International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

In the modern digital era, social media marketing has become one of the most influential promotional tools in the skincare industry. Consumers today depend heavily on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok for product information, skincare routines, reviews, tutorials, and recommendations before making purchasing decisions. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital platforms increased rapidly as consumers spent more time online for communication, entertainment, shopping, and product research. This shift significantly changed the marketing strategies of skincare brands and transformed consumer buying behaviour. The present study focuses on analysing the impact of social media marketing on consumer purchase decisions for skincare products. The research examines how social media advertisements, influencer marketing, electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM), online customer reviews, and promotional campaigns affect consumer awareness, trust, preferences, and purchase intentions. The study also investigates the role of social media influencers and beauty creators in shaping consumer perceptions and encouraging skincare product purchases. The research is based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire distributed among 154 respondents in Uttarakhand who actively use social media platforms and purchase skincare products. Secondary data was collected from journals, articles, books, websites, and previous research studies related to social media marketing and consumer behaviour. The findings of the study reveal that social media marketing has a strong influence on consumer purchase decisions for skincare products. Most respondents agreed that influencer recommendations, online reviews, advertisements, and promotional offers significantly affect their buying behaviour. Consumers prefer researching skincare products online before making final purchase decisions because social media provides easy access to product information, customer feedback, tutorials, and ingredient awareness. The study also highlights that influencer marketing and electronic word-of-mouth play an important role in building consumer trust and brand awareness. However, the research identifies certain challenges such as misleading advertisements, fake reviews, unrealistic beauty standards, and excessive promotional content, which may negatively influence consumer satisfaction and trust. The study concludes that social media marketing has become an essential marketing strategy in the skincare industry. Skincare brands should focus on transparency, authenticity, informative content, and ethical influencer collaborations to maintain long-term customer trust and improve consumer satisfaction in the highly competitive digital market.

Sakshi Kandari, Dr. Pallavi Bhardwaj,"Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchase Decisions for Skincare Products" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(3): Page(2484-2490) May-June 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.