THE INFLUENCE OF INFLUENCER MARKETING ON CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION OF SKINCARE PRODUCTS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The growth of social media has revolutionized marketing strategies, making influencer marketing one of the most dominant approaches. However, there is still limited research on how the credibility of influencers particularly their trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness directly influences purchase intention, especially for local skincare brands among younger consumers. This study investigates the impact of influencer marketing on purchase intention through a quantitative method. Data were gathered from 100 active university students who use TikTok, and were processed using SPSS Statistics 26. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, classical assumption testing (normality and heteroscedasticity), as well as simple linear regression with t-tests and coefficient of determination. The results reveal that influencer marketing significantly and positively affects purchase intention, accounting for 68.5% of the variance. Moreover, the findings highlight that credibility dimensions trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness play a central role in encouraging consumer interest. These outcomes are consistent with previous research emphasizing influencer credibility as a driver of consumer trust and behavior, while also contributing new insights from the Indonesian skincare market. The study concludes that influencer marketing is a critical factor shaping purchase intention and suggests that brands should strategically collaborate with credible influencers to maximize marketing effectiveness.