Research background and purpose:
Consumer preferences have increasingly shifted toward sustainable products in recent years, particularly in the cosmetics industry, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change concerns. Vegan cosmetics, free of animal-derived ingredients and not tested on animals, have attracted strong attention from Vietnamese consumers. However, limited empirical research has explored how brand equity influences purchase intention in emerging markets. This study aims to examine the impact of four dimensions of brand equity—brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations, and brand loyalty—on consumers’ purchase intention for vegan cosmetics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach:
A structured questionnaire survey was conducted using a convenience sampling method, and 452 valid responses were collected from consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. Multiple regression analysis was performed with SPSS to test the proposed hypotheses and assess the relationships between brand equity dimensions and consumers’ purchase intention.

Findings:
The results demonstrate that all four dimensions of brand equity—perceived quality, brand awareness, brand associations, and brand loyalty—positively and significantly influence consumers’ purchase intention. Among them, brand loyalty has the strongest effect, followed by brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand associations.

Value added and limitations:
Theoretically, this study extends Aaker’s brand equity model to the context of sustainable and ethical consumption in an emerging market. Practically, it provides insights for marketers to enhance brand positioning, strengthen loyalty, and improve competitiveness in the vegan cosmetics sector. The study is limited to a single city with a convenience sample, suggesting that future research should include broader geographic coverage, cross-country comparisons, and the application of advanced analytical methods.