an original, reliable and practically useful resource. In this way, a systematic literature review was conducted. Twenty documents published between 1997 and 2020 were analyzed and classified into three research themes. Specifically, the three themes are: COO and purchase behaviour related to cosmetic products (Theme A), COO and country perception in relation to cosmetic products (Theme B), COO and marketing strategies for cosmetics companies (Theme C). For each of the themes, emerging content and the potential for future research was highlighted. The findings of this paper have value not only for Cross-Cultural Management and Marketing scholars, but also for managers of cosmetics companies who plan to use the Country of Origin and the Country Image to communicate the company brand. The analysis is original and shows that this is an under-researched topic that offers important insights for future research and implications for managers who intend to consider the COO in business and marketing strategies.