International Journal of Psychology and Cognitive Science

2018; 4(2): 57-66

http://www.aascit.org/journal/ijpcs
ISSN: 2472-9450 (Print); ISSN: 2472-9469 (Online)

Perceptual Appropriateness of Indian Women

Towards Hair Colours
Saraju Prasad
Biju Patnaik Institute of Information Technology & Management Studies, Bhubaneswar, India

Email address

Citation
Saraju Prasad. Perceptual Appropriateness of Indian Women Towards Hair Colours. International Journal of Psychology and Cognitive
Science. Vol. 4, No. 2, 2018, pp. 57-66.

Received: April 3, 2018; Accepted: April 16, 2018; Published: May 31, 2018

Abstract: Cosmetics companies faced lot of challenges in the changing environment as the competition within the specific
market segment is more rigorous day by day. Companies are changing their strategies more often to understand the exact
customers need and preference. Recent consumer buying points are changing with the advent of technology like cosmetics are
available in various retail outlets, company’s dealers and distributors, parlors and salons which indirectly affects the cosmetic
brands to redesign the distribution strategy to suit best for their products. There is a great revolution in cosmetics for hair
especially the hair colours. This research will give a direction to the hair colour manufacturers to know the perception Indian
women towards different point of purchases for hair colours and also give knowledge about brand personality traits, look
matters in preference of any cosmetic brands. The research also gives in depth knowledge about the different colours
acceptability in Indian market. Theoretical frame work of the research gives a sketch about the consumer’s perception on brand
preference, image, personality towards different brands of hair colours. The research helps the different hair colour companies
to know the factors that has greater influence on potential or existing consumers during purchase decisions. This research
highlights the important role of physical qualities, price, advertisement and promotion of hair colours to change the consumer
perception. Different statistical tools used to analyse the role of gender and cultural differences influence colour perception and
companies should keep in mind when localizing the colours to develop different advertising strategies to entice women.
Keywords: Regression, Multi-dimensional Scaling, Perceptual Mapping, Stress Value etc

mixing and measurement components, was not customer-

1. Introduction friendly. The defined routine of coloring or dyeing hair at
Coloring hair is no longer just a replacement for anti-aging; home is reduced and there has been a rise in approach to
it is now a matter of style, trend and wellness too. The salons for coloring hair. The difference in professional hair
increasing affluence among the young and changing color and retail hair color is now filling the gap and to have
lifestyles are driving the demand for the emerging hair color an extra shine with smoothness and primarily the tiring and
segment. The Rs 2,500-crore hair colour market in India time spending transmission of coloring your own hair at
today is exciting, experimental and transformative. Hair home is reduced. Professional hair colors are the products
colouring is no longer considered an exercise in hiding that are used only at salons by trained hair technicians who
greying hair. You can choose from an array of powders, gels, also provide free consultation to most customers on the type
cremes, colours, in just about every shade, while being of shade that would suit your appearance and will also
assured of nourishing, conditioning, enriching benefits at the complement your lifestyle. Professional hair colors last
same time. Formerly colour was an antidote to ageing. To longer and have more benefits other than the retail colors as
add to it, there wasn’t much choice for consumers in terms of available in the market.
colours – companies in the category mostly offered black. The professional hair care industry serve as a good
The process of combining components made the exercise in example where creating an aesthetic experience plays a big
hair colouring very tedious and the packaging in glass bottles, part in influencing consumer behaviour. For instance, we
which looked medicinal and carried detailed information on have experienced that many styling products often serve little
58 Saraju Prasad: Perceptual Appropriateness of Indian Women Towards Hair Colours

utilitarian purpose and are not necessarily useful from a products. If the brand has a wide array of professional post
practical point of view; nevertheless these products seem to care products to support their color and which can be
create intangible value and significance for the user. supplied only through the salons then they are in more
Professional styling products are being sold exclusively in demand as compared to regular color brands as Salons prefer
hair salons and departmental stores where a symbolic their clientele to keep growing with their support of purchase
atmosphere is created. The whole buying process is shaped of post maintenance products. Extensive research and
around generating a social interaction, impulse and feeling. analysis also revealed that the share of hair care market is
As a result hair product customer is not only influenced by maximum in the cosmetic industry, with hair oil being the
the companies' visual output but also by becoming dominant segment as there is a surge in the Indian market
emotionally connected with organizational values and beliefs. with the variants in the segment like perfume oil, light oil,
People often purchase products spontaneously without any and many more. In future, although hair oil is expected to
clear consideration whether a certain product is actually remain the leading market, but hair color will attain the
needed or worth the price paid. [21] suggest that this self- fastest growth rate in the segment.
gifting phenomenon is provoked by the endeavor to motivate The story of the evolution of the Godrej Group is
and indulge, relieve stress or just do something nice for intertwined with the history of India. Innovation has always
oneself. been core to our approach, and it goes hand in hand with our
India has seen a recent growth of about 30% in recent strong legacy of trust, integrity and respect for people, which
years wherein a visit to a hair salon is increased by both the spans over a century. By 1974, the Group was fairly well
genders. Men’s grooming has been a big impact since 2015 established. We were looking for a new segment to enter and
and the average clientele to a standard salon even in a rural decided to venture in the hair colour category. We already
area is around 3-4 male customers per day for hair color had businesses in metal locks and almirahs category, oleo
services. India has over 40% of the salon category described chemicals, soaps and agri feed, among others. Hair colour,
as ‘Parlours’ wherein the establishment still uses retail hair however, was a brand-new category. Back then, the hair dye
colors for their customers instead of professional hair colours, market in India was undersized but we believed it held
the reason being; price concern, easy availability, no tremendous potential - it was growing well in other global
professional training and a wide array of shades and brands. markets. Our research and development team worked
When it comes to shades at such establishments, preference diligently on making a very good formula for hair dye and
is always a dark color in terms of black or brown, the reason this encouraged us further to make a foray into the market.
here is the demand of just coverage of grey hair. Sachets and The first product we launched in 1974 was called Godrej
powder dyes have been replaced with cartons coming with Liquid Hair Dye. Packaged in bottles, this product was a
easy application instructions and large quantity content. runaway success, so much so that the term dye itself became
Popular Brands in the retail hair color segment are L’Oreal synonymous with Godrej. It laid the foundation for us to
Paris, Streax, Garnier, Revlon, Godrej etc. The advantages to become the number one player in the hair colour market, a
walk into a professional Salon to color your hair gives you position that we hold with pride even today. The Rs. 2,500-
variable advantages other than just professional coloring, crore hair colour market in India today is exciting,
here you stand a chance of mix match colors, highlights, experimental and transformative. Hair colouring is no longer
streaking and much more. Primarily you are in safe hands, as considered an exercise in hiding greying hair. You can
the color of your hair should add charm to your personality. choose from an array of powders, gels, cremes, colours, in
India’s overall hair colour market is estimated to be around just about every shade, while being assured of nourishing,
Rs. 2,900 crore with new players in various categories and conditioning, enriching benefits at the same time. When we
brand estimate. The prominent players in the professional started out, however, it was very different. Colour was an
hair color industry in India are L’Oreal, Wella and antidote to ageing. To add to it, there wasn't much choice for
Shwarzkopf with the secondary category of brands such as consumers in terms of colours - companies in the category
Matrix, Berina, Streax Pro. etc, currently dominating the mostly offered black. The process of combining components
market. In terms of fashion colors especially semi-permanent made the exercise in hair colouring very tedious and the
there are Fudge, N’rage and Crazy Colors, which is also now packaging in glass bottles, which looked medicinal and
not widely available, and there is a high demand for the same carried detailed information on mixing and measurement
in the Indian market. components, was not customer-friendly.
Herbal based hair colors and organic hair colors also
perceive to enter the salon industry but with poor marketing 2. Hypothesis
techniques and education, they are not able to penetrate. 80%
professional salons keep a choice of hair color brands at their This research as gone through a situation where women
salons to suit their customer needs, whereas the other 20% expenses on hair colours is increasing day by day of the
professional salons cater to only one particular brand. The customers. This expense on hair colour is affected by the
rise in demand for any professional hair colors at salons different hedonic or utilitarian value of the company’s
(other than the schemes and packaged offers) is; education, product. Hypothesis can be formulated to study the
product innovation, marketing support and in-salon retail relationship of women’s age with hedonic or utilitarian value
 International Journal of Psychology and Cognitive Science 2018; 4(2): 57-66 59

of the different brands of hair colours. Hence the hypothesis had both contributed to the satisfaction with the cosmetic
is: brands with an overall stronger influence of emotional
H0 = Importance of decision variables for hair colours consumption experiences. Beauty is a subject which is
depends upon age of the women difficult to grasp especially since it is perceived differently
H1 = Importance of decision variables for hair colours and related to various cultural or social norms. Beauty might
does not depend upon age of the women be seen as a powerful tool that can help one to achieve higher
ambitions which might be significant for future growth and
3. Objectives development [10]. According to [6], the word beautiful
expresses something that we are fond of, enjoy looking at.
This research will study the consumers´ subjective view on For that reason, a sense of personal fulfillment as well as
beauty and aesthetics and can be influenced by the indulgence is created [22]. Hair styling has emerged as one
professional hair care industry. Hair colour market is created of the key fashion points in recent years as individuals,
by different hair colour companies which mainly satisfy particularly young consumers realize that styling hairs in a
emotional needs rather than fulfill utilitarian function. The trendy manner has an impact on people's perception of their
research objectives formulated for this paper is to know the fashion sense. Hair styling is particularly interesting for
profile of women having high involvement with hair colours, consumers because hairstyle is one aspect of appearance
to know the factors responsible to select any brands of hair which can be set in different styles as compared to rest of the
colours and finally to find the relationship of individual’s age face which the individuals can do little about except for
with her preferred brand hair colours wearing makeup.
Aesthetics is defined by [3] as a science of perception that
4. Methodology relies on our ability to distinguish value or significance in the
object of interest and thereby develop taste. In advertising
This study attempted to determine whether women are beauty is produced by aesthetic images and symbols which
assigned specific personality traits based on their hair color are interpreted by consumers [27]. For that reason, as [26]
and length within the setting of a college campus. In order to state, aesthetics can be used as an influential tool for
conduct this study, surveys were administered to a randomly organisations to differentiate their products with. However,
collected sample of women. The surveys collected emotions can be easily abused by organisations and hence
demographic information about participants and allowed produce a false view of the "scientific truth" [16]. For
each participant to administer personality traits based on the instance, illusions can be formed by companies, that state
picture presented. Methodology used for this research is that certain products are better than others and that customers
based on the profile of customers being taken as respondents. gain more for the money they pay. As a result the companies
Secondary data are collected from the different sources like will neglect the truth as long as consumers are convinced that
electronic and print medium respectively and the sources the information is correct. Jensen discusses the problem
mentioned in references. Primary data are collected from the further by claiming that a false rationality is eventually
respondents through questionnaire method. Depending upon created in order to justify the purchases made. There is
the type of questions in questionnaire sample size of 300 is extensive scientific documentation that aesthetic experience
quite adequate for the research. Sampling procedure used for undoubtedly affects consumer behaviour in several ways [3],
this research is convenient one. Statistical Tools like [13].
tabulation, weighted average mean and regression analysis Further, by using experiential and sensory marketing
and multi-dimensional scaling technique are being used for strategies [25], closely studying consumer attitudes and
the data analysis. In order to conduct this study, 300 women preferences [9], creating symbolic [19] and emotional [1]
in Bhubaneswar region have been selected by sampling values organisations can produce a luxurious and
method and mainly questionnaire has been used for overpowering feeling of desire [2] that hopefully end in both
collecting the data. All the data required for this analytical increased profits and improved consumer value. Thus, it is
study has been obtained mainly from primary sources, but at essential for organisations to identify what consumers desire,
times, secondary sources of data have also been considered. often before they actually know that themselves, and use the
The data collection method used to obtain the desired marketing strategies to enhance that desire. L'Oreal's
information from primary sources has been through direct marketing strategy involves using attractive models with
interview and questionnaire has been used as an instrument. different hairstyles; using these models L'Oreal creates a
Basically, targeted populations belong to the Bhubaneswar false perception among consumers that using L'Oreal's
region and considering only women of different ages as a products will make them look like the models. L'Oreal's
sampling unit. Judgment sampling has been used for models use extensive makeup which highlights the fact that
collecting the sample. L'Oreal's consumers are very sensitive about their appearance
and may use lot of make up as well. Another key aspect of
5. Literature Review L'Oreal's marketing strategy for hair care products is using
models with different skin colours. This could be a strategy
[11] suggested that utilitarian and hedonic brand benefits to improve the aesthetic appeal of L'Oreal's hair care
60 Saraju Prasad: Perceptual Appropriateness of Indian Women Towards Hair Colours

products. One key aspect of L'Oreal's marketing strategy is to 16.19% in 2010-11 in terms of value. The Indian market
advertise a single shade of a hair colour. For example; when share of hair care segment contributes a considerable amount
it advertises red hair colour, all the models in the i.e. 9% of FMCG sector which is continuously increasing
advertisement will be wearing different shades of red hair from Rs. 6230.8 crores to Rs. 8417.79 crores of rupees in the
colour only. commercial years of 2008-09 to 2010-11. [28] states that a
In the latter half of the 20th century a rapid growth of the lot of hair care market customers indulge in brand switching
global market resulted in a significant increase in the amount often, due to introduction of new and improved products,
of brands and products present in most, if not all, industries heavy advertisements, sales promotions and even celebrity
with a focus on the end consumers. Companies are obliged to branding. Moreover, when dealing with hair care, customers
identify the underlying aesthetic reasons for the consumption prefer those brands that emphasize on using natural
as consumers have access to numerous choices. This ingredients in the product such as Chamomile, Red clover,
alteration causes a need for differentiation in order to beat the Vitamin E and so on. [28] further states that due to this
competition by offering products that not only fulfill basic preference, the brands of shampoos that claim to be 100%
needs but also add value to the lifestyle customers desire to organic and toxic-free have created a niche in the hair care
be a part of. Such "brand intangible" features of the brands market. In spite of such popular use of hair dyes globally,
that do not include any explicit qualities, are vital for hair dyes contain chemicals that scientists have never termed
providing exclusive aesthetic experiences for their customers. as ‘toxic-free’. [5] conducted research in the field of hair
The objective of a company is to create an image, a sign of dyes and the subsequent health effects arising due to their
recognition and quality [26]. Positive memories created in long-term usage. This research was conducted after a review
consumers' minds can provide loyalty and premium price by the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) in
setting in the future as people are keen to return to the brands 1993 concluded that evidence was inadequate to evaluate the
that previously delivered trustworthy satisfaction. The carcinogenicity of hair dye use. [5] scientifically researched
expansion of benefits of a strong brand is crucial [17]. The the association between use of hair dye and diseases like
company behind the strong brand may, for example, gain lymphomas and multiple myeloma (MM). Though some
easier access to new markets by utilizing a brand extension- cases were found, these associations were not consistent
the process where novel products are released under the within and between the studies conducted.
existing brand. This strategy effectively stimulates a feeling Further, [24] conducted a research by studying various
of recognition and approval the consumer might have articles published in January 1992-February 2005 that
towards the original brand line. The professional hair care investigated the association between personal hair dye use
industry serve as a good example where creating an aesthetic and cancer. The result was that there existed an association
experience plays a big part in influencing consumer between hair dye use and various cancerous diseases like
behaviour. Professional styling products are being sold non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, acute
exclusively in hair salons and departmental stores where a leukemia, and bladder cancer which were observed in at least
symbolic atmosphere is created. The whole buying process is one well-designed study with detailed exposure assessment.
shaped around generating a social interaction, impulse and However, these results were not consistently observed across
feeling. As a result hair product customer is not only all the studies. [8] identified in their research that consumer’s
influenced by the companies' visual output but also by preference is based on the ‘halo effect’. This means that
becoming emotionally connected with organisational values consumers do not consider all the attributes of a brand but
and beliefs. People often purchase products spontaneously globally evaluate the product and brand. This research work
without any clear consideration whether a certain product is focused on analyzing consumers’ preferences and choice for
actually needed or worth the price paid. [21] suggest that this international, national and private brands which in turn
self-gifting phenomenon is provoked by the endeavour to would allow a greater understanding of product positioning
motivate and indulge, relieve stress or just do something nice and targeting issues in a market. The result was that attributes
for oneself. such as shampoo’s scent, foam, after use feeling, and
[7] conducted a study of the European cosmetic industry reputation were considered significant by customers while
which showed that it is the largest and fastest growing making a choice. However, different gender and consumer
cosmetic market in the world. European men as well as groups had different preferences about the same product.
women are fashion forward and often, fashion innovators as Through a multi-sensory experience, created by sensory
well. Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain are labeled as perceptions, people respond to external stimulations as well
the ‘big 5’ companies of the cosmetic industry of Europe. as they react to emotional images which are either
These European countries not only generate largest revenues consciously or unconsciously. This creates possibilities for
but are also leaders of export and import of cosmetic hedonic consumption which is, as explained by [14], a
products. [23] state that in the year 2010-11, the Indian hair phenomenon that: "designates those facets of consumer
care market was dominated by hair oil segment (54.83%) behaviour that relate to the multi-sensory, fantasy and
followed by shampoo segment (31.28%) in terms of value. emotive aspects of one's experience with products". It is
Moreover, even in terms of volume, hair oil segment leads essential for companies to identify the symbolic meaning of
the Indian hair care market. Hair dye segment has grown by consumer goods which are increasingly becoming a part of
 International Journal of Psychology and Cognitive Science 2018; 4(2): 57-66 61

our consumer identity and image. Symbolic meaning of hair 49.49 percent of the respondents have been using hair colour
care products such as hair colour is to give the hairs a colour for a period of less than 10 years.
which matches the personality, mood, occasion and the rest
of the attire. This is often witnessed in case of air colour 6.2. Relationship of Age with Variables in
advertising by L'Oreal as often the products are advertised Decision Making
using models who are wearing the clothing and makeup Different issues and perspectives of 198 respondents who
which matches the hair colour. Thus, L'Oreal tries to use hair colours are given in below table 2 in appendix. Out
symbolise hairs as one part of the body which needs to be of the total respondents 39.39% of the respondents select hair
dressed like rest of the body to make the look complete. For colours on the basis of brand name. 34.34% of the
hair care products, L'Oreal's marketing strategy is to respondents are of the opinion that they are influenced by the
highlight the hairs as the most important part of the looks. beautician in their decision to select a hair colour brands.
This is often done by highlighting the hairs so that everything 44.44% of the respondents have complained about the
else looks meaningless (as is evident from some of the problem of hyper pigmentation after the consistent
advertisements shown below): application of hair dyes and want to switch over to hair
All these advertisements highlight hairs as the main part of colours.
the look. By highlighting the hairs as the most important part This table 4 in appendix provides the R and R2 values
and noticing that it is possible to alter the appearance of hairs where the R value represents the simple correlation and is
(by styling and colouring), L'Oreal tries to convey the 0.954 (the "R" Column), which signifies a high degree of
message that it is possible to achieve the model looks. In correlation among the 16 variables in table 3 in appendix and
other words, the highlight are the hairs which have been gives validity to conduct regression analysis and the R2 value
treated with L'Oreal products which means that the looks of is 0.977 signifies the extent of total variation in hair colours
the model in the advertisement are a result of L'Oreal's explained by the sixteen independent variable related to
product and hence the consumers can get the same looks if hedonic and utilitarian value of different brands of hair
they use L'Oreal products. colours. The sixteen variables considered for the behavioral
studies can be able to explain 91.6% of the decision which is
6. Analysis and Findings very large i,e. and the age of women is directly affected by
the hedonic and utilitarian values of the hair colours. Hence,
6.1. Demographic Profile
H0 = Importance of decision variables for hair colours
In the present study the respondent’s income mostly above depends upon age of the women
Rs. 20,000 per month is being considered on the total sample.
In order to avoid the risk related to those who are getting The ANOVA table explains the extent of the regression
below Rs. 20,000 may not be the suitable customer for the equation fits the data (i.e., able to predict the dependent
regular deodorant user. The total sample size for the research variable). The table 5 in appendix shows the output of the
is 300. Out of the total respondents 16.6% are students in ANOVA analysis shows that the significance value is 0.00
various professional and non-professional institutes, 15.3% (i.e., p =.000) which is below 0.05 and is statistically
are businessmen and 30% are professionals and 15.3% are significant. The table 6 in appendix shows that the dependent
service holders and 18% are housewives. 100% of the total variable “Age wise Consumers’ Decision” depends upon the
respondents are coming under the income level of higher independent variables like “Problems associated with hair
than Rs. 20,000. Most of the people are coming above the colour”, “Types of Influencers” and “Factors or Features of
age of 30. About 90% of the respondents are coming under the product”. Mathematically the equation is
the age of 50. Out of this 9% are coming under age 20, 17.6%
Y= 77.854 + (.851) X1 + (.143) X2 + (-1.403) X3
are coming under age 21-30 and 28.3% are coming under 31-
40 and 31% are coming under 41-50 and 13.6% are coming Where,
above the age of 50. The people who are very much aware of Y= Age wise Consumers’ Decision
hair colours are taking into consideration because the X1= Factors considered for hair colour selection
questions can be solved by the highly aware respondents only. X2= Decision Influencers
The above information is available in the table 1 in appendix. X3= Problems with dye use
The usage pattern of hair colours is given in above table 2
in appendix. It shows 66 percent of the respondents prefer to 6.3. Perception About Brands on Colours
apply hair color and 34% of respondents prefer hair dye. Out
Colours are said to have emotional and psychological
of 198 respondents those are using hair colours 54.5%
properties [29]. The meanings linked with different colours
percent of them prefer to apply hair color of black shade,
are vital to marketers as they communicate brand image to
50.5 of the respondents prefer to apply hair colour once on
the consumers [20], [14]. The intrinsic meaning of colour, if
every three months. 77.7 percent of them prefer chemical
appropriately selected may bring, ‘inherent and immediate
based hair colour. 30.30 percent of the respondents use crème
value to the brand’ [18], like a carefully chosen name. Logo
based hair colour and 40.4 percent prefer small size of pack.
colour is also very important due to its mnemonic quality in
62 Saraju Prasad: Perceptual Appropriateness of Indian Women Towards Hair Colours

the areas of recognition and recall [12]. Colour may play a prefer black shade. The frequency of application of hair
role in imparting information, creating lasting identity and colours is every three months. The Brand image and the Price
suggesting imagery and symbolic value [12]. Colour is are the factors in selecting a hair colours. The respondents
sometimes referred to as the ‘silent salesperson’ as it exerts were influenced by beauticians and advertisements in
persuasive power at a subliminal level. Therefore, it is selecting a brand. Hyper pigmentation is the major problem
necessary to address the need to examine how people reported by the respondents after the application of hair dye.
perceive the colour, design and meaning of logos to examine People consume exclusive hair care products in faith that
how these interlink to and affect the identity of the these will fulfil the ageless want of preserving their beauty
organization [12]. In this research the dispersion accounted and youth. Our research results show that people are highly
for is 0.95 and Truckers Coefficient of congruence is 0.97 aware of their looks and how their physical appearance
which is highly acceptable for the perceptual map available influences others. Therefore their main goal is to satisfy a
in table 7 in appendix. [4] had shown that some colors have need for beauty and achieve recognition from the
stronger associations with products than others which are environment. This acceptance from the society and true
important when designing the package of a product. feeling of actually being beautiful fulfils another need, that of
The figure 1 in appendix shows the perceptual image self-esteem.
which gives the pictorial representation of the different
brands of colours perceived by the respondents. Here
respondents have given high favoritism to Garnier, Streax, 8. Limitations and Directions for
LO’real and Revlon with comparison to Vasmol, Godrej, Future Research
Wella K, and Bigen. Respondents have given high favoritism
in one dimension to Revlon and LO’real. The coordinates of This study was conducted to determine the public's
the different brands in perceptual map has shown in table 8 in perception on hair colours products and the side effects, and
appendix. Multi-dimensional scaling is calculating the as a result, it was confirmed that the level of awareness was
Euclidean distance among the different brands of colours in fairly low. Therefore, it is necessary for people to fully know
perceptual map. The detailed Euclidean distances table is the ingredients of hair coloring products and to properly use
being shown in table 9 in appendix. them, such as conducting a patch test for the causative agents
of contact dermatitis before use, in order to decrease the side
effect caused by hair coloring products. It is advisable to
7. Conclusion introduce a system that will enables users to become aware of
It has been observed that people not only use hair dyes but the ingredients of hair coloring products and the side effects
also preferred to use hair colours because of its requirement of hair coloring products. We should give broad
during different occasions. People also use more than one opportunities for users to become aware of the side effects of
brand of hair colours to taste variety. People prefer high hair coloring through education, publicity and publication of
priced hair colours to look fashionable and to impress people. an informational booklet so that people can appropriately use
Price of reputed brand hair colours is not a big issue for hair coloring products. Additionally, for the people who
people. People prefer reputed brand colours over non- experience side effects of hair dye products, a patch test for
branded regardless of high price. Majority of the people in the main substances that cause contact dermatitis may be
the age group of 31-50 use hair colours. Majority of them helpful to select hair colour products and to decrease the side
have been using the hair colours for the past 10 years. Most effects of them.
of the respondents prefer chemical based hair colours and

Appendix
Table 1. Demographic profile of respondents using hair colours).

Demographic Profile
Type Particulars Frequency Percentage
Gender
Unmarried 82 27.33
Married 218 72.67
Age
Less than 20 28 9.33
21-30 53 17.67
31-40 85 28.33
41-50 93 31.00
More than 50 41 13.67
Educational Qualification
 International Journal of Psychology and Cognitive Science 2018; 4(2): 57-66 63

Demographic Profile
Type Particulars Frequency Percentage
Graduation 105 35.00
Post-Graduation 90 30.00
PG above 55 18.33
Occupation
Student 50 16.67
Businessman 46 15.33
Professional 90 30.00
Service holder (Pvt/PS/Govt) 46 15.33
Housewife 54 18.00
Family Income per month
Less than 20K 50 16.67
20K- 40K 60 20.00
40K-60K 80 26.67
60K-80K 55 18.33
Above 80K 55 18.33

Table 2. Hair colour preferences of respondents related to colour composition.

Factor Classification Respondents Percentage

Application of hair colors Yes 198 66.00
Application of hair dye Yes 102 34.00
Preferred Color
Black 108 54.55
Brown 59 29.80
Burgundy 19 9.60
Blonde 10 5.05
Other 2 1.01
Frequency of Application
Once in a month 15 7.58
Once in two months 38 19.19
Once in three months 100 50.51
Once in more than three months 45 22.73
Type of hair colors
Herbal 45 22.73
Chemical 153 77.27
Form of hair colors
Powder 45 22.73
Liquid 53 26.77
Crème 60 30.30
Oil 40 20.20
Size of Pack
Small 80 40.40
Medium 62 31.31
Large 56 28.28
Period of use of hair colors
<1 month 15 7.58
<1 year 37 18.69
<10 years 98 49.49
<20 years 48 24.24
64 Saraju Prasad: Perceptual Appropriateness of Indian Women Towards Hair Colours

Table 3. Factors responsible to select any brands of hair colour.

(Issues and Perspectives)

Decision Variables Classification Respondents Percentage

Brand Name 78 39.39
Content 10 5.05
Factors considered for Hair Color Range 15 7.57
colours selection Availability 18 9.09
Price 67 33.8
Safety 10 5.05
Friends 28 14.14
Relatives 48 24.24
Decision Influencers Ads 44 22.22
Beauticians 68 34.34
Doctors 10 5.05
Pigmentation 88 44.44
Allergies 25 12.62
Problems with dye use Rashes 15 7.57
Other 5 2.52
No problem 65 32.82

Table 4. R and R square value for significance of prediction of independent variables affecting hair colour selection.

Regression Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate
1 .977a .954 .815 12.06449

a. Predictors: (Constant), Problems with dye use, Decision Influencers, Factors considered for hair colour selections

Table 5. ANOVA Table to signify all the variables in decision making of hair colours.

ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Regression 3002.448 3 1000.816 6.876 .272b
1 Residual 145.552 1 145.552
Total 3148.000 4

a. Dependent Variable: Age wise Consumers’ Decision

b. Predictors: (Constant), Problems with dye use, Decision Influencers, Factors considered for hair colour selections

Table 6. Regression Analysis: relationship of age wise consumers’ decision with factors, influencers and problems.
a
Coefficients
Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients
Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 77.854 30.171 2.580 .235
Factors .851 .613 .978 1.390 .397
1
Influencer .143 .481 .112 .298 .816
Problems -1.403 .593 -1.768 -2.364 .255

a. Dependent Variable: Age wise Consumers’ Decision

Table 8. Hair colour brands axis coordinates in two dimensional graph.

Table 7. Stress value for better fit of brands in Multidimensional Scaling
Technique. Final Coordinates
Dimension
Stress and Fit Measures
1 2
Normalized Raw Stress .0142
Loreal .631 -.210
Stress-I .1193a Revlon .715 -.249
Stress-II .3047a Garnier .306 .531
S-Stress .0285b Streax .463 .350
Dispersion Accounted For (D.A.F.) .9858 Godrej -.113 -.451
Tucker's Coefficient of Congruence .9929 Vasmol -.551 -.269
Bigen -.735 .020
PROXSCAL minimizes Normalized Raw Stress. WellaK -.715 .278
a. Optimal scaling factor = 1.014.
b. Optimal scaling factor =.985.
 International Journal of Psychology and Cognitive Science 2018; 4(2): 57-66 65

Table 9. Euclidean Distance among the different hair colour brand in perceptual map.

Distances
Loreal Revlon Garnier Streax Godrej Vasmol Bigen WellaK
Loreal .000
Revlon .092 .000
Garnier .810 .881 .000
Streax .585 .650 .240 .000
Godrej .783 .852 1.068 .986 .000
Vasmol 1.184 1.266 1.173 1.188 .474 .000
Bigen 1.386 1.475 1.160 1.242 .779 .343 .000
WellaK 1.432 1.524 1.052 1.180 .945 .572 .259 .000

Figure 1. Perceptual map of different hair colour brands.

Luxury Brand. California Management Review, Vol. 52, No.

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