This study aims to quantitatively examine the color differences between SNS promotional images of gel nail brands and their actual applied colors. With the growing influence of social media marketing in the beauty industry, accurate representation of product colors has become a crucial factor in shaping consumer trust and purchase intentions. To address this issue, A total of 29 gel nail colors from three representative brands were selected as the research sample. For each color, the CIE L*a*b* values were measured, and the color differences (ΔE*ab) between promotional images and actual applied colors were calculated. The data were analyzed using two main statistical methods. First, a one-sample t-test was conducted to verify whether the mean color difference exceeded the perceptual threshold of ΔE ≥ 3, which indicates a level distinguishable to consumers. Second, a one-way ANOVA was performed to investigate whether there were statistically significant differences in color distortion among brands. The results revealed that, overall, the mean ΔE*ab values were significantly higher than the perceptual threshold, suggesting that the color discrepancies between promotional images and actual applied colors were noticeable to consumers. Furthermore, significant brand-level differences were observed, indicating that some brands displayed greater inconsistency in color representation than others. These findings highlight the importance of transparency and accuracy in color representation for gel nail brands utilizing SNS platforms. From a marketing perspective, minimizing the gap between promotional and actual colors can enhance consumer trust, strengthen brand credibility, and ultimately improve purchase satisfaction. This research contributes to the field of color marketing by providing empirical evidence of how digital promotional practices can influence consumer perception and brand evaluation.
Jang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.