Insight of Saudi Users of Cosmetic Regarding Cosmetovigilance: A Survey of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice

Abstract

Background The term “Cosmetovigilance” was first introduced as a new term for addressing the safety of cosmetic products. There is still significant variability across the community regarding knowledge as well as legislation about cosmeceuticals. Methods An organized set of 38 questions addressing demographics, knowledge, practices, attitudes, and perceptions toward cosmetics along with additional 10 questions about reporting cosmetic adverse drug reactions were used to conduct a cross-sectional study. Using a convenience sample of 601 cosmetics consumers in Saudi Arabia, a Microsoft form was used to administer the questionnaire. The data analysis was performed using a statistical package for social science analysis (SPSS). Results The overall percentage of participants who answered the questions related to the knowledge was 89.6% (539/601). The association between knowledge score and demographic characteristics was explored. None of the demographic variables showed a significant association with knowledge (p > 0.05). Regarding attitudes, significant associations were found with age, marital status, income, and nationality (p < 0.001). Out of the 323 participants who completed the additional part of the questionnaire, 150 (46.4%) experienced cosmetic-related side effects, but only 1.3% reported the incidence of these effects. The occurrence of adverse effects connected to cosmetics is more common in women, younger age groups, and people who have ever experienced allergies (p < 0.001). Conclusion Our findings support the huge need for continued efforts to fully increase consumers' awareness of regulatory oversight and the importance of reporting adverse events to completely ensure the safety of cosmetic products in Saudi Arabia.